

Heirs of the Magi Archives

Cassie's Journal 2012 – Part Two

By Steve Leggett

Published by Steve Leggett - Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 – Steve Leggett

Cover Image by Kayla Leggett \- Copyright 2013 - Used by Permission

ISBN: 978-0-9867537-5-6

Books by Steve Leggett

Heirs of the Magi Trilogy

Magi Sanctuary

Magi Master

Magi Ascension (Forthcoming)

Heirs of the Magi Archives

 Cassie's Journal 2011

 Cassie's Journal 2012 - Part One

 Cassie's Journal 2012 – Part Two

The Catalyst Chronicles

 The Catalyst is Born

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

July 2012

August 2012

September 2012

October 2012

November 2012

December 2012

Notes

July 2012

Sunday, July 1, 2012

It feels a bit strange to be starting July without a holiday weekend and house full of family.

While I am missing spending time with my new extended family, I'm not missing the extra work that goes with the long weekends. Today was mostly a play day. Yet another hot, hot day prompted the Pastors to keep the church service short this morning, and we were home early; even with the extra time that everyone spent congratulating Grandpa Grant and Grandma Eleanor on their marriage. I've definitely avoided even thinking about them at all in relation to honeymoons or even the fact that they're newlyweds; but I should explain that they're waiting until next weekend – after the Fourth of July – to leave on a four-week long combination honeymoon and archive trip. I still don't want to think about that, so let's move along.

Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam all came over to spend most of the rest of the day at our house, and Rowen and I loved getting to have that time with them; and with Mom, Dad, Violet, and the twins. Dillon was working all day at the Inn, but he, Jake, and Stephanie all joined us while they were on an extended afternoon break. Mom and Dad fed them, and we all went for a swim before they needed to be back at the Inn to get ready for the buffet rush.

While that has me thinking about Violet and Dillon, I should mention that Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had another little chat with Violet about the lab while we were having lunch. If her questions were any indication, it definitely sounds like she and Dillon have been thinking a lot about what their future options could be – both with careers and the potential to have more than either of them expected possible while living in Witch Falls too.

Getting back to the fun parts of the day, we had barbeques for lunch and dinner, and spent the afternoon and evening playing, swimming, or just taking it easy and enjoying being together for a mostly do-nothing day. Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and Rowen all went home after dinner, but Grandma and Grandpa stayed until Ethan and Ehlana went to bed; and our evening entertainment included a group Magi lesson and a long chat and story time that included a bit more talk about the next steps in our future plans. Since Violet was there too, we mostly just talked about what Grandma and Grandpa will be doing to help out with those plans – particularly when we need either the Magi or town councils involvement – and they have a few things to take care of with that between now and September. Government red tape can be very annoying, but in a small town like ours, it's nowhere near the nightmare it can be in big cities.

Anyway, that's all going along pretty much as planned right now, and Ethan, Ehlana, and I don't see any major problems ahead – at least in the immediate future. After Ethan and Ehlana went to bed and Grandma and Grandpa went home, Mom and Dad went to work in the office for a while; Violet went to meet up with Dillon at the Inn; and I've been busy with a long soak in the Jacuzzi and an extended bedtime computing session. I've mostly been working in the archives, though I spent a half-hour or so in high-speed mode while taking care of a few family business issues. Mom and Dad went to bed a while ago, but Dillon and Violet are still in the living room now after getting home from the Inn. I've been busy anyway, and decided not to go downstairs and take the chance of interrupting anything just to say goodnight to them. They might not be ready to end their weekend quite yet, but it's after one o'clock, and I've had enough for today; so it's time to wrap this up and get some sleep.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, July 2, 2012

I've been on my computer, mostly working in the archives, for the past few hours. Yes, I did plan on taking it easy all summer, but that's proving to be easier said than done. It's a bit scary to find out that I miss the work and studying whenever I take a few days off. Before I get to my evening work and musings; let's do a quick recap of the rest of the day.

Rowen and I played, swam, biked, and went to the Emporium for two ice cream snack breaks. We had a picnic lunch at the park with Ethan and Ehlana, and I had dinner at home with Mom, Dad, and the twins while Rowen was doing the same with her parents at the computer store. Mom and Dad both had work to do after dinner, so Rowen and I took Ethan and Ehlana back to the park for a while, and then went for a swim with them before Rowen needed to head home, and I moved on to help Mom with getting the twins ready for bed - including doing a little bath time fun Magi lesson. I'd add any news about what Violet's been up to, but we haven't seen her since after breakfast. She and Dillon have been hanging out with Jake and Stephanie; and I won't be surprised if we find out that they've spent the day out at Quarry Lake. Whatever they've been doing, I'm sure they're enjoying their day off.

That was about it for today, and since coming to bed, my thoughts, and most of my archive studying, has been about the effects of puberty on Magi power and abilities; and the converse of that. Getting into this tonight came around in part because Rowen and I were talking about a few things earlier today, and a little archive research on that sort of turned into a mission. Mom and I both think that our archives are often missing important information because of how few of the books were written by women, and help for dealing with puberty is definitely one of those areas. I'm working on changing that, but while Mom can help me with anything I'm going through, it would have been nice to have more in the archives to learn from too. Even Mom's personal journals aren't very detailed; since she didn't really start contributing to the archives until she took over running everything when she was twenty-one.

Going back to the chat that started this train of thought rolling tonight, Rowen and I have both hit the four and a half foot tall milestone, and though I am a couple of months younger, we seem to be on nearly identical growth paths. We're also finding out that our Magi powers are growing and changing too, and Rowen's been a bit worried about whether we'd have problems keeping control of everything. This isn't something she wants to talk about with her Grandmother, or even with my Mom; and she obviously can't ask her mother about it either.

We're also wondering about whether I can use my Magi Healing talents to help both of us through some of the less-fun parts of puberty - or even if I can control our development. I haven't found anything in the archives about that yet, and probably won't, but I'm almost positive that I could do both. Helping Rowen when I can is an option, but I'm also sure that I shouldn't use my Magi power to nudge either of us into adult bodies that we weren't naturally meant to have. Since I know what I'm going to look like in a few years, thanks to Mom, I don't have a problem with that. Rowen may secretly be dreaming about being a tall, blonde, and blue-eyed with a custom-tailored body, but I have a very strong feeling that she's going to blossom from cute, shy little wallflower and bookworm to fiery and gorgeous. (Okay, so I might have a bit more than a feeling to go on for that, but let's leave it there.)

Moving along, my own Magi power is growing, though I need to study what's happening more to figure out how much of that is because I'm growing up. Part of the growth could simply be because I can use my gifts more often now that I'm allowed to shield myself. The biggest single change over the past couple of years has been my capacity. I almost never get tired out to the same extent I did even when Mom and I first moved here - or like after the plane accident. Of course, I haven't tried to help keep an airplane from crashing since then either, but there also haven't been any lessons that push my limits lately either.

As to Rowen's concern about losing control, while I didn't find much about that in the archives either, there also wasn't anything written about it being a problem. That suggests that it probably isn't an issue for trained Magi children. The only cases of Magi losing control of their talents have been in the rare cases like Violet, or due to severe mental or physical injuries or illness. I did find one reference that instructed all Magi boys and girls to completely avoid any sexual relations or risk 'losing control', but that honestly just made me laugh; since it could have been written by just about any father in any century, with the same goal in mind - and no real basis in fact to back up the claim. (No, Aunt Leanne, that does not suggest or imply that I've change my mind about boys; so don't go there.)

I definitely don't want to think about boys or sex, but using my Magi Healing to control and moderate everything that's going to happen to me - and Rowen - over the next few years is going to be interesting. While working in the archives tonight, and thinking about all of this, I've been doing some internal exploration too; and I think that I'm subconsciously controlling my physical development already. That isn't happening through an overt use of my Magi power, but I tried a couple of little things tonight, and I can consciously control my physical development. Maybe I'll see if Mom will let me try to do that with Rowen during a Healing lesson sometime soon. I can measure down to the cellular level what's going on with my body, so I'm going to keep track of that for a while - mostly because I'm wondering if I'm subconsciously speeding up (or slowing down) my development to keep pace with my best friend. To be a bit blunt, that might get a bit weird if it is happening. Being the same height or weight might not be a big deal, but we probably shouldn't be shooting for matching bra sizes or menstrual cycles.

I'm going to keep working on this, and Uncle Adam and I are including Magi puberty development as part of our Magi Project archive, but I've had enough for tonight, and it's time to get some sleep.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Rowen and I were planning a work day, since this would be one of the busier days this week at the computer store, and I did get some family business work done; but ended up spending most of my work time helping Mom, Violet, and Alicia with making up our 4th of July food booth donations and taking care of Ethan and Ehlana.

That pretty much covers my news for today too. Other than a few river swims, lunch, and dinner breaks; nothing much else happened – at least around our house. Dad needed to get a bit of work done after dinner so he'd be free to play all day tomorrow. The Rovers didn't have a practice tonight, so Rowen and I didn't have that after dinner. There actually weren't any ball practices tonight because nearly everyone in town was either working; getting ready for the holiday; or busy with family and friends.

I want to be charged up and ready for a long, fun day tomorrow, so I'm in bed early, and only checked my email before doing this journal entry. That will mean that the 4th of July will start without me, but I'm more interested in making sure that I'm not napping when the fireworks start, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy 3rd Annual Un-Independence Day, Mom!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone else!

I'm exhausted, but still fired up too; even though it's going on two o'clock now. Mandy and I are cuddling in bed, and I've been working on my computer while winding down.

We've had such an amazing day. Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam came over this morning for Tai Chi and breakfast. Ethan, Ehlana, and I escaped after that, and went to play with Rowen while Mom, Dad, and Violet worked to get everything ready for the Fourth of July celebrations. After going to get Rowen, we went over to the park to check out the work going on there with setting up the booths, stage, and games; and then we walked over to the school to watch the first groups gathering to get ready for the parade while hanging out at the playground.

With about a half hour left to go before the start of the parade, we went home to check in with Mom and Dad; take care of a pair of diaper changes and washroom breaks; picked up some chairs; and went to stake out a spot along Quarry Road with enough room for Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, Grandma, and Grandpa. Just to make this point for posterity; we picked our spot first, and Michael and Tim set up lawn chairs for their families next to us because there weren't any other spots left nearby that were big enough for both the Stone and Landry families. Aunt Leanne had fun teasing me about that, but there's nothing to see there, so move along, please!

The parade really doesn't change all that much from year-to-year, except for the participants. For me, the most notable change was seeing Rebecca and Jenny in the parade. They were clowning around with some of their friends, and at the risk of mentioning boys; I'll suggest that there were certain members of their group that had prompted their interest in being a part of the parade instead of just watching it.

Jake, Stephanie, and Dillon were all in the parade too, and though Violet was invited to join them, they were all doing music; and Violet claims that her only talent in that area is an expertise with iPods and playlists. Since I heard her singing along to some of the songs today, I have my doubts about that, but I can see her being shy about doing something like that with two or three thousand people watching.

Rowen and I stayed close to Ethan and Ehlana during certain parts of the parade, and that helped us to avoid most of the water; plus we probably ended up with more treats because my adorable brother and sister draw a lot of attention. We had some free time once the parade wrapped up, so while Mom, Dad, and most of the adults in our family went to their homes to load up their donations and picnic supplies to haul over to the park, Rowen and I took Ethan and Ehlana with us, and went straight to the park with Violet. Our first stop was to meet up with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie, and after leaving Violet with her best friends, we went to hang out at the playground until our parents caught up with us.

We had time for a quick lunch at the food booths, and then Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam were off again to meet up with their team for pre-game warm-ups. Rowen and I had a little time to ourselves while Grandma and Grandpa took care of the twins, but we were at the ball diamond with lots of time to help fire up our team with a round of hugs and kisses that Ehlana and Naomi helped us out with. Our cheerleading squad included Violet and Stephanie, but we had lots of competition from Carolyn Landry and her crew – including Rebecca and Jenny again. My favorite holiday cheerleading competitions are with Miranda, but we still had a lot of fun today too; though I doubt that our efforts on either squad made much of a difference in the game.

Landry's Lasers were probably the favorite today, even though the Arrows were the home team for this match, and they really didn't want to lose their first two games against the Lasers. The Lasers had more spectators on their side of the fences, but that was at least partly because Carolyn and her friends had a large contingent of eleven to fourteen or fifteen-year old boys that were there more for the Lasers' cheerleaders than to support the players. This will be three times in one journal entry, but again, I was not at all amused when Aunt Leanne suggested that I try my hugs and kisses with every run thing with Michael instead of Jacob this year. Yes, he and Tim were cheering for the Lasers along with the rest of the Landry family, but setting aside the 'ew' factor; the idea wouldn't work anyway. Seriously, Aunt Leanne, do you really think that my Mom and Dad would purposely go out and get hits if that meant I'd be kissing a boy my own age every time? If anything, that would have just helped the Lasers. Anyway, by then, I was wishing for a three and out on anything to do with boys, but that wasn't to be.

The good news out on the baseball field was that the Arrows managed a fifteen to thirteen win over the Lasers, and even though the extra-curricular antics were as entertaining as always; it was a really good ballgame too. Violet, Stephanie, Dillon, and Jake helped Rowen and I take our junior cheerleaders, and Ethan, out for ice cream treats while the parents mostly headed home to get cleaned up and changed after a long, hot game. The four teens played with us for a while too until Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam returned; and then they went to hang out with the rest of their friends.

While we didn't have our extended family home today, most of the area campgrounds were full for the holiday week, and a lot of those campers had come to spend the day in Witch Falls. That meant that the games and activities going on around the park often had small waiting lines, but we managed to pack a lot of play time into the few hours we had between the end of the game and dinnertime. Rowen and I mostly stayed with our parents, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and the twins; though we also went for one swim on our own, and spent about a half hour hanging around with some of our friends at the playground.

Dinner was quick and easy with our comparatively little group, and then after eating, Rowen and I were free to play on our own while Grandma and Grandpa played with Ethan and Ehlana, and Mom and Dad were busy with their last volunteer assignment – helping with the post-dinner park cleanup. The main event of the evening was the dance, and the usual local pub bands were playing. Rowen and I stopped by a few times because that's where Mom, Dad, the twins, and their friends were usually hanging out, and it was during our second visit that I was set up by Stephanie, Violet, and probably Aunt Leanne; though she attempted to profess her innocence.

I'd gone dancing with Ethan, and then with Dad; and it was while I was dancing with Dad that Jake cut in and asked me to dance. That was fine with me right up until Stephanie danced up to us with Michael, and the next thing I knew; she'd wanted her boyfriend back, and they left Michael and I paired up just in time for the start of another slow dance.

"Congratulations," I told Michael with a rueful smile. "We're the latest victims of Witch Falls Matchmakers Anonymous."

Michael was blushing furiously, and was barely touching my hand and side. Someone had taught him at least the basics on dancing, so I didn't get stepped on or tripped over. "I don't think there was anything anonymous about it," he countered; making me laugh. "So this is what a no-win scenario is like – no offense." I laughed again and hugged him before moving away again quickly after catching the sudden grin on Aunt Leanne's face.

"None taken," I assured him. "Sorry about the hug. At least you'll have the rest of the summer for your buddies to forget about this before we go back to school." I smiled again as he continued blushing and looked worried about what this was going to do to his reputation with his friends. "We'll get razzed worse if we don't dance through the rest of this song, and when Tim and the other guys start bugging you, just blame it on me. I've probably teased Violet and Dillon too much; and this is payback."

"I could say the same thing about how often I used to bug Jake and Stephanie when they first started dating," he conceded. "I doubt Stephanie had to try very hard to get him in on this." I laughed again, but managed to avoid a second hug.

"Lesson learned here. How about you?"

"And then some," he agreed fervently.

Three minutes and twelve seconds after that, we were free to escape the dance floor, and I didn't even see Michael again for the rest of the night. The fireworks were scheduled for ten-thirty this year because of it being a work day on Thursday. Other than that third visit to the dance at around a quarter to ten; Rowen and I spent the rest of the evening down by the river before meeting up with our families again in time to watch the fireworks. Rowen was nice enough not to bug me about being set-up for that dance with Michael, though she obviously thought it was funny. Some of the other girls did tease me, but I managed to survive.

Violet and Dillon were watching the fireworks with most of the other teens, and Patrick and Scott were off with some of their buddies, so Rowen and I had the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and Ethan and Ehlana to ourselves. I was briefly wishing that we'd gone to watch the fireworks with our friends too when Aunt Leanne suggested that she could help find cuddle buddies for Rowen and me so we wouldn't be the only girls without someone to snuggle with. A little discussion about how cute Michael and I looked when we were dancing together followed that, and even Rowen couldn't keep from letting out a pair of stifled laughs while my Aunt and her Mom were teasing me. Ethan and Ehlana were amused too, and for more reasons than the adults around us knew about. I really, really don't want to think about any of that anymore, so let's wrap this up.

The fireworks were as amazing as always, and after the big finale, it was time to pack up and haul our chairs, coolers, and picnic gear home. I helped Mom and Dad put Ethan and Ehlana to bed, and that took a while, since it was their first chance to freely talk with us both vocally and telepathically. Mandy and I came up to bed after that, and I've been doing email and wrote up some observations I had today for our Magi Project. This little recap has finally helped me to finish winding down, and I'm ready to get some sleep, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The top news today is that Rowen and I started our summer riding program at the Ridge River Ranch this morning. Violet took us out there after breakfast before going to spend the rest of the morning with Dillon. We were sorted into the intermediate riding group again this year, and while it might be cool to try some of the riding that the advanced group does; I know those kids are all the really serious riders, and almost all of them have their own horses.

Since we started out the first session of the summer with the usual tour, safety and ranch rules talk, and the rider sorting; we had a bit less than an hour for our first trail ride. I know all of the trails now, thanks in part to the photographic memory, but riding them again and again isn't at all boring when there's always something new going on; new kids to meet and talk with; and our trail ride leaders keeping us entertained while quietly helping us all to be better riders.

Patricia won the draw for picking us up this week, and we stopped in at the computer store for an ice cream break and story time with Rowen's parents before going back to my house for a pre-lunch swim. By then, we had a two-night camping adventure in my back yard M0ms-approved, so after lunch, we started setting up our tent and rounding up the usual supplies. More swimming was involved to stay cool, and we took Ethan and Ehlana out for an afternoon ice cream treat at the Emporium. Once our camp was ready, we biked over to the park to play until dinnertime, and then we spent the rest of the evening at home except for a short canoe ride with Mom, Violet, and the twins.

Rowen and I have mostly been on our own since dark, and we've mostly been listening to music, chatting, and playing on our computers. It's mostly been quiet by the river, though there were two canoe round-trips that passed our tent; the first shortly after dark, and the second starting shortly after eleven; though they couldn't have gone very far before coming back again. Violet and Dillon stopped by to say goodnight when he came over after work at the Inn, but then they were off again to meet up with Jake and Stephanie.

That's about it for today. Rowen and I are both ready for some sleep now, so we're packing up our computers and going in for a quick washroom break before climbing into our sleeping bags.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Rowen, wrapping up yet another great summer vacation day and signing off!

Friday, July 6, 2012

Ethan and Ehlana are having their first camping adventure with Rowen and me tonight. I know, they've just turned one, but remember that they are also recent, if unofficial, Grade Eight graduates too.

It's been a fairly quiet day. Rowen helped out at the store for a while this morning, and I did a little family business work while she was busy with that. We biked, played at the park, and went for a swim every hour or so to cool off once the work was done. Our usual Friday night dinner and a movie was just dinner this week, and the adults decided to go out to Sheldon's instead of the movie – which is when our camping plans changed to include the twins.

Violet is technically babysitting us while Mom and Dad are out with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and some of their friends; but she and Dillon are watching a movie with Jake and Stephanie now; though they have checked in on us twice since Dillon came over after work. Ethan and Ehlana are having fun; though Ehlana and Rowen thought that Aunt Leanne's jokes about us having boys in our tent all night was a lot funnier than I did – probably because I'm still getting over the Fourth of July dance that my photographic memory won't let me forget.

Just as an aside, in case you're thinking this, yes, technically, I could use my Magi power to erase or change my own memories – like I did with that woman at the Mall who had seen Gawain's face without the illusion he'd been using, but that really isn't a good idea for a Magi Master; and there are some bad stories in the archives of what can happen when that's done too often.

Anyway, Ethan and Ehlana were introduced to more than sleeping bags tonight. We had an early camp raid from Patrick and Scott; though they left us alone after finding out that we had the twins with us for the night. There were two other camps by the river tonight, though the Bassett camping adventure ended by eleven when the campers decided that they really didn't want to stay by themselves in the tent all night after all. Michael and Tim were camping too, and yes, Aunt Leanne happily teased me about that too. I'd like to be able to tell her that we didn't even talk to them all night, but they went for a canoe ride, and stopped by at our dock when Ethan waved to them from our tent.

The way my week had been going, I was tempted to send Ethan with them for the rest of the night after that, but he didn't give me any indication that there was an ulterior motive behind his wanting to 'talk' to Michael and Tim. Ethan basically crawled into their canoe, so including a little float out into the middle of the river and back, that little cameo visit took about ten minutes. Rowen helped me out by telling Ethan and Ehlana it was time to get back into the tent, and she sent the boys off with some bakery treats to thank them for entertaining Ethan.

Ethan and Ehlana have been using their iPads to talk with us, since I can't really use my wards out here, and they can't talk freely; and Ethan just advised me that he read that last paragraph, and wants to know if he told me he had waved Michael and Tim over just to bug me if I'd really let him go camping with the two boys for the rest of the night.

I need to wrap this up now so I can distribute some tickle-hugs, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Congratulations, Amy and Jared!

Since she was my first teacher in Witch Falls, Amy will always be one of my favorites. Rowen and I loved getting to watch her marry Jared Spencer, but before I get to that part of today's report; let's go over the morning news.

We've had another hot, beautiful day. Ethan and Ehlana gave Rowen and I our wake-up call, and we started out our morning with a pair of diaper changes. Mom and Dad met us outside for Tai Chi, and then we had breakfast before Rowen and I needed to get ready for our ballgame and head over to the park.

We were playing against the Ridge River Gypsies, and they were the home team. Mom and Dad brought Ethan and Ehlana over to the park just before the game, and Aunt Leanne and Violet joined them shortly after the Gypsies started batting in the bottom of the first. Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah were working at the clinic all morning; so they missed the game.

It was a really great game for our team, but not so much for the Gypsies. We kept a lead all through the game, and though we played the bottom of the sixth, the Gypsies weren't able to score any runs to close the eight-run lead we'd built up by then. The thirteen-to-five win kept our Rovers firmly in first place in our division.

Rowen was working in the computer store after we went for ice cream at the Emporium with our team, and I worked until lunchtime in the back yard with Mom and Dad. We had lunch at around one, and then I got cleaned up and changed before meeting Rowen and going over to the church in time for the Amy and Jared's ceremony. The church was about as full as it had been for Mom and Dad's wedding. Amy hadn't really been teaching for very long yet, but quite a few of her students were at the church too; though the only boys from her former students that had come were either there because of girlfriend pressure or their families had been invited to the wedding and reception. There was an open invitation to the ceremony, which is why Rowen and I were there for that, but after we'd congratulated Amy and Jared, we were free to go home, get changed, and spend the rest of the day playing, biking, and swimming.

While I'm thinking weddings, Grandpa Grant and Grandma Eleanor left for their honeymoon-archive trip today. Yes, it's probably age discrimination, and not fair to them, but I'm going to continue not to think about them as newlyweds, or about how romantic their trip will be for them. Now that I think about it that way, while quite a few of the other girls in town are all warm and fuzzy about Amy and Jared, I really don't want to think about one of my teachers like that either. Let's just move along, shall we?

I should have mentioned that a campground cleanup was part of my morning yard work. Rowen and I played together until dark, and she had dinner with us, but she went home for the night after we went for one last swim in the river, and I came up to bed after spending a bit of time with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana before the twins went to bed.

That pretty much covers everything, and I'm ready to get some sleep, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The forecast kept calling for a chance of thunder storms or showers today, so we stayed close to home; but we didn't end up getting any rain yet. They're still calling for rain overnight, but I don't plan on staying up to see if that happens or not.

The only news of note around the church was about Jared and Amy's wedding and reception. They're already at their honeymoon destination by now, and I hope they're having fun, but don't need or want to know any details.

Rowen and I spent the afternoon playing until she needed to be home to get ready for a family dinner at her grandparents' house. Though we weren't doing a long canoe trip or bike ride, we did play at the park and in the river, and Ethan and Ehlana went with us for an ice cream run to the Emporium that Violet joined us for before going to hang out with Dillon while he was on his afternoon break at the Inn.

Mom and Dad went with a light dinner, and after helping with the clean-up, we all went over to the park for a little play time with Ethan and Ehlana. After getting home, I had a nice long soak in my Jacuzzi, and started the usual nightly bedtime computing while cuddling with Mandy. Rowen and I haven't really made any plans for the next couple of weeks, but Mom and Aunt Leanne are both going to be helping Deborah out as she and Nick get ready for their wedding in just under two weeks. Starting with that weekend, though, I'm going to have three weeks with visiting cousins. Jaimie and Kaitlyn are spending their first week ever on their own with us; and then Chris, Martin, Dawn, and Jillian will be staying with us for two weeks.

I should get ahead on my sleep to be ready for that, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, July 9, 2012

We didn't get any rain last night, and it's been another hot, beautiful day.

Rowen and I went for a long biking and caving picnic adventure this morning. We biked out to the caves; explored them for a couple of hours; had our lunch in the biggest cave; and then biked for another hour and a half or so before going home and jumping into the river to cool off and lose some of the dirt we'd picked up on the back roads and in the caves.

That pretty much covers the adventures for the day. We hung out in the back yard after that, and played with Ethan and Ehlana until dinnertime. Rowen went home then, and while Mom was busy helping Aunt Leanne and Aunt Deborah with the wedding; I helped out with Ethan and Ehlana until the three of us went to bed.

I needed another bath to really get clean again, and I've been on my computer for an hour or so since climbing into bed, but it's time for another comparatively early night, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Witch Falls dodged another thunder-storm forecast today, and while the Ridge River area farmers are wishing for more rain, the kids in town are happy to have perfect play weather for our summer adventures.

That wasn't a big deal for Rowen and I this morning because she was working at the computer store, and I worked on the family business in the office while she was busy. After lunch, we decided to take a chance on the weather, and set up our tent for another couple of nights of camping action. Rowen's Mom suggested that we should do that at their house this time, but we went with camping by the river instead about two seconds after Patrick started talking about camping with Scott too. They went camping even after finding out that we'd be at my house, but are doing that at Scott's house instead. Let's not even discuss what Rowen's parents might be doing with a night or two without kids.

After setting up our little campground, Rowen and I took Ethan and Ehlana for an ice cream break at the Emporium, and then we played at the park for an hour or so before going home for a swim in the river. We had an early, easy dinner with Mom and Dad, and then it was time for our baseball practice. We still have another week to get ready for our next game, but we had a really good practice, and even our youngest players are getting much better.

When we got home from our practice, Mom wanted to do a Magi lesson with Rowen and me, but sent us outside for a dunk in the river to de-dust ourselves before doing that. We stayed for Ethan and Ehlana's bedtime story, and then went back outside again. A moonlight swim was next on our agenda, and then we settled into our tent for the night – or that was the plan. I'd skip writing about this next part of our day, but there were witnesses, and Rowen and I are sure that it'll be gossip network-worthy news by morning.

Our camp was raided. By boys. Aunt Leanne doesn't need the ammunition, but I'm sure she'll be very happy to know that it was Michael and Tim. They snuck up on us by river, and started out by trying to scare us. They might even have succeeded in doing that if one of the girls they were trying to scare didn't have certain gifts that gave me just enough of a heads up that Rowen and I were ready before the wild animal and monster noises started while the tent shook, and something big and ominous scratched and pawed at the zipper for the tent flap. When their efforts only earned laughs from us, Michael and Tim switched to an attempt to loot our snack treasure.

That didn't work for them either, but Rowen and I did end up sitting on the dock with them while Michael and Tim told us some scary camping stories; and we did share a snack and drinks before the two boys canoed back to their own riverside camp. Yes, Aunt Leanne, we did have fun, but don't make something of it that isn't there.

When we were on our own again, and back in our tent, Rowen and I watched some YouTube videos, surfed the web, and have been winding down for the last hour or so. This is my last job of the night, and Rowen's already packed up her computer, so I should wrap this up now too. We've got a play day tomorrow, and I'm hoping that Violet will have a bit of time to play with us too while Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie are back to work after their two days off. We haven't set up anything specific, but sometimes, a no-plan plan makes for best-ever kind of days.

Anyway, that's it for tonight.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

No rain again so far today, and though there's a chance of showers overnight, and thunder-storms tomorrow; Rowen and I are still camping by the river again.

We didn't end up getting to spend much time with Violet today because she was working in the office most of the day. She went for one swim with us, but skipped the Arrows' practice so that she could keep working instead. Rowen and I went biking out into the valley west of town this morning, and took a picnic lunch with us. We brought Emporium ice cream treats home with us for everyone when we got back, and then spent the rest of the afternoon by the river and lying around on a beach blanket. It was another easy-dinner night, and then we took care of Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi while the parents played with their friends.

There were no raids or boys at our camp tonight, and after being teased at the park a half-dozen times tonight; that was a really good thing. Aunt Leanne thinks that I'm being very suspiciously quiet about her jokes and comments, but I'm really just mostly keeping my mouth shut to avoid giving anyone future ammunition. I love my Aunt a lot, but even though she talks about not having a photographic memory; she doesn't seem to have a problem keeping track of certain details for a very long time – something that I've mostly seen her use on Dad now and then. I'm sure she'll always have enough to tease me about without my helping her out with more material.

Moving along, though, after baseball practice, Rowen and I went swimming, and have been hanging out in our tent since then. Mom and Dad brought Ethan and Ehlana out to us for a camping bedtime story and hugs and kisses before going back inside for the night.

Okay, yes, technically there were two boys at our little camp tonight (Aunt Leanne); but you knew what I meant earlier. Rowen would like me to add that while I may be in the clear because we're talking about my father and brother, Dad's also already taken, and while she thinks Ethan is seriously cute; she has no intention of ever dating any guys that she's changed diapers for. While we're not interested in dating anytime soon either, she also doesn't plan on waiting until she's around thirty for Ethan to be old enough to date her either, no matter how much her Dad might approve of a no-dating 'til you're thirty plan.

The rest of the night has mostly been a repeat of last night for the vid-watching, surfing, music, and chat time. Staying up later is an option, but we've both had enough for today, and are going to pack up and get some sleep, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Rowen, signing off!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

We've finally gotten a bit of rain today, but it didn't last long; there wasn't much of it; and it didn't get in the way of our camping or trail ride.

I'm going to keep this short tonight and hit the pillows early.

Morning Tai Chi was as great as always. We followed that up with a fruit and bakery muffins breakfast, and then Rowen and I started our camp cleanup until it was time to leave for our riding lessons. We needed a swim after getting home again, and had lunch with Mom, Violet, Alicia, and the twins before putting the rest of our camping gear away. Rowen went to help out at the computer store after that, just ahead of the little thunder-storm that rolled through town; and I worked in the office with Violet and Mom while Ethan and Ehlana had a nap, and Alicia left for a little break before getting back in time to watch the twins again when they woke up.

Rowen and I got together again after dinner and played at the park for a while before splitting up again when I needed to be home to do a Magi lesson with Mom. I came up to my room when Ethan and Ehlana went to bed; multi-tasked my computing and Jacuzzi time; and since I don't have anything else to report today, I can wrap this journal entry up too.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Friday, July 13, 2012

We didn't get any more rain overnight, and had a beautiful morning for Tai Chi, but Thunder-storms moved in by the time we were having breakfast; and we had rain, thunder, and lightning off and on for most of the morning before Mother Nature returned us to the beautiful summer weather we've gotten used to so far this year.

The morning rain did change up my plans for the day. I ended up working around the house; mostly cleaning on the third floor and doing laundry instead of the early yard work I'd wanted to do. I did mow the lawn this afternoon after the grass had a chance to dry; but that's still going to leave lots of work for tomorrow. Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam are throwing a party for Aunt Deborah and Nick at their house tomorrow night, mostly so kids can come too; and I was hoping to get more done today so we'd have more time to help them tomorrow afternoon. We'll see how that goes now, but there is still a lot of work to get done here that we won't have much time for over the next few weekends.

We didn't have a dinner and a movie night. Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam were busy helping out with the ongoing wedding preparations, and spent the evening with Aunt Deborah and Nick. Rowen and I hadn't played together all day, so she came over for dinner, and then we biked over to the park to hang out with some of our friends; play; and catch part of a baseball game. After getting home shortly before dark, we went for a quick swim to cool off, and had a bedtime snack with Ethan and Ehlana before I walked Rowen home. We had a little visit with her parents, and then I came home and up to bed.

I've been working on my computer since then. There were some emails to read and answer; a bit of family business to deal with; and then I spent an hour or so on a multi-lingual chat while doing a little light archive reading. We've got a big day ahead of us, and I definitely don't want to be too tired by the time the party starts, so I'm going to wrap this up and get some sleep.

Until tomorrow, live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

This has been one of those really great days!

Even working around the yard this morning with Mom and Dad was mostly fun, and we managed to get everything on our to-do list finished by one o'clock; in part thanks to Alicia helping us out with watching Ethan and Ehlana for an extra morning shift while we were busy with our chores. I went for a quick cool-off swim then while Mom and Dad got lunch ready, and then we ate quickly; cleaned up; and headed over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house.

We weren't the only party set-up volunteers, but I was the only kid until Rowen stopped by looking for me; and she was drafted to help me with some random acts of yard and garden cleaning. There were tables and chairs to set up after that; a little afternoon break that included another short swim in the river; and more work before all of the girls helping out either went inside or home to get cleaned up and ready for the party.

A kids-included party for the bachelor and bachelorette was a first for me, but Aunt Deborah and Nick had loved Liz's suggestion. Naomi was technically the only official kid relative of the happy couple to be at the party, but all of the invited families thought it was a great idea too. Getting to dress casual, and even bring swimsuits was an added bonus; and it wasn't just the kids and teens interested in going for a dip or two in the river as the party heated up.

I usually don't think about it at all, but Nick and Aunt Deborah are about nine years younger than Mom and Dad. That doesn't matter to any of us when we're together, or they're playing baseball; but it does mean that the younger couple has their own circle of friends too. For Nick, that includes most of his childhood and high school friends. Some of those friends were married to each other now, and according to some of the teasing I heard tonight; he's the last of their group to get married. His best man, Rob Byrd, seemed to have the most fun with that; though all of Nick's friends and family were happy to help roast him all night – and they had a lot of material to do that with!

My photographic memory helps out a lot with remembering people and information about them, but even in our small town, I don't really get to know everyone, so it was really great to spend more time with some of the younger adult couples that I don't talk with very often. Ethan and Ehlana really loved getting to hang out with Naomi and some of the other kids close to their age – like Rob and Anne's daughter, Jennifer. She'll be one on Monday, and though she's not walking on her own yet, she happily sat on a blanket and played with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Sophia Bassett. Ethan didn't seem to mind being the only guy in the group most of the time; though there were a few more kids stopping by to play with them for a few minutes here and there; so he did get some guy company if not any real support. Mom got teased a bit that she should be afraid of how popular her son was with the girls, but he, Ehlana, and I know that there's only one girl in his future.

Aunt Deborah didn't have any of her family or friends home this weekend for the party except for her parents; and they were going to be in town for the next week. Aunt Deborah's maid of honor, Marcia (Mar-see-ah) Litton, had really wanted to come, but she was one of the newest nurses at the hospital she was working at; and hadn't been able to get two long weekends off in a row; or have the seniority for one of the coveted mid-summer vacation spots. She did have Liz, Aunt Leanne, Mom, and all of her new Witch Falls friends to celebrate with, though, and didn't escape being roasted too; mostly thanks to her grandparents, Aunt Christine, and Uncle Andrew.

Not everyone who was invited could make it to the dinner, but the party included a campfire at dark, and there was a yard full of people by then. I was on the sidelines with the rest of the kids most of the time. Rowen and I sat with six other kids at dinner, including a couple of our classmates. We were junior members of the clean-up crew, and then we were free to play for the rest of the night. There were games set up to play, and while we joined in for some Frisbee action and teamed up for a game of croquet, we only watched the teens and adults play volleyball. Going for a few swims to cool off was fun too, and we took Ethan and Ehlana in with us the second time.

The campfire was really great too, except for one tiny little problem I had – or more specifically, a problem that Aunt Leanne engineered especially for me. The Stone family joined the party after closing the Inn for the night. Aunt Leanne had invited Rowen and me to sit on a blanket in front of them for the campfire, and I was next to a pair of coolers and a table that suddenly disappeared to make room for Michael, Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie; with the teens sitting in chairs that were set up between Aunt Leanne and Violet. I'm sure you don't need two guesses to figure out the only spot that was left for Michael. Rebecca might have saved me, but she went to sit with Jenny and their friends; and they were on the other side of the fire.

He couldn't have missed what was going on either – especially since Aunt Leanne started doing things like stretching her legs out between Rowen and me, and doing her best to nudge me closer to Michael. I'm not sure if I was more annoyed about Aunt Leanne's antics and set-up; the few times Rowen couldn't help but giggle, which just encouraged her; Mom's patient smile that advised me there wasn't anything she could do to help; or Miranda's smile that told me she thought the whole scene was cute.

Since escaping wasn't an option that would accomplish anything other than giving Aunt Leanne more ammunition, I stayed where I was; did what I could to counter the physical and verbal nudges; and even managed to talk with Michael about what we'd each been doing all day without causing any permanent damage to either of us. Michael eventually got his get-out-of-sitting-next-to-me chance when some of the other kids and teens decided to go for a moonlight swim. Rowen and I went swimming too, but I made sure that there were lots of swimmers between Michael and us; and he seemed to be as enthusiastic about having that space between us as I was. He conveniently needed to sit somewhere else when he came back to the campfire. He and the majority of our classmates may have crossed over, but at least Michael doesn't try to inflict all of that pre-teen goofiness on me. Now if only I could get my Aunt to remember that I'm only eleven. Really, please, try to remember that!

Mom and Dad were ready to take Ethan and Ehlana home at eleven-thirty, and I volunteered to help them with that, and stay home with them if they needed to come back for the rest of the party and eventual clean-up. I didn't end up needing to watch the twins when Violet and Dillon offered to come with us too; though I'm sure they were looking for some alone time before Dillon needed to go home for the night. I still helped to get Ethan and Ehlana changed and in bed, and then I hugged everyone else good night and came up to my room.

My plans for a quick email check and to write up this journal entry has turned into a two-hour computing marathon while I've wound down from the day, the party, and the campfire annoyance that I'm still thinking about way too much. I should probably cut Aunt Leanne some slack since she doesn't know everything that Ethan, Ehlana and I do about our future, but her apparent dedication this summer to setting me up despite my explicit and repeated assurances that I'm not romantically interested in any boys, and am in no hurry to change that status, makes that very hard to do.

Move on and get over it, Proctor.

Mom and Dad will be home soon, and there aren't that many hours left before it'll be time to get up for Tai Chi by the river. The last note I should make before wrapping this up is to mention that I've added some new information to the Magi Project that Uncle Adam and I are continuing to work on; mostly because of a few things that I learned during the party. Those insights mostly came from having Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and the other kids around their age all together in one place. I haven't talked to the twins about it yet, but they'll likely have some thoughts on the new ideas I've come up with. Check out that archive if you're interested in reading more about what Uncle Adam and I have been doing with our ongoing assessments and where we want to take the project next.

That's all for me for tonight, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

I'm tired and ready to crash; mostly because I doubt that I actually got more than about three hours sleep last night; so this will be short and sweet.

I was alone for Tai Chi this morning, but Mom and Dad deserved to have a little extra sleep. I helped Ethan and Ehlana too, and had them both changed and dressed before Mom came into Ethan's room and helped me carry them downstairs while Dad had a shower. Breakfast was quick and easy; Mom and I got ready for church while Dad and Violet took care of the twins and the light kitchen clean-up.

Rowen and I spent the rest of the day together. Our church service was barely an hour long, thanks to the continuing hot weather, and we ended up putting a picnic lunch together before taking Ethan and Ehlana to the park for a picnic and play afternoon while Mom, Dad, and Violet all planned on working in the office. That was mostly because Dad needed to get a lot of work done before heading to Crystal Springs in the morning, and Violet wanted to work on her job since she'd be taking most of Monday and Tuesday off to hang out with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie.

Our park play included some swimming, playground action, and we watched most of a pick-up ball game while having the ice creams and drinks that we'd made a run to the Emporium for. We were home in time for me to help Mom with making dinner, and for Rowen to get ready for her family dinner plans with her grandparents. Dad and Violet only stopped their office work while we ate, so Mom and I did the cleanup too. We did a Magi lesson after that with Ethan and Ehlana; watched a cartoon with them; and then did the full bath and bedtime routine before Dad took a break for the bedtime story and snack, and Violet went to meet up with Dillon at the Inn.

I went with a shower instead of a long Jacuzzi soak, and other than a quick email check; this is the only computing I'm doing tonight. Say goodnight, Mandy. It's time for us to have a nice, long summer's nap, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Mandy, wrapping up the first half of July, and signing off!

Monday, July 16, 2012

We have rain in the forecast for nearly every day this week. The farmers will be happy if we get some, but if there was rain anywhere in the area today, none of it fell on Witch Falls.

Mom's always a little sad on the Monday mornings when Dad leaves for his week in Crystal Springs, but Ethan, Ehlana, and I did our best to cheer her up and keep busy. Ethan's attempts to do both at the same time made Mom laugh, but I'll just let you imagine the scene instead of digressing into dirty diaper humor.

There was another first birthday in town today, and while they didn't see Jennifer Byrd much except at church or around town, Ethan and Ehlana had gotten Mom to help them get a card and little gift for their future classmate. Rowen and I took them for a walk so they could deliver it this morning. When we were finished that little errand, we went to the park to play for a while, and then Rowen and I dropped the twins off at home; went for a swim; and then we packed a picnic lunch before heading out on our bikes for a ride out along River Road.

Our choice of route was mostly so that we could stop and hop in the river to cool off whenever we wanted to, but there were also some great places for picnics too. We biked until we were well-past the whirlpool before picking the spot for our lunch break, and we had that little section of the river to ourselves for the hour or so we stayed and played. We picked up ice creams at the Emporium after getting back to town again, and went back to the park to hang out with some friends until it was nearly dinnertime.

Rowen stayed for dinner, and Mom had Violet and Dillon too while Jake and Stephanie were busy with his family. We all played in the back yard until Violet and Dillon went to hang out with their friends for the rest of the night, and Rowen went home then too. I helped Mom with Ethan and Ehlana; we did a Magi lesson together; and a little cuddle and movie time in my lounge until bedtime.

Mom keeps track of Ethan and Ehlana's development in the journals she writes about them, so I don't write a lot about that in mine, but tonight's movie chat included a request for real beds. Ethan brought the subject up; and it didn't take my brother and sister long to convince Mom that there were some real advantages to them having beds they could get in and out of without help. Going to the bathroom whenever they needed – or at least whenever they didn't have to play thirteen-month olds – seemed to be very high on Ethan's top reasons list; and one that I could personally relate to from when I was their age. Having fewer diapers to change definitely helped their cause, and Mom eventually agreed to take them to ValleyView to at least take a look for new beds. I'll predict that there will be new beds in their rooms before Dad gets home on Friday.

When our show was over, Mom and I got Ethan and Ehlana ready for bed and tucked them in; and we've been working in the office since then. I've spent a bit of time on the family business; studied in the archives for an hour; caught up on my email; and chatted with Rowen for a few minutes shortly before she went to bed. It's past midnight, and Mom's packing up her computer now, so it's time for me to wrap this up too; and for both of us to get some sleep.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Rowen and I worked this morning, and while she mostly cleaned and stocked shelves; I stayed in the office and spent a few hours immersed in the family business.

I ended up getting a lot done – especially while Mom and Alicia took Ethan and Ehlana to ValleyView Furniture for a little bed-shopping expedition. They ended up being gone for an hour and a half after making stops at the Bakery and grocery store while they were out; and my Magi-powered extra work was rewarded when we all stopped for a bakery snack break. Ethan and Ehlana couldn't tell me about their bed purchases while Alicia was with us, but I could tell they were fired up about it while Mom took care of that for them. A total of four twin beds were going to be delivered on Thursday – or Friday at the latest – and the only down side of that for the twins is that they'd only actually get one night to take advantage of their new night-time mobility before we'd have cousins in the house for the next three weeks.

While Mom had made Ethan's and Ehlana's day with their shopping trip, and kept Mom and Alicia busy now that they were fired up; I went back to work in the office until lunch time. Violet had left after breakfast to spend the day with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie; and since they took her car with them, I'll guess they've spent the day out at Quarry Lake. Rowen had lunch with her parents at the store, and then we met up and started our afternoon play time with a long swim in the river that Mom, Alicia, and the twins ended up joining us for before my busy little brother and sister were taken up to their rooms to have afternoon naps.

Rowen and I went biking, played at the park, and stopped for an ice cream break at the Emporium during the four hours of so we had free before needing to be home again for an early baseball practice night dinner. Mom just went with bakery bun mini-subs, cold veggies, and chips tonight, and we even had time to finish the cleanup before Rowen and I needed to hop on our bikes and get to our practice.

This is probably a good time to mention that we haven't had any rain yet again today; though we might still get some overnight. I'm glad that our practice didn't get rained out, and I love all of the hot, sunny days, but nearly everyone wants some rain right now, and I hope that we do get some – as long as it doesn't come this Saturday during Aunt Deborah and Nick's wedding or reception!

Coach Claire kept our practice on the short side because of the heat, and then Rowen and I had time for another quick swim before we were put in charge of Ethan and Ehlana; and Mom went to meet up with Aunt Leanne and Aunt Deborah to help out with some wedding work. We took the twins out for ice cream; walked to the falls and hung out with some kids there; moved on to the school playground for some swing and slide action; and then went home again for another swim before going inside and getting Ethan and Ehlana changed and ready for bed.

Rowen got approval to stay overnight, and made a quick trip home to pack an overnight bag, and after she got back; we all went upstairs to watch a show in the lounge and have a long chat. The twins were in bed by eleven, and Rowen and I have been sitting in bed with Mandy and playing on our computers since then. I only had a few new email to read and answer, so other than writing this journal entry; we've mostly just been surfing the net, watching some videos, and winding down from a long, busy day. Mom got home at eleven-thirty, and came up to say goodnight to us; but she only stayed for a few minutes before going down to her room with plans for some Jacuzzi time.

We've got another busy day tomorrow, so Rowen and I are going to shut down for the night now – both our computers and ourselves, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Rowen, signing off!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Here in Witch Falls, and in the Ridge River District in general, we're blessed to have abundant fresh water; thanks to our spring-fed river, creeks, lakes, and ponds. I've written fairly regularly recently about the lack of rain, and while we're not having the terrible drought troubles that are affecting so many places in the country this summer; not having rain is making the farm work a lot harder this year.

We didn't get any rain again today, and Rowen and I went for another bike ride into the valley, where we got to see some really cool irrigation systems in action; and found out just how much extra work it took to keep the crops growing whenever mother nature wasn't in the mood to help out. The water cannons are amazing to watch, but adding that work to already tough, long summer work days looked like it was really wearing down some of the farmers.

I knew that Landry's Automotive was always busy with the farm equipment end of their business, but we stopped to talk with Tim's cousin, Kyle, when we saw him working on a tractor with his Dad near the road in one of the fields we were passing; and he told us that they were working really long days too trying to keep up with all of the equipment that was breaking down because of the heat and extra work hours.

Kyle's about a year younger than Violet and Dillon, and is definitely his father's son. He's been the best football player on our school team since he could start playing in Grade Nine; and even though Rowen and I aren't into watching the games, we do hear that the other teams' players do their very best to run away from him whenever he's anywhere near them – especially if they're holding the ball at the time!

Anyway, Rowen and I learned a few things about tractor repairs, and more about the farming and equipment problems that were going on everywhere this summer while Kyle and Lee continued to work. We left them with a pair of the bakery cookies we'd brought along for snack breaks; and I had a hug for Lee too – something that I've done pretty much every time I've seen him since the little combine accident that Mom, Uncle Adam, and I helped him with. Rowen and I both felt like little pixies again while around Lee and Kyle; and back to normal once we were on our own again.

We saw a few of the 'farm kids' from school while out in the valley, and while they were all a little older than us, I felt a bit guilty that we were playing all afternoon while they were all working hard. Yeah, I know that I do a lot of work too, but my hours of computer time on the family business is play time compared to a lot of farm jobs. Even spending the morning getting ahead on this week's yard work at home was a breeze by comparison.

Moving along, when Rowen and I got back to town, we checked in at home; went for a swim; and had an ice cream break with Mom, Alicia, Violet, and the twins. We went to the park for the rest of the afternoon, and played with some of our friends until dinnertime. It was another easy-dinner night, and then Mom had her ball practice while Rowen and I took Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi to the park playground while the Arrows were busy getting ready for their next game that was just a week and a half away.

Rowen needed to go home after that, but I was watching Ethan and Ehlana again tonight while Mom and Aunt Leanne were busy with Aunt Deborah again. I had Violet's help; and Dillon's too when he came over after finishing work at the Inn. Dillon was in time for the bedtime story and snack, and after putting Ethan and Ehlana to bed; I came up to bed too. Those earlier feelings of guilt may have been part of the motivation, but I did want to get some computer work done tonight too; and I've been doing that for nearly three hours now.

I'm sure that I'll get used to it eventually, but it's still weird now to be working on business projects that are one, two, or even three shopping 'seasons' ahead. We're not really even into back-to-school season yet, and tonight I've worked on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas plans and projects. The good part of that is getting to find out early which toys, games, gadgets, and clothes are expected to be hot for Christmas this year; and even things like new holiday movies or specials coming up that are tied into retail sales; marketing; manufacturing; and transportation. Too bad I can't talk about any of this with any of the other kids or teens; except Rowen. Information like that would be very popular on the junior gossip network.

I've had enough fun for today, though, so it's time to wrap this up and call it a night.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

This could be my last chance for an early night for a while, so I'm going to keep this very short.

Morning news:

Hot, Sunny, and no rain again. Tai Chi with Mom; breakfast for five; and trail riding with Rowen kept me busy until lunchtime. Ethan's and Ehlana's new beds were delivered while I was gone, and they now have two twin beds each; with the only difference being boys and girls versions. The bed rails can be taken off eventually, but will stay on mostly for show.

Afternoon:

Lunch for seven, including Alicia and Rowen; work afternoon that started with disassembling two cribs and putting them into storage, and moving on to a few hours of yard work; and wrapping up with dinner for five. Rowen worked at the computer store while I was busy.

Evening:

Magi lesson for five; bedtime story and snack with Ethan and Ehlana; and bedtime for those of us without boyfriends or husbands. Violet went out with Dillon after he was done work, and Mom wanted to work in the office for a while before spending some quality time with her Jacuzzi.

That's it; that's all, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Mandy and I have a sleepover buddy in bed with us tonight, and Violet has Kaitlyn with her. Our cousins have the guest room across the hall from Violet's room while they're here, but didn't want to stay in there for their first night here without their parents.

It's been a really busy day. Mom spent most of the day helping Aunt Leanne with some help from Violet while Alicia took care of Ethan and Ehlana all day, and I was in charge of the rest of the yard work that needed to get finished so we could have the weekend off to play. Rowen came over and helped me, and by two o'clock, we had everything done – just in time to go get cleaned up and get to the Salon in time for our hair appointments at three o'clock.

Both of us were booked with Liz, since she and Vicky had been busy most of the week with so many people getting ready for the biggest wedding of the summer. Rowen went first, and we were both done in about forty-five minutes, since we weren't doing the full styling treatment this time that would never last the twenty-four hours until the wedding anyway. When Liz set us free, it was time for me to meet up with Mom and Aunt Leanne, and after checking in at the computer store and a quick phone call; Rowen had approval to stay with me until after dinner.

I haven't written much about all of the work that's been going on to get ready for Aunt Deborah and Nick's wedding; mostly because I'm not really involved in any of that work. There was lots of proof of the imminent event at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house, with the most obvious being the large pavilion tent in the back corner of their yard closest to the river. I'll skip commenting on the other temporary additions to the back yard; other than to say that I'm going to be very glad to have full access to the washrooms in my Aunt and Uncle's house during the reception tomorrow. If that hadn't been an option, though, I'd likely have just walked home when needed instead. Moving along, there was a house full of family too, but they were spread out around all three floors of the house, and the back yard too. Mom and Aunt Leann both looked like they needed extra hugs, so I took care of that before Rowen and I were assigned the job of younger kid entertainment and control.

We only had three kids to watch, but Kara, Eddie, and Nicole were all fired up, and ready to use all of the stored energy they'd saved up during naps and their long drive to Witch Falls. Running around the pavilion entertained them for a while, and then we played by the river; jumped in the river for a little cool-off swim; and went for a quick walk to the park and back. There was a light dinner at six, and then we had help for the next couple of hours while Aunt Deborah, Nick, their parents, and the rest of their wedding party were all busy with the wedding rehearsal at the church.

The rehearsal party was at the Ayres' house, and Mom and I weren't going to that, so we went home with Violet, Ethan, and Ehlana when Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and the rest of the Johnson family walked over to Nick's parents' house. Rowen went home then too, and there was a short lull in the action at our place until Dad got home from Crystal Springs with Jaimie and Kaitlyn. He'd met Blaine, Alison, and the kids half-way between Crystal Springs and Granite Park; they'd had dinner together; and then he, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn had hit the road for the nearly two-hour drive home. Dad looked like he was ready for bed by the time they pulled into the driveway, but my cousins were both as fired up as Kara, Eddie, and Nicole had been earlier.

The good news for Dad was that he could take it easy for the rest of the night; though he didn't go straight to bed. While unloading the truck and getting everything into the house and delivered to the office and bedrooms, Ethan and Ehlana needed us to stop in their rooms so that Dad, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn could see their new beds. Jaimie and Kaitlyn picked going for a moonlight swim after that, and we ended up having Mom, Dad, Violet, Dillon, and the twins all go swimming with us. We followed that up with some television, chat, and cuddle time after everyone eleven and younger got ready for bed; and I've been in bed with Mandy and Jaimie since we came up to my room after doing the bedtime story with Ethan, Ehlana, and Kaitlyn.

Tomorrow's going to be a big day, so other than my email check; I haven't been doing any other computer work since Jaimie fell asleep. That's all I have to report for tonight, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Congratulations, Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah!

Congratulations, Hannah – and Nathan and Aiden. You'll know why soon enough, and won't hear the happy news from me; but that was an awesome surprise for me today!

We've had a hot, sunny, beautiful day for the wedding, but I had a lot on the go before we got dressed up and headed for the church this afternoon. Mom and I were really happy to have Dad home again this morning for Tai Chi. That's always more fun when we can exercise together. Ethan and Ehlana came outside with us, but Violet stayed upstairs while Jaimie and Kaitlyn slept for an extra hour. There was going to be a lot of food at lunch and the reception today, so even though we had guests; we went with a light breakfast before cleaning up and taking turns getting ready for the morning.

I'd barely even thought about baseball since Wednesday, but my Rovers were playing against the Witch Falls Wayfarers, and Rowen stopped by to pick me up on her way to the park so we could bike over there together. We weren't going to have our usual cheer squad for this game – everyone else was just too busy with wedding and family today to take a couple of hours off to watch us play – but we did have a few junior spectators when Violet, Chrissy, Michelle, and Jonathan brought the younger kids over to the park to give them something to do while their parents were all busy. Michelle and Jonathan ended up taking Kara, Eddie, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn to the playground for most of the time they were there, but Violet and Chrissy watched most of our game with Ethan, Ehlana, and Nicole. Our lack of cheerleaders didn't seem to affect our team; Rowen and I both played a really good game; and we won fifteen to nine without needing to play the bottom of the sixth inning.

Since we were going to need to hit the showers later to get ready for the wedding, after doing the Emporium ice cream run with our team, Rowen and I opted for a swim in the river at my house to cool down and wash off some of the dirt we'd brought back with us from the park. Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara went swimming with us, but Jonathan and Eddie joined the guys at the Ayres' house; and Violet, Chrissy, and Michelle took Ethan, Ehlana, and Nicole over to girl-central at Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam's house.

Vicky's Beauty Salon was booked solid all morning again, and Vicky and Liz now had the same group of friends coming for what was becoming a work and play weekend for all of them. Even though Liz was in the wedding party, she still worked most of the morning; taking care of Aunt Leanne, Aunt Deborah, and four other women before taking her turn, and having one of her friends style her hair before she needed to be over at Aunt Leanne's house with the rest of the girls in the wedding party.

Since Rowen and I didn't have to worry about that, or helping out with the work, we mostly spent the rest of our morning entertaining my cousins, Kara, and Nicole at Aunt Leanne's place. We had lunch there, and then Mom and Violet took 'their' kids, including me, home to get cleaned up and ready for the wedding ceremony. Dad met us there, and he, Mom, Violet, and I tag-teamed for the next hour and a half so that we somehow all managed to be dressed up and looking beautiful or handsome by the time we needed to get to the church.

Rowen met up with me again in the sanctuary a few minutes after we'd sat down, and Grandma and Grandpa joined us with less than ten minutes to go.

While I really loved getting to watch Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick as they exchanged their vows and pledged their love; being on the outer edge of the action gave me time to open up and take in everything that was going on around me. There have been enough moments when little things that I've been experiencing all join together and become new insights for me; and I had another of those moments during the ceremony. I'll write about that in more detail in our Magi Project archive, but I have some new ideas about Magi, latents, and factors that could dramatically affect whether children are born latent or with active Magi abilities. I'm too tired now to get into that, so let's move along – we still have nearly half the day, and most of the fun, to write about.

The sanctuary was nearly full, which wasn't a surprise considering that two of the biggest families in town were involved; but the ceremony wasn't much different than the others I'd been to so far since moving to Witch Falls. The respective happy couples would probably disagree on that, and I do have two favorite weddings so far, but you know what I mean. When you think about it, hundreds or thousands of hours of work and planning go into what's really just a moment in time by comparison.

There's another insight for you too. Millennia of human history have passed to bring us to where we are now; and the coming ascension of the light is going to happen in a heartbeat by comparison.

Okay, a bit too heavy for a happy wedding day – let's get back on track, shall we?

Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah are married, as officially announced by the Pastors at around three-thirty. After leaving the church, it was picture time for the happy couple, their wedding party, and family; and the kids in the family were first in line for pictures with the bride and groom at the park. Though Ethan, Ehlana, and I are only their cousins because we adopted Aunt Deborah; we were included in one of those group photos, and then we were set free until the reception started.

Ethan, Ehlana, and Nicole all opted for a short nap, and Rowen and I did our best to entertain Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Kara, and Eddie at Aunt Leanne and Uncle Mark's house while the parents were busy, and the teens were more interested in hanging out; staying as cool as possible on a hot, sunny afternoon; and with so many guests from out-of-town, meeting new people. There weren't very many younger kids around the house to join our little play group then; but my younger cousins eventually at least met, and played with, most of the kids close to their age from the time the reception line started and most of the guests started arriving, and when they either went inside or home to bed at around ten o'clock.

And now, it's time for the food! Jacob and Miranda don't do catering – except apparently, sometimes they do. Jake and Stephanie were in charge of the teens that were working the wedding, and since her boyfriend was working anyway; Violet took a one-night gig and joined that crew so she could still hang out with him and their two best friends. The only help that the Stones had needed, and Aunt Leanne had set up, was transportation for all of the supplies and food. Violet was using Dad's truck to help with that, and there were other guest vehicles and drivers taking turns to get the hot food from the Inn to the pavilion for nearly an hour; and then more volunteers to help with getting everything back to the Inn once everyone had eaten.

I was on the outside of all of that too, but can confirm that the food was really, really delicious!

The dinnertime toasts and roasts were fun, and I especially loved getting to hear some childhood and college stories about Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah. The fathers' speeches were mushier than I would have expected from either Edward Johnson or Nathaniel Ayres. Robert Byrd certainly made up for that with his best man duties, and I definitely saw more than a little of his Grandma Eleanor in him tonight. Aunt Deborah's maid-of-honor, Marcia Litton, had some cute stories too, with the funniest ones being about their first nursing internships. As brothers of the bride, Kevin and Rob had a few stories too, and even though Aunt Deborah has Aunt Leanne on her side; I'm going to have to give the groom's side of the wedding party the win for entertainers of the night.

Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah had hired one of the local pub bands for the dance, and they started to play at dusk. Aunt Leanne picked up her matchmaking efforts a notch or two then too, and if you're wondering if I was one of her 'projects' the answer would be yes, but not directly. Since my current feelings on matchmaking are mixed, I'll only make the comment here that a few things that were meant to happen tonight did. Getting Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah married was the big 'future plan' moment today, and those other little events were just incidental by comparison.

While I'd like to skip writing about it, I'm sure that some of you, reading this sometime in the future, want to know what I meant above about Aunt Leanne's 'indirect' matchmaking attempt. Let's just go ahead and get that out of the way now. No, I wasn't set up to dance with Michael after he got to the reception with Violet, Dillon, Stephanie, and the rest of his family. He did dance several times with another girl our age – one of Uncle Nick's visiting cousins. Now, you might think that was just an innocent case of girl-meets-boy and nature takes over, but I saw her talking with Aunt Leanne a couple of times – conveniently shortly before she asked Michael for the first two dances. I hope they had fun, and it looked like they didn't mind the set-up, but honestly, did you really think that a reverse psychology or jealousy-inducing attempt to nudge me into crossing over would work Aunt Leanne?

Oh yeah, and before you attempt to deny it, or point out that I was interested enough to know what Michael was doing, try to remember that I'm a Magi Master with a photographic memory. I notice and remember just about everything going on around me all of the time – including noticing your conversations with Nick's pretty cousin. Don't believe me? I noticed you dancing with Uncle Adam too. Would you like me to write about where one of your hands was for a moment or two? If you were looking for his wallet; the back pocket on his tuxedo pants was on the other side. How about that promise you whispered in his ear at about the same time? Photographic memories and the ability to focus on even the slightest sound – or read lips – is a scary talent, don't you think? In moments like that one, I sure do, and honestly, I wish I'd picked a different memory to use for an example!

Rowen and I mostly stayed with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara until they went to bed; though we all went dancing too – either together, or with our fathers. I took Ethan out for a spin once too, and danced with Grandpa, Uncle Adam, and Uncle Nick once each too. Rowen and I helped Mom, Dad, Alicia, and one of her friends get Ethan, Ehlana, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn home and in bed before leaving them with the two teens while we went back to the reception.

By then, the dance was in full swing, but Rowen and I were ready for a little break, so we got drinks and wandered off to sit on the dock for a while where it was a bit quieter compared to being in or around the pavilion. Going swimming wasn't an option, though I really would have liked to for a while; but we did both take our shoes off and put our feet in the water. There were other guests going for little walks along the river, but we had the dock to ourselves, and were able to have a little girl talk time before going back to the dance.

A few of our classmates, including Michael and Tim, were at the reception, and Rowen and I hung out with the group of girls that had gathered around a couple of tables along the house side of the pavilion. Rebecca and Jenny were both hanging out there with us; though they were out dancing regularly too. Jenny's interest in cute boys from out-of-town had me sure that I'd be seeing a lot of her and Rebecca for the two weeks that Chris, Martin, and Jonathan would be spending here, and Jonathan had a head start on that tonight. It looked like he enjoyed getting noticed, and Rebecca and Jenny weren't the only girls watching him – or asking him to dance.

Talking about boys was front and center with the rest of the girls – okay, that was pretty much all the other girls talked about. That wasn't particularly interesting for either Rowen or me, but by then, Aunt Deborah was in the house with Marcia and Aunt Leanne getting changed and ready to leave on her honeymoon; I wanted to give Mom and Dad some space to have fun with their friends; there weren't any younger kids around to entertain; and the teen couples didn't need help having fun, so we just sat with our friends and kept quiet. I know – that's definitely not normally like me at all!

Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah did their last dances of the night at around midnight. They did a round of visits after that, and then were whisked away in their limousine by one o'clock. Some of the wedding guests started heading home then, and when Grandma and Grandpa decided to leave then too, Rowen and I went with them; and Patrick was sent with us. We went next door to drop Rowen and Patrick off, and then Grandma and Grandpa walked me home. Another quick round of goodnight hugs and kisses later, and they continued on to Blossom Ave, and I went inside.

A swim in the river was finally an option, though I had two spotters sitting on the back porch while I did that after Alicia advised me that swimming alone, in the dark, unsupervised wasn't going to happen. That little break would have been nicer without the sound of music, conversation, and laughter echoing to me along the river from the party, but it did give me a chance to cool off and wind down a bit before going to bed.

Mandy's already sleeping, and after checking my email, doing a little family business work, and writing this journal entry up, I'm ready to call it a night too. I doubt Mom and Dad will be back for a while yet, since they'll be helping with the cleanup, but Violet and Dillon are here now, and took over from Alicia and her friend about twenty minutes ago. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne have one more day of family entertaining to do, and we'll be hanging out with them too. We didn't get to start out Jaimie and Kaitlyn's first holiday without the parents here with the usual fun and games, or even a campfire, but this has been such a great day; I don't think anything else we could have done instead would have been better.

Anyway, it's time for lights out – especially since Jaimie and Kaitlyn are going to have about four and a half more hours of sleep than I'll get tonight; and they'll be ready to rock in just a few hours.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

I had every intention of being asleep early tonight, but that didn't end up happening – especially after Kara and Kaitlyn decided that they needed to do a sleepover together, and Mom and Dad won the draw for which house that sleepover would be happening at. The lounge ended up being sleepover party central; and Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara only went to bed about twenty-five minutes ago after finishing the movie that I had hoped would put them to sleep; but didn't.

Mom and Dad skipped Tai Chi, but I was up at the normal time, and so were Ethan and Ehlana, so I took them outside with me after dealing with a couple of diaper changes and putting coffee on to brew for when Mom and Dad did get up. After a night filled with music and noise, exercising by the river seemed even more peaceful than normal; and I really loved getting to share that time with my little brother and sister. After going inside again, I had time to get them both dressed for church before Mom and Dad made an appearance, and they took over from there while I went upstairs to have a shower and get ready for church too.

Violet and I both helped Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara get ready for the day, and then Violet took her turn in my bathroom while the rest of us went downstairs to hang out with Mom, Dad, and the twins until breakfast was ready. We ate out on the back porch, and then Violet and I took care of the cleanup while Mom and Dad were busy getting ready for church too. It was hot in the church again, and the entire Sunday school class ended up going outside; spreading out around the church and school grounds, and doing our lessons while sitting under shady oaks with the breeze helping to keep us more comfortable than we would have been in our usual classrooms.

Lunch was at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's; and they had nearly all of the Johnson and Ayres families there, along with most of the visiting friends of the now-honeymooning bride and groom. Mom and Dad were on the work crew for that, and Dillon was working at the Inn, so Violet, Rowen and I were both on kid-control. We all got changed at home first, and started out our play afternoon with a swim in the river after meeting up again at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's. After that, we played in the back yard, tossing Frisbees or baseballs around; blowing bubbles – mostly for Nicole's entertainment; and having a mini soccer game that Eddie recruited Jonathan and Kyle to help him with for a girls against the guys match. That might not have been fair for us, except we ended up with a few extra girls on our side – including Chrissy, Michelle, and Tory. Eddie was the only player taking the game seriously, and the guys did manage to win, but we all had fun; and that game took us through until lunch was ready.

Two hours of eating and cleanup later, and it was time for the visiting guests to pack up and head for home. Kara, Eddie, and Nicole were busy with their parents for a while, so Rowen and I took Jaimie and Kaitlyn for a little canoe ride before getting back in time to help with the goodbye hugs and kisses. We added Kara and Eddie to our little group once their parents were on the road, and we went to the park for the rest of the afternoon; hanging out at the playground, and going for a couple of swims when we needed to cool off.

Since our five guests were only here for one Sunday, we went to the Inn for the late buffet so that Christine and Andrew could come too after closing the Emporium for the night; and we had Grandmas and Grandpas Johnson and Proctor; the Seagers; and Emersons all come too. Mom and Dad had both been busy working almost all day, and Dad still needed to work in the office after we got home from the Inn; but Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Violet all went swimming with us after getting an overnight bag ready for Kara, and a little back yard play time.

I've already covered the movie in the lounge that followed our swim, and I've only taken care of the basic nightly computing before starting this little write-up. That's all the news for today, and I'm way past ready to have a long nap now, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, July 23, 2012

This morning, the parents surprised us with the announcement that we'd be going to Quarry Lake today. Dad had to work, but he and Uncle Adam were going to join us out there after closing the office and clinic for the day.

We had quite a gang going too, including Violet and Dillon; the Stones; Rowen and Patrick; and the usual group of best friends, including Stephanie, Jenny, Tim, and Scott. Aunt Leanne was coming with Kara, Eddie, and Nicole; and Alicia had the option for the afternoon off, but she came out to Quarry Lake with some friends too. There was quite a bit of work to get done before we could go there, and though we helped out when it came time to pack up Mom's van and Violet's car; Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and I mostly stayed out of the way while Mom, Violet, and Alicia put together our picnic, and got everything else that we'd need for the day ready.

It was about eleven o'clock when we headed north on Quarry Road, and Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Miranda and Jacob had some volunteer drivers helping out with the transportation. Patricia, Emily Warren, Brent Palmer, and Tracey Landry all helped out with rides; including taking other kids along once word got around, and sisters, brothers, or cousins wanted to go too. There was more work to do when we got to the campground, and all of the kids were recruited to help out with carrying chairs, bags, coolers, and picnic baskets from the parking lot to the spot Mom picked at the edge of the beach. Once that was done, it was all play for the rest of the day – at least for the kids and most of the teens.

I'd like to take a moment to mention that I really love getting to play with Miranda and Jacob. They don't get to come out and play with us very often, but when they do; they're really very good at it! Dad and Uncle Adam weren't the only adults to come out to play with us after work, but since Miranda, Jacob, Mom, and Aunt Leanne were the only adults in our group for the afternoon, they stuck together; and Rowen and I, and the seven-and-under kids, helped to make sure that they had fun. If you're reading this some day, Miranda, you'd have loved hearing some of the comments I did today – like one guy who shall remain un-named who suggested that your Inn would be full every day, all day if you wore swimsuits at work too. There were comments about Jacob too, but I'm definitely too young to hear most of them, even though I did – including a few from you and Aunt Leanne. Okay, time to move along now for sure.

We were in the lake, on the beach, or playing on the water slides most of the time; with just two short playground breaks after lunch and dinner. Ethan, Ehlana, and Nicole all had short afternoon naps under the shade of a couple of beach umbrellas while Mom and Aunt Leanne took that opportunity for a little sunbathing. Violet, Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie helped out with our visiting cousins while they were doing that, and the four teens were a magnet for most of the other kids in our group.

One of the reasons that Rowen and I were happy to have my cousins to entertain was that the tweenies and younger teens, including Rebecca and Jenny, were in full-out weird mode today. Patrick and Scott were annoying too, and probably worse than usual because they were trying to act like the other guys; but they had orders to stay close to parental support, so avoiding them wasn't an option. I can tell you that between the wedding and today, Rowen and I are more than a little scared about what it's going to be like at home for the two weeks that Chris, Martin, and Jonathan are here. Maybe they'll spend most of their time at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house.

When Dad and Uncle Adam came out to Quarry Lake, they had another group of parents and kids come along. Liz and Philip Seager brought Naomi; and they joined us so that Naomi could hang out with Ethan and Ehlana. While my brother and sister played and floated around with their friend, Rowen and I continued to play with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Kara, and Nicole; though Nicole would stay with her aunt and uncle whenever the rest of us went on the water slides. Dad and Uncle Adam had Patrick, Scott, and Eddie with them most of the time they were with us; and Rowen I and were glad to have the break from the goofing around and pranks that Patrick and Scott had regularly annoyed us with all afternoon.

It was time to pack up and get ready to head home by a bit after eight; and most of us were home with enough time before dark to unload the van and truck. Violet, Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie had other plans for the rest of their night, and Dad had work to get started on in the office, but all of the girls, including me, and Ethan, were ready to head for bed after a long, busy day of sun and fun. I helped Mom with the bedtime routine for Ethan, Ehlana, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn; and then got changed and in bed. Mandy's currently cuddling with Kaitlyn, but she'll probably end up in here with me sometime before morning.

I thought about just going to sleep right away, but we'll be doing some camping this week, and this might be one of the few chances I'll get to do any family business work; so I put up my wards and have done about four hours of regular speed work in the last hour or so. That'll be enough for now; there isn't any other news to report; and I'm way past ready to crash for the rest of the night, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Rowen and I are camping by the river with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara tonight, so I'll need to keep this short.

We played; did a little biking; more swimming; set up our tent and camp; Rowen and I had our baseball practice; and we all took regular breaks for meals and snacks.

Eddie wasn't happy about our girls-only camping, but he and Uncle Adam are camping too while Nicole and Aunt Leanne are having a five-star camping adventure indoors since Nicole wasn't quite ready this year to sleep in a tent with us.

Violet, Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie went to Crystal Springs today; mostly to see a movie; though I'm sure that some shopping time will be involved too. I never really think about that kind of thing at all, but Violet probably misses being able to do things like going to the movies with her friends whenever she wants without having a three hour round-trip drive to do that.

Anyway, it's not that late now, but our three junior campers are currently napping; if a bit restlessly. Rowen and I don't want to wake them, so I'm going to wrap this up, and we're going to go sit out on the dock for a while so we can still talk without waking the other girls.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Happy twelfth birthday, Vanessa!

The crossing over continues, and Vanessa joins the growing group of girls in our class to have their first girls and guys birthday party. Rowen and I were both good with missing out on that action; though I'm sure our more 'advanced' classmates all had fun.

While about two-thirds of our classmates were in party mode, Rowen and I had another play day with my cousins. We took Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara on a canoeing and exploring picnic adventure while Mom, Violet, and Alicia entertained Ethan, Ehlana, Eddie, and Nicole. Our little excursion included paddling as near as allowed to the falls; a few hours of park exploring and playground time; two swims in the river to cool off; a picnic by the falls on the park side; and a paddle across the river for Emporium ice cream snacks before going home again.

Ethan, Ehlana, Eddie, and Nicole joined us for some back yard play time until we had to take a break for dinner, and we mostly floated around in the river or played games under the trees where we had some shade from the hot sun. As usual on a baseball night, we ate early, and then headed over to the park for the Arrows' practice. The younger kids weren't much interested in watching baseball, so Rowen and I took a fairly large group to the playground, including, Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi. Grandma and Grandpa helped us with kid control after getting to the park too, and earned grandparents of the day award when they sponsored a trip to the Emporium for ice cream that wrapped up at about the same time as the Arrows' practice.

Our original plan was for another night of camping, but the weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms overnight and tomorrow, so we're doing a sleepover instead, and Eddie and Nicole are staying overnight too. Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne also had wanted to do at least one campfire for our cousins, and had planned that for their last night with us, but decided to move that to tonight too in case we actually do get all of the rain they're forecasting. That worked out great for everyone, including the members of the Arrows team; since they all came over for the campfire too.

I didn't expect to have the usual neighbor drop-ins for a weeknight campfire, but even though all of the adults had work in the morning, we ended up with a big group joining in for the fun, food, music, and scary stories. Bill and Sylvia Bassett brought their kids over; Rowen's parents and brother arrived at about the same time; and the Stone family made an appearance after closing the Inn. Dad and Bill took care of the music; Aunt Leanne and Miranda were the primary storytellers this time; and we toasted marshmallows and made s'mores for our snacks.

The party started to break up by a bit after eleven, and while most of the guys pitched in for the cleanup, Rowen and I had lots of parental support for getting our sleepover buddies upstairs and ready for bed. Ehlana ended up having a sleepover too when Naomi was added to the guest list, and got to be the first to try out the other new bed in Ehlana's room. Since this was officially a sleepover, we set up sleeping bags in the lounge, and had Kaitlyn, Kara, and Nicole on the sectional sofa while the rest of us, including Eddie, were on the floor. I put a movie on, but none of the younger kids lasted fifteen minutes into it before dropping off to sleep, and Jaimie fell asleep about half-way through.

Rowen and I have been chatting while I've done my usual nightly computing, but we're both ready for some sleep now too, so I'm going to wrap this up and do that. Until tomorrow...

...this is Cassie Proctor, live from Witch Falls; signing off!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

We finally actually did get some rain overnight, along with a bit of a lightning show that Rowen and I ended up watching with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara after the thunder woke them. Eddie and Nicole slept through the light and sound show. There wasn't as much rain as I'm sure the area farmers hoped for, but they probably preferred that to the deluge, hail, and damaging winds that swept through other areas along the storm front.

Except for a bit of rain around lunchtime, we've had another beautiful day. Rowen and I went to our weekly riding lesson and trail ride this morning, and then we spent the afternoon playing with all of the younger kids; including Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi. That included playground time at the park; an ice cream run to the Emporium that Mom, Alicia, and Violet helped us with; swimming in the river; and just hanging out in the back yard for the last hour or so before dinner.

Though it turned out that we could have done the campfire tonight after all; we'd already done that, so Mom and Aunt Leanne went with a dinner and a movie night – this time at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house. Philip picked up Naomi after enjoying nearly a full kid-free day, but Rowen stayed to help me entertain the younger kids while Mom was busy with her end of the cooking. She helped us 'move the show' two doors down the street too before needing to head to the computer store; where her parents needed to be reassured that they actually did still have a daughter and spend the rest of the day with them.

There wasn't anything on the dinner menu that was grilled in any way, and might even have helped to partially de-tox some us from a week of regular doses of treats and snacks. The movie was picked mostly for Eddie and Nicole; and we settled in for a little quiet cuddle time while watching the animated flick. It was time to go home after the movie ended; mostly because Mom, Dad, Violet and I needed to help Jaimie and Kaitlyn to pack up for their trip home in the morning. Kara, Eddie, and Nicole weren't leaving – and doing a similar switch – until Saturday morning, but Grandma and Grandpa were meeting up with Richard, Carrie, Duncan, and Mercy in Crystal Springs to exchange Jaimie and Kaitlyn for Chris, Martin, Dawn, and Jillian. Taking the collective grandkids out for lunch and a little shopping was going to be involved before our next group of cousins – and one best friend – would be on the road again for Witch Falls.

Ehlana and I helped Jaimie with her packing, and then we did a group bedtime story and snack before tucking Ethan and Ehlana into their beds and moving up to the third floor. Mandy and I ended up with another cuddle buddy, and this time, I have Kaitlyn with me while Jaimie is bunking for the last night with Violet. My usual nightly computing had to wait until after Kaitlyn fell asleep, but, thankfully, she was tired out too, so I've been able to get a little family business work done; had a little messaging chat with Dawn; made a few notes in our Magi Project archive; and I'll have this wrapped up too without needing to stay up an hour or three past midnight.

While my cousins have a travel day, with shopping and lunch with the grandparents bonuses, I have a work day ahead to help Mom with getting everything ready for our incoming guests; so I'm going to wrap this up. The next couple of weeks are going to be a blast of fun, and even though we're a little scared of having another summer holiday like last year with Chris and Martin – and Jonathan this year – Rowen and I are really excited to have Dawn and Jillian to hang out with too.

Don't go there, Proctor. It's time to sleep.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Jaimie and Kaitlyn had fun with us this week, but if their reaction this morning was any indication; they're both missing their parents too, and ready to go home.

After Tai Chi with Mom and Dad this morning, I was kept busy helping my cousins fed, dressed, and ready to travel before Grandma and Grandpa came over to pick them up at nine o'clock. Aunt Leanne brought Kara, Eddie, and Nicole over in time to say goodbye to Jaimie and Kaitlyn; and then she left the kids with Mom and Alicia while she needed to spend the morning at work dealing with some month-end business that she and Claire needed to be taken care of before the weekend.

I was recruited to help out with the morning entertaining, and we mostly played in the back yard until having lunch with Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam. Aunt Leanne was spending the afternoon with Kara, Eddie, and Nicole, and though I was invited to go along, I stayed home to help Mom with getting four guest bedrooms; the lounge; and three bathrooms – including mine – cleaned and ready for our incoming cousins. Aunt Leanne and the kids were back again in time for her to help Mom with making dinner, and I had my work done by then; had gone for a short cool-down swim; and took over as entertainment co-coordinator until Grandma and Grandpa got home with our four guests.

Warning! You are now entering the twilight zone!

I haven't spent very much time with Rebecca and Jenny this summer, other than a chat here and there when we see each other around town. They're almost always hanging out with their usual group of friends; and boys in full-goof mode are usually nearby trying to impress them. While I had expected to see them a lot over the next two weeks, I was surprised when they came over about two minutes after Grandma and Grandpa pulled into the driveway. Yes, I'd been busy with Kara, Eddie, and Nicole, and didn't notice them, but they must have been out on Rebecca's front porch waiting to get there at almost the same time that I made it around to the front of the house with the three younger kids in tow.

Chris and Martin put up their usual protests when I hugged each of them, but Martin in particular seemed to be very happy to have Rebecca and Jenny there to welcome them too. They didn't hug my cousins in front of everyone too, but I definitely got the impression that they would have liked to. Chris will be fifteen in a few months, and starting Grade Ten; which is probably why he isn't quite as impressed with Rebecca and Jenny as Martin is. I don't think about them from the same perspective as my older friends do, but I guess that they're both really good looking guys. Let's just leave that train of thought right there and move on.

Dawn and Jillian were both fired up about getting to spend two weeks with us, and the three of us, with help from Violet and Kara, went up to the third floor with their bags as soon as we could. Dawn was in the room across the hall from Violet, and Jillian had the room across from the lounge and next to the back stairs, but I expected that we'd be doing quite a few sleepovers with Rowen in my room and the lounge – our camping in the back yard. Chris and Martin had the two river view guest bedrooms on the second floor, and Mom and Aunt Leanne had plans to have them split their nights – and Jonathan's – between the two houses.

Rowen was coming over for dinner, and Mom earned some bonus parent points when she invited Rebecca and Jenny to stay for dinner too. They hung out with Chris and Martin after that while Dawn, Jillian, and I continued to play with Kara, Eddie, and Nicole until dinner was ready – with help from Rowen once she joined us. Grandpa, Dad, and Uncle Adam took turns working the grills, and it was going on six o'clock by the time we sat down to eat. Chris and Martin were, thankfully, not scarfing food to impress tonight, but that didn't keep them from devouring what seemed like everything in sight. By the time we'd finished dinner, Dad was suggesting that he and Mom should have warned the grocery store that they'd need to order more stock for the next couple of weeks to keep up with the extra demand.

Once they were re-fueled, Chris and Martin were ready to go again, and Rebecca and Jenny were happy to go with them to meet up with some of their friends. That worked out for Dawn, Jillian, Rowen, and me, and while the boys were away, we went for a bike ride; played at the park for a while when Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne took the five younger kids there for some playground action; and went for a long swim after getting home again. Rowen was staying overnight, so we made a trip to her house so she could pack a bag, and we were already hanging out in the lounge and watching a movie by the time that Chris and Martin got home again – along with Rebecca, Jenny, and six more teens.

I wouldn't have been surprised if Rebecca and Jenny had suggested staying with us tonight too, but they didn't. Maybe they didn't think that the benefits were worth hanging out with a bunch of 'kids' all night. We didn't stop our movie or anything, but Dawn and Jillian happily passed on regular teen reports as they sat in the window alcove and kept an eye on the action in the back yard. That included swimming, snacks and drinks by the river, and a lot of loud chatter, laughter, and horsing around. Chris, Martin, and the other guys and girls gave us lots of material to keep entertained with for the next few hours, but we also had a lot of catching up to do too – especially since Dawn hadn't been home since the Memorial Day weekend.

We watched two movies, and Chris and Martin have said goodnight to their friends and moved on to playing video games in the living room. Dawn and Jillian are asleep on the sectional sofa, and Rowen and I are in my bed with Mandy; and we're both doing a little computer surfing. I hadn't really paid any attention to the news all day, but the Olympic Games started today in London; and we watched a few highlights from the opening ceremony while I was doing my usual email and work checks.

There isn't going to be any Olympic glory in my personal future, but it must be really cool getting to compete at that level – and represent your country on that kind of stage. Somehow, I don't see the world being ready for a Magi-powered super-athlete anytime soon, but Rowen and I entertained ourselves for a while imagining what that might be like. I liked the idea of a hundred meter dash in a fraction of a second, or high jumping that pole-vaulters would be jealous of; while Rowen thought that diving with one or two dozen mid-air flips followed by a slow-motion, zero splash finish would be amazing. I wonder if Mom and Dad would let us try that out at Quarry Lake sometime? Okay, yes, we know what the answer to that would be.

Anyway, it's going on one o'clock, and we've got a busy day ahead of us, so it's time to call it a night.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Rowen, signing off!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Tai Chi with Mom and Dad was pretty much the only quiet time I've had before now since waking up this morning.

We had breakfast for ten, and then most of us walked over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house to say goodbye to Kara, Eddie, and Nicole before they all hit the road for the trade-off they were doing to return the three kids to their parents while picking up Chrissy and Jonathan for the nearly two weeks they'd be spending with us until needing to head home again in time for Rob and Trish's wedding. After seeing them off, my cousins had the option to be set free for the morning while Mom, Dad, and I were busy with the usual Saturday morning chores. Rowen, Dawn, and Jillian opted to help Mom with Ethan and Ehlana, so while I was mowing the lawn and doing some gardening, they took the twins out for a walk and some play time at the park. We all went for a mid-morning swim when I was ready for a little break, and thanks to their babysitting assistance; we were finished the 'must-do' chores by noon.

Chris and Martin grabbed bikes and left the house to meet up with some of their friends, including Rebecca and Jenny, but more of their friends had part-time jobs this year, so not all of them were available – or at least they could only hang out with them before or after work. They were on their own when they came home for lunch, and then were off and running again as soon as they'd scarfed down some burgers, chips, and Olde Bakery desserts.

Having the guys doing their own thing all afternoon worked out great for Dawn, Jillian, Rowen, and me – and for Mom and Dad. Violet played with us for a few hours; with a break in the middle while she was busy hanging out with Dillon when he had his afternoon break at the Inn. We played with Ethan and Ehlana for a while too, though they also had an afternoon nap break so they'd be rested up for the campfire tonight.

It's hard to believe that we didn't run across Chris and Martin all afternoon in our little town, but even though we went to the park, the school, and the Emporium; we didn't see them at all until they came home again for dinner. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had just gotten to our house by then with Chrissy and Jonathan; though they'd been home for more than a half hour, and had Violet and her six-member junior welcoming committee meet them and help with both a round of hugs and kisses, and help carrying luggage up to second-floor bedrooms.

I haven't really gotten to know Chrissy very well yet, and she's probably the quietest member of her family, but I really like her, and she and Violet both seem happy to be spending the next couple of weeks together. Since Chrissy's a February baby like me, I don't usually think of her in the same group with Violet, Dillon, and their friends; but she is in the same grade with them even though she's nearly a year younger than Dillon and Jake. Underneath the shy and quiet, she's also really beautiful too.

Jonathan has been a bit on the shy side sometimes too, but that might just be in new situations; since he was ready and able to keep right up with Chris and Martin once they got together at our house. Violet and Chrissy mostly stayed with Mom and Aunt Leanne while they were getting dinner ready, and Dawn, Jillian, Rowen, and I went for a swim and hung around on the dock until it was time to eat. The Arrows had a game, so Violet and Chrissy recruited all of the kids to take care of the post-dinner cleanup while the ball players got ready for their game and then headed over to the park. Chris, Martin, and Jonathan weren't thrilled with that plan, but they did help anyway. Ethan and Ehlana were included too, but their supervisory assistance was mostly just for entertainment value. Yes, guys, I know that you could have helped – and Mom and Dad have let you do that a few times. Trust me on this, and just enjoy being too young for chores. We don't get to do them the fun way very often, and the normal way isn't much fun.

When we're finished the work, Violet and Chrissy take us over to the park to watch the game. Chris, Martin, and Jonathan are off with their friends again about five seconds after we get there, and since there are girls in that group; I'm good with them finding something else to do. The Arrows played the Torpedoes tonight, and though they had a great cheerleading squad; we didn't really have anything to cheer about. The only good news for the Arrows was that it was the shortest game of the season so far, so the pain was over fairly early; and we could all move on to the campfire. Final score – ten to four. All of the attending Arrows players came home with us for the campfire, and the game post-mortem included blaming all-day work; hours of travelling; or AWOL players that had the audacity to miss a game just because they got married and thought that going on a honeymoon was more important. I really hope the Arrows make it into the Championship game, or Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah could get teased about that for years.

Anyway, it wasn't dark yet when we got home, so while the adults were busy getting everything ready for the campfire, most of us younger kids went swimming with some support from Violet and Chrissy. The boys weren't with us at first, but they came over in time for a quick swim too; and had all of their friends with them for the campfire – including Rebecca and Jenny. That's made for a few déjà vu moments, with the only changes being that Caleb Palmer and Erica Bassett, and Carolyn Landry and Jeff Morris, were 'officially' couples this summer. The last two members of their group from last summer, Anna Marie Palmer and Calvin Jennings, were hanging out with them too, but weren't currently dating anyone.

Violet and Stephanie must have decided to get some of their friends to come over to hang out with them, and with Chrissy, and by the time the Stone family, Dillon, and Stephanie joined the party after closing the Inn; we had a handful of sixteen and seventeen-year old teens to go along with the younger group. That at least had the effect of controlling the extreme goofiness as Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and the other guys had to play it cool around the older guys; but there was still a lot going on around the yard and campfire that I'd have been happy not to witness – or have a photographic memory to remember those moments with.

Fortunately, we've had a lot of really great moments tonight to offset the weird and uncomfortable. I love the campfire stories and music; Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I toasted marshmallows, joined in for the sing-alongs, and thrilled to the scary stories that Grandpa, Uncle Adam, and Jake took turns telling us. We had Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi to cuddle with part of the time; though they were all taken inside and up to bed by shortly before eleven, and Mom and Dad ended up with another guest for the night.

It was still hot out, and quite a few kids and teems, including our foursome, jumped into the river for short swims. There was rain in the overnight forecast, but we haven't had any rain yet. The campfire is still going on as I write this, but only some of the teens are still hanging out around it now. Rowen went home with her parents and brother when they left, and Dawn and Jillian are in their rooms tonight. I've been sitting in the window alcove with Mandy since getting ready for bed; doing the usual bedtime computing.

I've been entertained by the teens around the campfire too, though maybe that little admission should scare me. Then again, they – the friends still hanging out with Chris, Martin, and Jonathan – are scary-story kind of entertaining; so I guess it's okay. Scariest moment of the night: Jenny kissing Martin down by the river. They'll never read this, and probably think there weren't witnesses, but then they were probably too preoccupied to consider the moonlight, shadows, or reflection in the river.

I don't know if Rebecca and Jenny talked that over first, but while I didn't observe anything even remotely approaching the kissing stage between Rebecca and Jonathan; they were sitting next to each other; while Chris was sort of bridging the gap between the younger and older teens, and sat next to Caleb and Anna Marie Palmer. Their big brother, Josiah, stayed after all of the adults and younger kids left too, which was a first; so I'll guess that he wasn't hanging around for the marshmallows and cold drinks. I'm trying to stay out of the matchmaking business right now, but while watching my cousins and their friends is scary; there are two shy, sweet teens out there tonight that are just adorable. I know, that's very inconsistent, but I'm a girl – live with it!

Anyway, I'm tired, and we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow – later today. The guys and girls around the fire can party all night if they want to, but it's definitely time for me to wrap this up and get some sleep.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

This has been such a great day!

I'm going to totally stay away from all things teen, tween, or romantic tonight, so if you're interested in any of that news; you're out of luck for this journal entry.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over this morning for Tai Chi with us; and then brought Chrissy and Jonathan over for breakfast too. The usual pre-church running around followed, and after Pastor Lewis gave us another heat-day short service; we were free to get an early start on getting changed and packed for an afternoon at Quarry Lake. There were quite a few families making the trip out to the campground too, but the only additions we had to our two families were Rowen and Patrick, Scott and Lindsay, Rebecca and Jenny, and Claire's daughter, Emma. It's a good thing that Grandma and Grandpa, and Violet, could help out with the extra driving help. Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie couldn't take the afternoon off from the Inn, but Violet and Chrissy still had some teen friends to hang out with when they needed a break from the younger kids and adults.

Emma had been a last-minute addition to our group, and I'm glad that we invited her. She really hit it off with Dawn and Jillian; and the five of us, including Rowen and me, had a blast together. Lindsay was officially with 'our' group, but quite a few members of the Bassett family came out to play too, so she spent most of the afternoon with Jessica. We played with them sometimes too, and with Ethan, Ehlana, and all of the adults; but we hardly even saw Chris, Martin, Jonathan, or any of the kids hanging out with them except for during lunch. I'd explain why that was such a good thing, but I'm not going there tonight. :^)

Anyway, we did a lot of swimming, played on the water slides and at the playground. Dad, Uncle Adam, Grandpa tossed a Frisbee around with us for a while, though according to Patrick and Scott; we were just getting in between them and having fun with the guys. I was wondering if Chris and Martin were like Patrick and Scott when they were nine, and Dawn assured me that they were worse. She's admittedly biased, but that doesn't necessarily mean she isn't right about that too.

Rebecca needed to be back in town early to help out at the Inn, but for reasons that will, once again, not be discussed here; Jenny needed to take the day off. Violet offered to take Rebecca back, and timed that trip to match up with Dillon's lunch break. We all eventually needed to pack up and head home, and Violet was back again with enough time for another swim before helping out with the packing and kid transportation.

So, how do you top an afternoon of sun and fun at Quarry Lake? You go with everyone to the late buffet at the Inn!

I hadn't really thought about it before tonight, but this was the last buffet for Grandma and Grandpa before they leave on the month-long trip to Europe that they'll fly out for next Sunday morning. Hopefully I'll find a little extra time to spend with them between now and then, but that didn't happen tonight; and it won't be easy with everything we all have on the go this week. We weren't the only families to follow up our play day with dinner at the Inn; and the dining room was full. Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I were at a kids table with Patrick, Scott, Lindsay, and Jessica. Emma was at the Inn with her family too, but was with them for the meal.

The food was as awesome as always, and the only other comment I have about that hour and a half is to point out that Dawn is reconsidering her assertion that the nine-year old versions her brothers were worse than Patrick and Scott. She and Rowen had joked about a trade earlier in the afternoon, but I'm fairly sure that offer's off the table now too. (Side note: I won't be discussing Rowen's reaction to that suggestion either, but potential crossing over danger lurks there for my best friend.)

Moving along now, Rowen went home after dinner, and Dawn and Jillian opted to take turns using my Jacuzzi after we got back to our place. Jillian did that first, and Dawn and I took it easy in the lounge until it was her turn; watching some music videos and talking about the highlights for the day; and what we'd be doing during the coming week. Jillian and I did the same thing while Dawn was busy, and then they decided to watch a movie while I got reacquainted with my Jacuzzi. They were both sleeping by the time I'd finished, changed, and dried my hair; and Mom or Violet must have tucked them in. I went downstairs for a quick round of goodnight hugs and kisses, and have been snuggled in bed with Mandy since then.

It's after midnight again, and though tomorrow's a 'free' play day, we're also camping by the river for the next couple of nights; so I need to wrap this up and get some sleep. Since Rebecca and Jenny have the next two days off, I'll take a wild guess that we'll be having quite a gang around our house starting right after breakfast. Hopefully the tween-teen twilight zone weirdness won't get in the way of the fun for Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and me. I still don't want to go there tonight, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Yes, you heard it here first, but today's top news story around town was that Hannah and Nathan Draper were expecting their second child; due sometime in early April.

While that announcement didn't have much impact on most of the kids in town, we – the eleven and under kids hanging out at our house – stopped in to the Olde Bakery so that some of us could offer congratulations and hugs; and pick up some camping treats while we were there.

I'm getting ahead of the events of the day.

Ethan and Ehlana were awake early; so they came outside with Mom, Dad, and I for our morning exercise. They toddled around the benches; goofed around a bit by acting like they were doing warm-ups with us; and then sat down on the grass and played while watching Dad lead Mom and I through the Wu long form. I was put in charge of wake-up calls after we went inside again, and took Ehlana with me for that while Mom and Dad started to work on breakfast with supervisory support from Ethan. Chris and Martin weren't particularly excited about getting up before noon, but Violet, Dawn, and Jillian loved Ehlana's wake-up cuddles and giggles.

Chris and Martin were the last to get downstairs for breakfast; but found enough energy to demolish about half of the food. The weather was looking good for the next couple of days, so Mom and Dad approved the camping request that Dawn, Jillian, and I made while talking about what we were going to do for our free play day.

They could be regretting that by now, but I'm sure there are a lot of happy parents around town too – the parents with kids at the mass campsite that is currently our back yard.

There's a camp in the Stone's back yard tonight too; but they got the older teens while our campers are in the eight to fourteen-year old range. I'm not exactly sure how we ended up with the biggest campout of the summer so far when we started out with just five girls, including Rowen and Emma Norton, but it certainly hasn't been boring around here today. Since our camping adventure had been approved by the end of breakfast, Dawn, Jillian, and I wanted to set up our tents before it really started getting hot out, so when Rowen came over; that was the first thing we did. Dad had suggested the invitation for Emma, since she could stay overnight, and get a ride back home with Claire after baseball practice on Tuesday. She ended up getting a ride into town in time to have lunch with us when her father needed to pick up something at Landry's; and multi-tasked that little job with dropping Emma off with us, and having lunch with Claire while he was in town anyway.

We had our tents set up long before Emma joined us, and we'd gone for a bike ride at the park; done a morning ice cream break at the Emporium; and done the congratulations and camping munchies run to the bakery before going home again in time to have a long swim before lunch. Emma caught the end of the swim with us; and it was at lunchtime that the camping plans started to get out of control. Mom and Alicia had been prepared for extra incoming teens for lunch, and we ended up with somewhere around thirty kids and teens. Violet, Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie all helped out with feeding the rest of us first before getting to have lunch with Mom and Alicia, and since we were finished eating by then, Ethan and Ehlana got to go play for a while at the park with five girls; all of us very happy to both give Mom and Alicia a little break while escaping from the weird and crazy that was currently surrounding Dawn's brothers, Jonathan, and their friends.

By then, there were going to be a total of twelve more campers, and there were four more tents in various stages of being raised by the time we returned Ethan and Ehlana to Mom and Alicia; including a pair of two-room tents that were on loan from the Palmers and Bassetts. Seventeen campers seemed like a lot at the time, but then Stephanie and Violet suggested the teen camp at Jake's house, and that led to more teens and kids getting in on both camping adventures; plus a mass barbeque dinner at our house for everyone and quite a few of the parents.

Our tents were already set up, so Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, Emma, and I mostly stayed out of the way as the campground spread out along the river and eventually ran the width of our yard and two rows of tents deep. While that was going on, we went for a canoe ride, played at the park again, and went for a long swim while we were at the park. When we got home, Rowen and I were drafted to help out with setting up for dinner, and Dawn, Jillian, and Emma entertained Ethan and Ehlana while we were busy.

Food donations were coming in fast by then, along with some adult and teen volunteers, so it really wasn't that hard to get tables set up for the older guests, and the campers were all going be set free to take their food and sit around their tents and by the river to eat. Dad, Uncle Adam, Jacob, and some of the other guys were on the grills, while side dishes ranged from corn on the cob and salads to a variety of snacks like chips and pretzels. Rowen and I helped out for nearly an hour before being set free again, and then we sat down by the river with Dawn, Jillian, Emma, and the twins. We spent most of the time we had left until dinner was ready just sitting back and watching the tween action around us, and Dawn and Jillian did a great job entertaining the rest of us with their commentary; which regularly poked fun at Chris and Martin. I'll guess that's a defense mechanism they've needed to hone over the past few years to help cope with and survive the teasing, pranks, and practical jokes the Chris and Martin inflict on them on a regular basis. At least they had to play it cool, and were too busy to even pay us 'kids' any attention at all today.

Our plans for tomorrow came up during dinner, so since I'm at that part of the recap, I'll mention that our canoe trip to the whirlpool and picnic has turned into a major event too that most of the kids and teens from both camps are going on. Rowen and I talked about changing our plans, but Violet, Dillon, Stephanie, and Jake are going too; and I'm sure that Dawn really wants to spend the day with Violet even if we'll have to put up with way too many boys.

Grandma and Grandpa came over for dinner too, and they took custody of Ethan and Ehlana for a couple of hours while Mom and Dad were busy. Getting drafted for the pre-dinner crew worked out great for us when we were free to go play after dinner while quite a few of the teens, including Chris, Martin, and Jonathan, were ordered to help out with the cleanup. Rowen and I were sure that the park would be hang-out central until the campfire started once it was dark, so we biked to the school with Dawn, Jillian, and Emma to play there for a while; and then we went home again to go swimming while nearly all of the other kids were gone.

Dad had some help with getting everything ready for the campfire, but there weren't going to be any adults actually staying for that. Rowen and I were going to have Ethan and Ehlana in the tent with us, so while Mom and Dad were going to have a yard full of kids and teens, they were also going to be kid-free for the night too. Maybe they won't spend all of that time working in the office, but if they don't; their kids are good with not knowing the details about anything else they might find to do instead.

When the campfire started, Jake was our primary guitarist, but there were lots of volunteers willing to try their best to tell scary stories with varying degrees of success. That was all fun for me, but tonight I spent some time just sitting back and observing everything around me – even the scarier than scary stories action going on with my cousins and the other tweens and teens. I'll need to write that up sometime later this week, but I definitely have some observations to add to our Magi Project archive. Top of the list for that – a detectable variation in the aura strength for Magi and Latents; and some pretty wild clashes and synergies between different teens and kids.

I wonder why I haven't really noticed this around Mom and Dad, or Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne – not! Uncle Adam can take this and run with it if he wants to study this among adult couples, but there are just some things that a kid doesn't need to know about her parents, or any of the other adults in her life. The whole thing is seriously strange when you're on the kid side of crossing over like I am. Let's move along.

Couples time kicked in sometime around eleven o'clock, and Rowen and I were among the first of the younger kids that decided to find something else to do then. Ethan and Ehlana gave us that out; though they weren't particularly sleepy yet. There was a slight change in plans when Ethan toddled over to Michael and Tim's tent; got invited in; and all but told us that he wanted to stay there for the night. There were a few jokes about Ethan not wanting to be the only guy in a girls' tent, but I'll give Michael and Tim bonus points for taking on a junior camper – especially when changing diapers could become an issue sometime before morning.

We ended up going for a swim that Dawn, Jillian, and Emma joined us for, and then sitting outside of our tents and talking until after midnight. Ethan and Ehlana were asleep by the time we were all ready to climb into our sleeping bags, with Ethan in Michael and Tim's tent, and Ehlana in Rowen's and mine. I went into the boys' tent to change Ethan's diaper, and I hope he's happy; because I had to put up with some teasing about whom I was spending the night with by Chris, Martin, and a few of the other younger teens when they caught me in there on their way to the river for a cool-off swim. Unfortunately for Michael and Tim, I think they got the worst of that thanks primarily to Rebecca and Carolyn; and the 'way-to-go' comments directed at them from the older guys did not help. I'll admit that most of those jokes and the teasing was funny, but hopefully the comedians won't try to stretch the entertainment from this out to the point where it'll just be annoying. Dawn predicted that's exactly what Chris and Martin will do, but I really hope she's wrong about that.

Rowen and I were ready to hide in our tent after that, so we said goodnight to Dawn, Jillian, Emma, and the boys; and zipped ourselves safely into our tent for the night. I fired up my computer, and we did a little surfing while chatting and winding down. Rowen fell asleep about a half hour ago, so I've been taking care of a few things, including this journal entry, while also half-listening in to what's going on around the tents; in the river; and at the campfire. There isn't anything exciting to report on from the family business or much email traffic tonight, and since we've got a big day of paddling ahead of us, I should probably just call it a night now; shut down the computer; cuddle with Ehlana; and get some sleep.

Live from Camp Proctor, Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Let's start right out with the early morning bad news. I was caught in mid-laugh and hug outside of Michael and Tim's tent by two people who also saw me leaving his tent at about four-thirty. The fact that I'd been in there to take care of changing Ethan's diaper again, or that the hug and laugh was in reaction to Michael's comments and appreciation for helping him with that little problem, was conveniently missing from the story by the time it had hit the campground gossip network at breakfast.

The good news was that we weren't even close to making top billing for best camping news story. I really don't want to go into any details, so let's just say that there were at least a few non-segregated tents last night and leave it at that. Now if only I could get Aunt Leanne to stop grinning every time she looks at me or Michael; like she did practically every time I saw her today. At least that was only a problem at breakfast this morning; after we got back from the whirlpool; and after baseball practice.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over in time for Tai Chi with Mom, Dad, and me; and we had Ethan and Ehlana with us again after I answered the call for another diaper change for Ethan. Ehlana had needed a change by then too, but Rowen took care of that while I was busy with Ethan; and then she and Michael sat out on one of the benches and kept Ethan and Ehlana busy while we were exercising. There wasn't much movement coming from any of the tents until after Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam had gone inside; taking the twins with them. Rowen and I went for a swim next, and had some company in the river as more of our friends decided that a swim before breakfast was a good idea.

With so many campers, Mom and Dad hadn't even thought about doing anything major for breakfast. They set out bowls of fruit, boxes of cereal, and platters of Olde Bakery muffins, cinnamon buns, and croissants. Cartons of milk and pitchers of juice completed the food and drink choices; and if there was anything left by the time everyone had finished eating; it was probably just crumbs that were too small to feed mice with. Have I mentioned before that boys are scary? Yes, I'm quite sure that I have.

The campers in the Stone's back yard were doing their own thing for breakfast, but the members of their group that were going on the great whirlpool canoe expedition with us came over in time to help with getting all of our canoes out of the storage barn, and rounding up the extras we'd need for the day. Mom and Aunt Leanne had help for getting the picnic ready to go too, and by nine-thirty, we were on our way upriver.

Rowen and I were in separate canoes, and she had Dawn with her while I had Jillian and Emma in my canoe; mostly because it was easier for them to talk together while we paddled side-by-side. We were at the back of the flotilla, close to Violet, Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie; and as far away as possible from Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and the other guys in their group. That kept us away from the worst of the goofiness for the trips each way, and trust me – most of those guys were in top form today. The fact that their antics actually seem to work on the girls they're trying to impress continues to just baffles me.

The whirlpool isn't exactly huge, and it actually seemed crowded today. I'm sure that part of that was because of how much space some of the guys needed to show off for the girls, but it's been another hot day; and staying cool and playing with Rowen and the rest of our friends was fun anyway. Violet and Stephanie split their time between hanging out with us and with Dillon, Jake, and the rest of their friends; and Rowen and I weren't the only girls there who appreciated spending a few hours around Jake Stone in a swimsuit.

Did I write that out loud? Oops. Sorry, Stephanie, but I'm positive that you appreciate where that sentiment comes from on a daily basis.

That's dancing a bit too close to the edge for me. Let's move along.

We played at the whirlpool for nearly three hours, including having our picnic. When it was time to head for home again, we were in the last group to leave; mostly because Violet and Stephanie had us do a last check to make sure we didn't leave a mess behind us. Since that left us quite a bit behind the rest of the canoes, we were good with that; and with pretty much being on our own with the 'cool' teens for almost the entire trip back.

We were having a second night of camping at our house, but the older teens weren't doing that – possibly because all of the girls were more interested in some quality bubble bath time; air conditioning; and a comfortable bed to sleep in by then. All of those thoughts crossed my mind a few times tonight, but I don't need to give Chris, Martin, or anyone else new material or opportunity to tease me more than they've been doing today.

Mom and Dad put on another barbeque dinner with some help from their friends, but Rowen, Emma, and I needed to eat early and get to our baseball practice, so we unfortunately missed out on the eating, drinking, and belching competitions that were probably some kind of championship round after the previous rounds yesterday and during the picnic today. Hopefully our team will appreciate that little sacrifice of ours!

We've got our next game this weekend against the Colonists, so Claire had us work fairly hard tonight to get ready for it. Between that; about four hours of canoeing; and hours more spent swimming, some of us are really tired tonight. Emma was invited to stay tonight too, but decided to go home with her mother after the practice. Rowen and I met up with Dawn and Jillian again, and they gave us the dinner recap while we went for a bike ride and Emporium ice cream run.

Violet, Dillon, Stephanie, and Jake were doing their own thing tonight, so it was Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and their friends ruling the campfire. Yes, that was scary, and Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I went for a moonlight swim at a bit after ten before skipping the rest of the campfire action and just hanging out around and in our tents. Michael earned at least one pass – not that kind! – for letting Ethan camp with him last night, but he didn't help either of us when he and Tim joined us for that swim. I'm sure they just wanted to escape too, but if they'd just waited a while, we could have avoided all of the cat-calls; suggestions; and jokes that were sent our way from the peanut gallery around the campfire.

After our swim, the boys took off somewhere, though I suspect it was so they could work out a little payback for getting teased by Rebecca, Carolyn, and some of the other guys. Rowen and I ended up with Dawn and Jillian in our tent for a little girl chat time, but we were all getting tired, and they moved back over to their tent when they were ready to go to sleep. The campfire is still going strong, but Rowen and I have both had enough fun for today too, so I'm going to pack up; we're going to head inside for a quick washroom break; and then we'll hopefully be out for the count until morning.

Live, but ready to sleep like we're not, from Camp Proctor, Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Rowen, signing off!

August 2012

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

After two nights of camping, I'm glad to be snuggled in my bed with Mandy tonight.

It's been a really fun day; partly because Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and their friends spent most of the day elsewhere with their friends. The campground cleanup this morning took a couple of hours, but then Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I were set free for the rest of the morning. We went biking out River Road; played at the park when we got back to town; and went for a swim before we needed to get to the Inn for lunch.

The Proctor and Johnson grandparents were hosting the meal, and they had the visiting kids at their tables. Most of the adults in our families were there too, but Rowen and I sat at a table with Jillian and Violet instead of with Mom and Dad, or Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne. It wasn't really all that busy at the Inn, so some of us could take our time having lunch and an Olde Bakery dessert; though most of the adults needed to get back to work by one o'clock. I hadn't thought much about it being the first of August today, but hearing Aunt Leanne and Claire talking about their first of the month morning reminded me of just how busy they usually were at the turn of most months from spring to fall.

Rowen, Jillian, and I were reunited with Dawn after lunch, and we decided to spend the afternoon just relaxing in the back yard; swimming; and lying around on beach blankets; and resting up after a couple of busy days. Not having the boys around helped with that, and we even got to hang out with Violet, Chrissy, and Alicia when they joined us for a swim and an hour or so of sunbathing while Ethan and Ehlana were having a nap. That was fun, but probably ended a bit early when the guys stopped by; supposedly in search of afternoon snacks and drinks. I have a feeling that their timing had more to do with the three beautiful teen girls in bikinis, and since they disappeared again less than five minutes after the older girls threw on shorts and shirts and went inside again; I rest my case.

The rest of the day has kind of just chugged by lazily – at least for us. Mom went with a light dinner after the big lunch at the Inn, so there wasn't much work to do there. The Arrows' ball practice was tougher than usual for the players, but that was mostly self-inflicted; since they weren't happy about losing their last game against the Torpedoes. Dawn and Jillian wanted to ride bikes instead of watching the game, so we did that, but mostly just took it easy as we rode the trail around the park; taking regular breaks to mostly explore around the falls and along the ridge.

We had an added bonus tonight when we found out that Chris and Martin were going to spend the night with Jonathan at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house; and that made for a very quiet night around here. Rowen came home with us so we could go for a swim together, but then she was ready for a night in her own bed too, and while she went home; Dawn, Jillian, and I did the bedtime story and snack time with Mom, Dad, and the twins before coming up to our rooms and getting ready for bed. We met up again in Dawn's room for a little girl chat time, but it wasn't long before they both fell asleep, so I tucked them into Dawn's bed and have been in my bed with Mandy since then; doing a little work on my computer.

Dawn and Jillian are going to be hitting the trails with Rowen and me tomorrow morning; and we've talked about a ride to the caves after lunch, so I'm going to call it a night and get a little extra sleep while I can – especially since I'll want to be fully charged up for the weekend fun too!

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

A bit of rain tried to get in the way of our fun today; but that didn't happen. I wish I could say the same for a certain group of twelve to fifteen-year old boys and girls.

We had light rain showers off and on this morning, so Mom, Dad, and I exercised upstairs instead of getting to do our Tai Chi by the river. Dawn and Jillian went with Rowen and I for our riding lesson, but the rain kept us off the trails too. Pamela had all of the morning groups in the riding barn for the morning, and while we didn't get to do all that much riding; the best part of the morning was getting to watch Pamela's eighteen-year old daughter, Christie, show us some of her trick riding and jumping. I might need a little Magi power to try some of those moves, but it would be really cool to be able to ride like that some day!

The rain had stopped with more than an hour left in our lesson, but the trails weren't dry yet, and we ended up being ready to go home early. That worked out for us too, and we ended up packing a picnic lunch for four and hopping on our bikes for a ride out to the caves. Our ride out there was fun, and our first cave visit was great too right up until Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and their group of would-be comedy troupe tried to scare us while we were still in the main cavern.

Okay, they succeeded in scaring three out of four of us.

Our afternoon adventure went downhill fast from there. None of the teens had come prepared for anything other than their plan to harass us. They didn't even have drinks to stay hydrated with. We had lots of food and drinks for them to raid, though, and they were happy to let us share our sandwiches, bakery treats, and drinks with them. They all but took over the caves after that too, and our one attempt at another cave excursion ended when they took their games and jokes too far; leaving Dawn in tears, and the rest of us angry with them.

Kid rules meant leaving all of that out at the caves, but while Mom didn't get the details out of any of us; she did know that we weren't happy when we got home again a couple of hours earlier than she'd expected. A long swim helped cool us off in more than one way, and an ice cream run to the Emporium that we took Ethan and Ehlana along for helped us get back into fun mode again. Mom and Aunt Leanne put on a 'real' dinner, and then Chris, Martin, and Jonathan were given approval for a game night in the lounge, and Jonathan was staying overnight at our house too.

Can you say 'exit stage right'? That's exactly what Dawn, Jillian, and I did before our house was invaded for the night. We met up with Rowen again, and played at the park until nearly dark. We went for a swim at home, and then Rowen went home again while Dawn, Jillian, and I went inside; stayed on the main floor; and watched television in the living room while my lounge was over-run with teens and tweens.

Jillian's staying in Dawn's room again, mostly because it's noisy in the lounge, and that's about the quietest room up here tonight. Mandy and I are in bed, and have the doors to the lounge closed, but the noise is keeping me awake. I thought that the party would wrap up by around midnight – at least for Rebecca, Jenny, and the other teens – but it didn't; and it's now past one and they're still going strong.

I've been surfing and doing my usual nightly computing, but there isn't anything else I want to do tonight, and I'm ready to get some sleep now too – if I can. We have a really great day planned for tomorrow, and I want to be ready to enjoy all of the action, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Friday, August 3, 2012

We've had another first today – at least for Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and me.

Our day at Quarry Lake was a bit more special because we got to ride our bikes there and back on our own. Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and their friends all went too, but they thankfully rode on ahead without us so that we could enjoy the ride without the brotherly or cousin hassles. Mom, Alicia, and the twins came out for a few hours too, but that was closer to lunchtime; they brought a picnic for all of us; and they went home again by three o'clock.

Though we didn't have official supervision while we were at Quarry Lake, between Mom's visit, and the couple of hours that Violet and Chrissy spent there with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie while they were on their afternoon break from the Inn, we really weren't there for all that long on our own. It was still exciting to have that sense of freedom, though, and we really had a great day. The boys and their friends did too, but we didn't hang around with them except when we all had lunch with Mom, Alicia, Ethan, and Ehlana.

We were even more fired up when Mom and Aunt Leanne advised us that it was girls' night at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house; and that we were doing a dinner and a movie-makeover. The guys were supposedly doing a guys night at our house, but we found out after getting home again that Chris, Martin, and Jonathan ended up doing another gaming night with their friends in the lounge while Dad, Uncle Adam, Grandpa, and Ethan did the post-dinner guys night movie without the three teens.

The gaming is still going on in the lounge as I write this, but I don't think that the noise will keep me awake tonight after two long bike rides, and lot of sun and fun, and a great few hours with Mom, Aunt Leanne, Grandma, and the rest of the girls. Until next time...

...this is Cassie Proctor, live from Witch Falls; signing off!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Happy twelfth birthday, Denise! We really hope you're having a great day, and Rowen and I also appreciate being left out of the loop for another boy-girl party.

There was rain in the forecast all day that could have washed out most of our plans today, but except for a little early morning shower at around six; it's been another beautiful day.

Wet grass didn't get in the way of Tai Chi this morning, and wasn't a problem at all by game time. Connor's Colonists were the home team today, but that didn't help them; and our Rovers took a lead in the top half of the first that we didn't give up through to the end of the game. That eleven to eight win was our fifth, and gives us home team advantage for the Championship game regardless of what happens in the rest of the regular season games. Aunt Leanne, Violet, Chrissy, Dawn, and Jillian made a great cheer squad for us, and we took them along for our Emporium ice cream trip before we all headed home to some morning chores.

Mom and Aunt Leanne had a trail ride set up for the afternoon, and while Grandma and Grandpa took care of Ethan and Ehlana, pretty much everyone else in the family headed out to the Ridge River Ranch for the ninety minute ride. Rowen went with us for that, and the other 'extra' spots that had been reserved for friends were mostly taken by Chris, Martin, and Jonathan's friends – including Rebecca and Jenny. Since Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I were placed right behind Rebecca, Jonathan, Jenny, and Martin for the ride, I'll just say that this was definitely the weirdest ride of the summer so far; and move along.

The kids and teens had some free time after we got back to town while the parents were busy with getting another big barbeque dinner party and campfire together. That meant going swimming in the river and lying out on blankets or towels and just enjoying a lazy couple of hours for the girls. Violet and Chrissy drafted us to help when it was time to get tables and chairs set up and carry loads of supplies and food from the kitchen. Chris, Martin, and Jonathan had taken off to hang with some of their friends again, but wheeled their bikes into the yard just in time to sit down for dinner with everyone.

There were only a handful of extra dinner guests, including Rowen's parents and brother, but since the most entertaining action along the river was at our house after we'd finished eating and cleaned up; it wasn't long before more friends and neighbors started dropping in to hang out and join in for the games we were playing. Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I mostly did our own thing between dinnertime and the start of the campfire. We went swimming a couple of times; played Frisbee; watched most of one teens against adults volleyball game that Aunt Leanne and Rowen's Dad in particular taught the teens a valuable lesson about why taunting your elders is a bad idea.

Note to Chris, Martin, and Jonathan: Your Aunt Leanne still has game, and really, really likes to win!

The campfire was lit once it was dark, and we had another big turnout for that. After two hours of music, scary stories, and one or two too many snacks, I was ready to call it a night early – especially once Rebecca and Jenny came over with the rest of Rebecca's family, Dillon, and Stephanie. I have no idea what Miranda thinks about all of the time Rebecca and Jonathan have been spending together, but I didn't really want to sit quite as close as Rowen and I were to them while they unsuccessfully tried to hold hands without being noticed and the rest of the gooey dopiness that they seem to have caught from Jenny and Martin.

Fortunately, Grandma and Grandpa were leaving early because of their trip in the morning, and gave me a way to escape the growing awkwardness that was watching two of my friends giggle and carry on vapid, whispered conversations with Martin and Jonathan. Mom and Dad took Ethan and Ehlana up to bed then too, though we all went out into the front yard for a long round of goodbye hugs and kisses that Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam came with us for, and then I came up to my room after saying goodnight to Rowen too. She was going back to the campfire, since her parents were still there, but I'm sure she understood why I'd had enough for today.

I've been in bed; cuddling with Mandy; and working on my computer since getting changed. Dad and Uncle Adam brought Dawn and Jillian up to their rooms about a half hour ago, and they were likely both sleeping, since Mom and Aunt Leanne came along to help with getting them changed and tucked into bed. They all stopped in for another round of goodnight hugs and kisses, and then they went back out to the campfire. I'm sure that the adults have already started rounding up kids and taking them home, so I don't expect Mom and Dad to be out there much longer, but I'll take a wild guess that Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and most of their friends will be out there until two or three.

I've hit my limit for tonight, though, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Grandma and Grandpa are on their way to Europe; Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah are home from their honeymoon; and Grandpa Grant and Grandma Eleanor are back from their archive and honeymoon trip too.

Those news stories are big around town, but for me, there's only one top story, and that's the two-day amusement park adventure that we're going on starting at five o'clock in the morning! 'We' includes Mom, Dad, and all of the kids and teens currently at our house; the Stones; the Emersons; and Chrissy, Jonathan, Stephanie, Dillon, Jenny, Tim Landry, and Scott Faulkner. Alicia Jennings and her best friend, Erin Green, are coming too, and trading some babysitting time with Ethan and Ehlana for the park passes, some spending money, and a five-star overnight getaway from home.

I'll write more about all of that over the next couple of days, but I need to get some sleep, so let's keep this journal entry short.

We had a fairly normal morning with Tai Chi, breakfast, and church. The barbeque lunch was at our house, we had a play afternoon that Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I got to mostly enjoy while Chris, Martin, and Jonathan spent most of the day somewhere else with their friends. Dinner was another barbeque that we moved down to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's for. That was mostly a welcome home for Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah; and included the Ayres, Seager, Carrington, and Johnson families.

Mom and Dad dropped the amusement park trip news on us shortly before we came home again for the night just as it was getting dark. We all had some packing to do since then, but even Chris and Martin aren't trying to do another late night when the wake-up calls will be coming at about four in the morning.

That's not very many hours away, so I'm going to wrap this up now too.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, August 6, 2012

I'm totally, unequivocally, and permanently in love; and don't care who knows it!

Yes, that's right – I've crossed over; and there's no going back.

Now before you get all giddy about that (Aunt Leanne), you should probably know that I'm talking about thrill rides; and amusement parks in general. Yes, Mom has taken me to a couple of parks before now, but this is the first time I've been tall enough for most of the rides, and I didn't meet a thrill ride today that I didn't absolutely love.

I should back up and start from the early morning wake-up call. I was already up and moving by the time Mom came upstairs to get 'the girls' out of bed, so I helped her with waking Violet, Dawn, and Jillian. Three out of four of us were all downstairs and helping Dad with getting the truck and van packed long before Chris and Martin joined us. Jillian was drafted to help Mom with Ethan and Ehlana. The travel plan was to be on the road by five o'clock, and since all of the kids and teens were motivated, we did everything we could to help make that happen.

Our house was convoy central, and we were ready to go by the time the Stones and Emersons parked their vans at the curb. Mom, Dad, and Violet were all driving; and there were only two things left to do before we hit the road – distribute five boxes of Olde Bakery breakfast treats, and get loaded into our assigned vehicles. Mom was getting Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, Ethan, Ehlana, and me in the van with her. We decided to take turns with who got to sit up front with her; and Dawn got the first shift. Rowen's parents had Patrick, Scott, Michael, and Tim with them, while Jacob and Miranda were taking Jake, Stephanie, Rebecca, and Jenny. Dad had Chris, Martin, and Jonathan in the truck, and Chrissy, Alicia, and Erin Green were going with Violet and Dillon.

The drive was long and forgettable, but we were at the amusement park in time to get in the short lines that were forming just ahead of the gates opening for the day. That was our first hint that there were some real advantages to having weekdays off instead of weekends. Getting into the park didn't take long, and the parents kept us busy with getting into groups; laying down a few rules; and making sure that there was at least one cell phone with the groups that weren't going to be hanging out with adults. That wasn't a problem for Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and me, since we were going to have parental supervision all day. Alicia and Erin should be included in that supervisory group, but if they were hanging out with us, it was to go on rides that Mom and Dad wanted nothing to do with – meaning anything that spins faster than a carousel.

Chris, Martin, Jonathan, Rebecca, and Jenny were allowed to run free, though Violet, Dillon, Jake, Stephanie, and Chrissy went along with them mostly because they wanted to hit the same first rides of the day. Once they'd left us, the parents, Alicia, and Erin were left with five boys and five girls; which left them slightly, but manageably outnumbered. Before you try going there, Aunt Leanne, Ethan and Ehlana were the only pairing that could even remotely be considered a couple. The rest of us kids were definitely split into guys and girls groups for most of the day. Nothing to see here, so move along.

Okay, so we've reached the start of what was the first thrill ride adventure for four of us where we could go on most of the rides. Dawn, Jillian, Patrick, and Scott were still a year or two away from joining that club with Rowen, Michael, Tim, and me; but there were more than enough rides that they could go on to keep them entertained; and nearly all of the water park slides, rides, and pools were open to them too. I'm sure that Ethan and Ehlana wished they could go on all of the rides with us, but that's one of the down sides to being toddler Magi Masters. I've been there; done that; and can relate.

I didn't meet a thrill ride that I didn't love, but the free-fall skycoaster was at the top of my list. Rowen wasn't at all sure that she wanted to give that one a try, so I ended up going on it the first time with Michael and Tim; and then one more time after talking Rowen into giving it a try. Hopefully, it won't be the last ride I'm able to talk her into going on with me. She didn't find the experience nearly as much fun as I did. We both loved every rollercoaster, and went on every one of them twice today. Rowen didn't want to go on some of the wilder spinning rides, but Michael and Tim went on all of the rides, and Alicia, Erin, or a parent or two would come with us.

If there's a real, paying job out there for someone to travel the world, testing thrill rides, I'd like to talk with Ethan and Ehlana about revising the future we see for me. Designing and building an extreme, Magi-powered rollercoaster crossed my mind a few times today too, but Mom would likely have a problem with that. Then again, I could make a ride like that without building anything. No, Mom probably wouldn't let me use my Telekinesis on the minivan for something like that either. Too bad – that'd be even cooler than the skycoaster!

So our morning was filled with non-stop thrill rides; though our group split up here and there to do different things. Mom and Dad made sure that Ethan and Ehlana had fun with some kiddie or family rides that they could go on together, and going to see some of the shows that were going on at venues all over the park. We were all together for lunch, and then Chris surprised some of us when he decided to stay with our group instead of with Martin, Jonathan, Rebecca, and Jenny. I wasn't surprised, since it was fairly obvious by then that Chris was feeling like a fifth wheel, but that little change took a completely weird-free day and added a new twist that didn't really become obvious until we all went to spend a few hours playing at the water park during the hottest part of the day. I don't have any idea what happened, or maybe it was just entirely due to teenage girls in swimsuits, but by dinnertime; Chris had definitely developed a thing for Alicia.

I'll give him points for good taste, and Alicia may be flattered by the attention; but I'll put the chances of that love connection happening at zero.

Dinner was at a water-themed restaurant, and then it was back to the thrill rides for the rest of the evening. Alicia and Erin were free to play for the evening; and accepted Stephanie's invitation to go along with them. Chris wasn't included in that invitation, but from what I heard later, the older teens had five extra teens and tweens just happening to be everywhere they were for the rest of the evening. While most of us played right up until the park closed for the night, Mom and Dad left early with Ethan and Ehlana so they could take care of the hotel check-in, and then Mom stayed there with the twins while Dad returned in time to pick up a truckload of kids and passing off Mom's van to Patricia so she could drive Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and me to our hotel.

I know what the hotel room arrangements were supposed to be tonight, and I can confirm that Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I are in our room as planned. We ended up with a boy in our room too, but that was only because Ethan and Ehlana decided that they'd rather hang out with us than in Mom and Dad's room; so we moved the portable playpens we'd brought for them into our room. Let's not comment on why we thought that Mom and Dad might prefer having a room to themselves. Since we saw them when we stopped by for goodnight hugs and kisses with Rowen's parents, we know that Michael, Tim, Patrick, and Scott were all in their assigned room – the one adjoining Owen and Patricia's room. Hopefully Miranda and Jacob aren't playing room roulette tonight, but I don't think we can be all that sure about some of the other teen and tween guests of the hotel.

The teens – and Rebecca and Jenny – had mostly been booked two to a room, except for odd teens out Jonathan and Chrissy; who each had their own rooms. I'm not going to comment on what is probably going on even as I write this except to point out that there were some very suspicious smiles that I seriously doubt were caused by some contagion in the air or water. I reserve the right not to comment on anything I may find out between now and tomorrow morning – especially when we're potentially talking about actions involving some of my cousins and two of my best – if temporarily incapacitated – friends.

Anyway, the hotel is great, and our room has an awesome view, but we're not exactly enjoying the amenities around here. Dawn and Jillian fell asleep about ten minutes after we got back from a round of goodnight hugs and kisses with the parents. Ethan and Ehlana are sleeping too, though I can tell they're not very comfortable in their playpens. Rowen and I have been watching a little television and chatting while I've been doing my usual nightly computing. I sent a few first day report email out to Aunt Leanne, Aunt Deborah, and Aunt Grace; took care of a couple of family business email; and am going to call it a night once this journal entry is done.

Make that now. Ethan just woke up; and I'm suddenly seeing a pair of cute little cuddle buddies for Rowen and me in our immediate future.

One amazing, perfect, remember forever day down, and one more to go!

Live from a hotel room just minutes away from one of my new favorite places ever so far; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Ethan, Ehlana, and I let Mom and Dad sleep in this morning while we went outside to a beautiful garden patio with Rowen so I could work through the Yang long form. Dawn and Jillian had still been sleeping when we got back to our room, and Rowen and I both had time for showers before they were up and moving around. Mom, Miranda, and Patricia started rounding up everyone and getting us moving toward one of the hotel restaurants for breakfast.

Before I write about some of my morning observations, I'd like to point out that I'm not interested in any precedents that may have been set last night. Aunt Leanne may laugh when she reads this some day, and not believe me, but she – and you – should try to remember that Mom is like Santa Claus when it comes to her kids – she can see us when we're sleeping, and all the rest. Okay, not exactly the same, but she would know if I was not where I was supposed to be.

Which brings me to my first observation – parents might not say anything, and you might think you got away with it, but I wouldn't count on that. Miranda in particular seemed fairly amused while we were having breakfast; and I'm sure that had a lot to do with how Rebecca and Jenny were acting. Martin and Jonathan seemed to be shooting for invisible, but that was hard to achieve with all of the blushes and dopey grins. There were two other teen couples doing a lot of smiling too, but they weren't even remotely trying to pretend that there hadn't been a change in room pairings. While the Moms were amused, Dad and Jacob were more than a little conflicted about the situation. I'll give them both bonus points for just going with the flow and moving on; though I won't be surprised if there are some guy conversations coming up sometime in the not to distant future once we're home again.

Let's move on to the fun parts of the day!

The good news is that I wasn't the only kid that loved the skycoaster enough to go on it again today. The bad news is that Aunt Leanne will probably be razzing me about two out of three of my rides on it being with Michael and Tim. There's nothing to see or comment on here, and I bought the video just in case I needed to prove it.

Today wasn't a complete repeat of our first day at the park, but it certainly rhymed. We went on as many rides as we could until lunchtime; spent the hottest part of the afternoon on the slides, rafts, rivers, and pools at the water park; and then did one last blast of thrills after dinner before it was time to head for home. I've blasted off, been dropped, spun, inverted, rolled, and twisted to the limit; and everyone else with the possible exception of Ethan and Ehlana, has reached or exceeded all normal fun limits. Rowen and I have both decided to put this 'weekday weekend' away on our best trips ever list, and I'll guess that most of the kids and teens feel the same way.

We actually did that in two waves. Miranda and Jacob were working in the morning; so they left for home with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana shortly after dinner; leaving Jake and Stephanie to drive their van. The rest of us headed home shortly before the park was closing for the night after meeting up in the parking lot to make sure we didn't lose anyone. There needed to be some travel changes for the trip back. Violet's car is cool, but not great for three teen girls in the back seat for that long of a drive. She and Dillon got Dawn, Jillian, and Chrissy this time, while Dad had Chris, Alicia, Erin, Rowen, and me with him. I'm sure that made Chris very happy – especially after Dad advised us that having Rowen and me in the front seat with him would make the trip more comfortable for all of us. Rowen's parents had the same four boys with them, so that just left Martin and Jonathan to make the big sacrifice and go home with Jake, Stephanie, Rebecca, and Jenny.

The drive home seemed a lot longer than the one to the amusement park on Monday, though that probably wasn't the case for those of us that slept part or all of the way. I wasn't sleeping, but Rowen got a few hours of rest, and Chris, Alicia, and Erin all got at least an hour or two of sleep too. It was sometime around three when we got home, and Dad made a side trip to drop off Alicia and Erin at Alicia's house. Violet and Dillon had dropped Chrissy off while we were doing that, and got back to our house just ahead of us. Dad and Dillon needed to carry Dawn and Jillian up to their rooms, and Violet just tucked each of them in bed without bothering to get them changed. Rowen went home to help her parents with unloading their van, and I helped Dad, Violet, and Dillon do the same with the truck and car.

It was four o'clock by the time I crawled into bed with Mandy, but I still needed to do my email and work checks; and wanted to get this journal entry done too. We still have three or four full days left with the cousins here, and I'm sure we'll have at least a little more fun, but this trip has definitely been the fun highlight of the summer; and I seriously doubt that anything will happen between now and Labor Day to top it.

For now, though, I just need to get some sleep, so...

...live and home again in Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I slept in and Mom, Dad, and I all missed Tai Chi this morning. That didn't really throw my day off, but following up two extreme fun days with a free play day was definitely a big change of pace. I wasn't the only kid running a bit slower today, and Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I really didn't do much of anything except relax; hang out at the park or in the back yard; go for a few swims; and we even had a little afternoon nap on blankets under a shady tree.

When Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and their friends eventually got together, they weren't much interested in doing much either; and split their time between some gaming in the lounge and sitting around by the river and going swimming too. There was one notable change, and that was having Jenny's brother, Doug, stop by for a few 'visits' while Alicia was working. One of those visits was while Rebecca and Jenny were over during their afternoon break from the Inn, and the bits of girl chat that Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I were around for has me thinking that Jenny told Doug that Chris started spending a lot of time around Alicia while we were away; and the consensus among the older girls is that he's jealous, and checking out the competition. I'm sure that Jenny is finding that very funny while being completely oblivious of the hints here and there that I've noticed to suggest that Doug isn't the only person taking notice of what's going on around our visiting cousins.

I have even less to report today than I expected to have. We were planning on having a camping night, but the weather wasn't going to cooperate with us; so the last camping adventure has been tentatively rescheduled for tomorrow night. The rain and roving thunderstorms started rolling through in time to cancel the Arrows' ball practice too, so we ended up with an indoor play evening. Chris, Martin, and their friends invaded Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house for that, and we traded the two boys for Chrissy again. Rowen is staying overnight too, and we've been doing a movie night in the lounge with Dawn, Jillian, and Mandy. Mom, Aunt Leanne, Ehlana, Violet, and Chrissy watched one movie with us too while Dad and Ethan hung out with 'the guys' for a couple of hours of gaming before it was time for Ethan to go to bed.

Mom and Dad both had some work to do in the office after the twins were tucked in for the night, and Violet and Chrissy left to hang out somewhere else with Dillon, Stephanie, Jake, and some of the other teens. Dawn and Jillian didn't last through the next movie; and are sleeping on the sectional sofa in the lounge. Rowen and I did watch that movie, but then we got ready for bed and have been doing a little surfing on our computers while chatting and cuddling with Mandy.

It's barely after eleven, but since we really didn't get much sleep last night; we're both ready to call it a night. Hopefully the rain will be long gone by morning so we don't miss out on two Thursday trail rides in a row.

Until tomorrow...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

We're camping by the river at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's tonight. It's after one, and I'm just getting around to this mostly because this place has been prank and scare central for most of the boys, and a few of the girls.

Before I get to all of that, though, let's recap today's adventures.

I was happy to get back to Tai Chi by the river with Mom and Dad again this morning, and we had Ethan and Ehlana with us while we worked through the Chen long form. Since we didn't have the bottomless breakfast pits with us, Mom and Dad went with a light breakfast of fruit salad; bakery muffins, bagels, and croissants; and the usual coffee, juice, and milk options.

Getting to hit the trails for our riding lesson was a lot more fun this week, and then we spent the afternoon on a canoe trip after getting home and packing a picnic lunch. Fortunately for us, the boys had other plans, and Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I enjoyed a completely weird-free afternoon. We got to hear about some of that after getting home, but we were busy for a while then too. We had two tents to set up; camping gear and supplies to haul two yards down the street; and then Mom drafted us to help with carrying her dinner contributions over and helping to get everything set up for the barbeque.

Uncle Adam had lots of guy support on the grills, and Mom and Aunt Leanne had both food donations and some parental or relative volunteers helping in the kitchen too. There were more teens than usual, including Alicia and Erin, so there may have been some paid assistance for the camping too. Violet, Stephanie, Dillon, and Jake had nearly all of their friends camping with them, and I wasn't surprised to find out that Doug Warren and some of his buddies felt the need to come camping too. Jenny's Mom was one of the parent volunteers during dinner; and I'm not sure whether she was more entertained by her son or by Jenny and Martin. If she was worried about her little girl spending so much time with a smooth-talking guy from the city, after watching the guys at their best while competing in their usual dinner contests; she probably wouldn't be anymore.

So dinner was definitely weird and entertaining in a train wreck sort of way. Helping with the pre-dinner work got us out of the cleanup, so Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I escaped with some of the other girls and went to play at the park. Some of the teens were there too for ball practices, but we stayed over at the playground or by the river until we were rested up and ready to return to the teen and tween carnival that was going on back at Camp Carrington.

Blocking out what's been going on between then and now would be nice, but that's not an option for me.

First of all, Aunt Leanne, please stop with those little matchmaking nudges. Seriously! You're going to get your big chance of the summer for some really important matchmaking. Save your strength. I'm still not in any hurry to cross over, and I've reminded you a lot that even when I do; your help will not be required. While we're on the subject, don't think that I didn't notice why you told us to set up our tents where we did.

Enough said about that...moving on.

There's a second campground in Rowen's back yard that Patrick, Scott, and some of their buddies talked Patricia into letting them have. They joined us for dinner and the campfire, which wasn't a big deal one way or the other; but it's been a different story since they were ordered back to base by Commander Owen at around eleven o'clock. Patrick, Scott, and the rest of their little commando wannabes have launched a handful of raids into 'enemy' territory – two of which included ransacking our tent. The first time they were successful, since Rowen and I were still at the campfire. The second time, we were ready and ran them off with some help from Dawn and Jillian.

Unfortunately, that idiocy seemed to be contagious, and the prank and scare-fest was on after that. Some of that was fun, though more was annoying, and it wasn't until a couple of pranks went bad that Jake, Dillon, and the rest of the older guys put an end to that avenue of entertainment. That hasn't put an end to the action around here, but there really isn't anything about what some of the couples around this campsite are doing now; so I won't.

We're heading into the last vacation day for Chrissy and Jonathan before they head out with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne after work on Friday for Rob and Trish's wedding on Saturday; though for them, they still have two nights in hotels ahead of them before going home. I'll take a wild guess that Rebecca will take a little extra time off tomorrow to spend with Jonathan before he leaves, and though we haven't really spent much time together; it's going to seem weird for a while when she and Jenny go back to hanging out with their usual friends.

Rowen's falling asleep now, and I should wrap this up and get some rest too – especially since I'll get to exercise with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne in the morning, and we're doing break fast at the Inn!

Live from Camp Carrington, Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Breakfast at the Inn topped Tai Chi for best activity of the morning; though I did love getting to exercise with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne. Jacob and Miranda went with another breakfast buffet that drew a much bigger crowd than they normally had on a weekday morning; and the dining room was at least half full for the hour or so we were there.

The rest of the morning was mostly taken up with the campground cleanup, and then Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I went for a long swim before lunch back at home. Mom and Alicia had a fairly large gang for lunch, but after doing the big breakfast; she went with cold salads, snacks, and bakery bun subs. Our house was home base for Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and their friends; though Jonathan was over at Aunt Leanne's house getting packed and ready to leave after Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were finished work at the clinic and office. Rebecca was over there with him while he did that; and they were both teased about why it took so long just to pack a couple of suitcases.

We stayed out of the way as much as we could. Dawn and Jillian wanted to go for a bike ride out into the valley, so Rowen and I took them on a big loop to the west and south. Emporium ice cream helped cool us off, and we played at the park for a while after making that stop. Uncle Adam couldn't be sure about when he'd be done at the clinic, so I wanted to be home for the rest of the afternoon to be around for the goodbyes whenever they ended up happening.

Fortunately for everyone heading out of town for Rob and Trish's wedding, Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah were ready to go by four o'clock. Depending on traffic, it could take them until eleven or twelve to get to Trish's home town; and by the time they both got home; Aunt Leanne, Christine, and Uncle Nick had their cars loaded and ready to go. Adam's father needed to stay and run the Emporium, and since Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had Chrissy and Jonathan in the car with them; Christine went with Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah instead of taking a third car.

Since they really wanted to get on the road, the goodbyes didn't take long. Though Rebecca and Jenny don't spend much time with Rowen and me right now, they're still two of my best friends; and I knew that Rebecca really needed someone after she watched Jonathan leaving until the car was out of sight. There weren't any tears yet, but when she left right away for the Inn; I waved Rowen off, and went with her – mostly because Jenny was preoccupied with Martin. More than a year of drifting apart doesn't mean anything at moments like that, and I hope that the hugs and shoulder to cry on helped a little until Rebecca could pull it together and go to work to help with the dinner rush.

After meeting up with Rowen, Dawn, and Jillian again, I decided that we needed to go on a quick little shopping trip before dinner; we picked out a little gift for Rebecca; and then I left it with Miranda to give to her when she decided that Rebecca would need it most.

Mom and Dad had a game tonight, so we had another easy meal with just our own gang, Jenny, and Rowen. The Arrows were playing the Lasers, and the only thing that was really surprising was that the game was even close with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Nick, and Aunt Deborah all away. With that in mind, a sixteen to fourteen loss is a lot better than it might have been; but it's still another loss, and the Arrows' chances of making the Championship game aren't very good right now with just one game left in their regular season.

Violet convinced Mom and Dad that they should go out to Sheldon's Pub with the rest of the players from both teams that were doing that after the game; and volunteered herself and Dillon to keep an eye on things around home while they were gone. They were happy to accept the offer, and were only home long enough to get cleaned up and changed before heading out again. Chris and Martin were still hanging out with some of their friends – probably down at the falls – so Violet only had Ethan and five girls with her at first. Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie all decided to hang out at our house after getting done work at the Inn, and had time to watch a couple of movies in the living room before Mom and Dad got home again. Ethan and Ehlana were already sleeping by then, and Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I were having a movie marathon in the lounge; so we were fairly low maintenance.

Chris got home by around midnight, but Martin barely got back ahead of Mom and Dad. Rowen and I were still awake then, and if Martin's humming and whistling on the way up the back stairs to the second floor was any indication; he and Jenny had a fun night. Our last movie wrapped up shortly after that, and then Rowen and I left Dawn and Jillian sleeping on the sectional and got into bed with Mandy. My email check tonight was mostly to make sure that our family travelers got to their hotel safely; though there was a work email for me to deal with; messages from Jaimie and Kaitlyn, Aunt Grace, and Mark; and a thank-you note from Rebecca. I answered all of those email, and Rowen and I did a bit of random surfing, but we're both ready to get some sleep; so I'm going to get this done so we can do that.

We've only got one more full day with Dawn, Jillian, and the boys; and then we'll be meeting up with Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa in Crystal Springs after church on Sunday. If the weather cooperates, a last afternoon blast of fun at Quarry Lake may be happening, along with a barbeque and campfire. I've covered most of the news for today, and I hear Mom and Dad on the way up to check in on us, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Congratulations Rob and Trish!

I know you'll never read this, but I really do hope that you've had an amazing start to your new life together.

Their wedding wasn't particularly big news around town today even if Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were all thinking about Aunt Leanne; her new family; and Rob and Trish in particular. Our day was probably tame by comparison, though we had some fun too.

Morning Tai Chi and breakfast was followed by a few hours of yard work. Chris helped out with that; taking care of my usual lawn cutting job while Martin needed to be somewhere else. I'll take one wild guess and suggest that Jenny needed to be in the same place with him. I'd have rather cut the grass, but Dawn, Jillian, and I could at least talk together as we weeded the gardens and cleaned up the porches, sidewalks, driveway, and back yard paths. Mom and Violet spent most of the morning getting everything ready for a picnic and play afternoon at Quarry Lake, and we all headed out there by twelve-thirty.

We had Jenny, Rowen, Patrick, and Scott with us this afternoon, but I wasn't surprised when Rebecca decided not to go with us. Jonathan probably won't be back to Witch Falls again until Thanksgiving, and though I haven't lost my mind and crossed over; I do understand that three and a half months or so is a long, long time when you're twelve or thirteen and dealing with first loves. Just as an aside on the subject of Rebecca and Jonathan, even though I'm sure they're not a match anyway, it might have been interesting to find out what kind of Magi potential the children of a pair of grandkids might have had with their family lines.

Anyway, while we had a comparatively small group today, some of Chris and Martin's friends came out to the lake too; though that really wasn't a big deal for Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and me. We mostly did our own thing or played with Mom, Dad, Violet, Ethan, and Ehlana. I'd add Patrick and Scott to that little list too, except for the fact that they tried their very best to annoy us anytime they were around us; and that definitely wasn't fun.

Side note: I should amend that, since Dawn and Jillian both were doing way too much giggling around Patrick and Scott. I wonder if Uncle Rick and Jillian's father should be warned that they may be crossing over early.

Okay, so we had a picnic lunch; a few hours of sun and fun at the lake; and then it was time to head home again. We were having another barbeque, with the only additions from Quarry Lake being Rowen's parents. All of the kids and teens were drafted for the work crews, and it took a while to unload the truck, van, and Violet's car; set up tables and chairs in the back yard; make dinner side dishes that included corn on the cob and three salads; grill four entree options; and get the fire pit set up for the campfire we were going to end the day with.

From that point on, it's been a bit of a strange night for me. Martin and Jenny are now about where Jonathan and Rebecca were on Thursday night; though they've definitely been the more serious of the two couples too. They were at the campfire for a while, but had gone for a canoe ride after dinner; and a walk somewhere at around eleven o'clock when Mom and Dad took Ethan and Ehlana in to bed. We had the usual neighbor drop-ins, with most of the Stone family, Stephanie, and Dillon joining us after the Inn closed. Rebecca didn't come with her parents and brothers, but I did notice her sitting out on their dock later; and wandered over for a little chat and a couple of goodnight hugs that probably didn't help much at all.

I think that one of the reasons I've been feeling a bit strange tonight is that I'm actually ready to get back to something a bit closer to normal around here after three weeks of cousin vacations while being sorry that it's almost over too. Martin might be wishing he could stay until the long weekend, but I think that Chris, Dawn, and Jillian are all ready to go home now too. It's possible that nearly everyone else around the campfire had hit their fun quota too, because the party started wrapping up at midnight. Rowen stayed overnight again, but our last girl chat with Dawn and Jillian practically ended before it really got started in the lounge when my cousin and her best friend both fell asleep about ten minutes after getting comfortable on the sofa.

Rowen and Mandy are both sleeping now too, but I've been playing on my computer again. I wasn't waiting up for Martin or anything, but he's home a bit earlier than I expected – before one o'clock. Mom and Dad were still up then, and so were Violet and Dillon, but Dillon will likely be going home soon; and it shouldn't be much longer before everyone here is sleeping. I'm done with today's report, and ready to get to that part of my night, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

I'm writing this while having a nice long soak in my Jacuzzi. One bonus to having no company here that I hadn't really been thinking about at all is being able to do things like this with a little Magi assistance. The multi-tasking tonight is mostly because I've hit my limit, and need to get to bed early tonight.

Before I get to the daily recap, though Chris and Martin may not be coming here for many more summer vacations, we really need to get them focused on packing to head home again before Sunday morning. Dawn and Jillian were basically packed and ready to go by the time we went downstairs for breakfast. The boys were still throwing stuff in bags and running around when it was time for us to go to church.

That pretty much gives you an idea of the morning chaos around our house; with Tai Chi being the only quiet time for Mom, Dad, and me between waking up and walking into the sanctuary with about thirty seconds to spare before the service started. By then, I was actually considering staying home with Dad and skipping the trip to meet up with Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa in Crystal Springs. Since we were going to be doing a little shopping too; that should give you an idea of how I was feeling. Dad's going to be in Crystal Springs for the week, and needed to stay home and work, so Mom had the twins, Chris, Martin, and Jenny with her in the van when we left straight from the church; and Violet had Dawn, Jillian, Rowen, and me with her.

Second note to us: We need to work a bit harder on getting Violet and her Mommy together during the summer – especially since after next year, Violet will be away at college for five years too. She made Aunt Melissa cry when we met up with her and Uncle Rick. They'd ended up coming to Crystal Springs with Jillian's parents too, so there was more than one teary-eyed Mom during our little reunion. Maybe if Dawn brings Jillian with her next summer, we'll set the parents up with a weekend at the Inn or something.

We took care of the luggage transfer; had lunch at the food court; and then wandered around the Mall for a few hours. That was mostly to give Violet a chance to spend some time with her parents, and we followed that up with an early dinner at a nearby restaurant before it was time to split up and head for home again. While we were at the Mall, Martin and Jenny had gone off on their own while the rest of us had stayed together, and they needed a little time to say goodbye too; though that didn't seem to require much talking from where the rest of us were standing and trying not to watch.

Rowen and I had picked up a little gift to give Jenny on the way home, but while Rebecca had at least seemed to appreciate my support and love, Jenny didn't accept our offer to ride in Violet's car for the trip home; and went home with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana instead. Mom told me after we were home that Jenny hadn't wanted to talk about Martin around Violet, but since she went straight to Rebecca's house after we got back to town, I'll guess that she didn't want to talk about him with a couple of 'kids' either. I'm glad that Jenny could at least talk with Mom, and from what I heard; Ethan and Ehlana did their best to cheer Jenny up with some toddler entertainment.

That pretty much brings us up to now except for the daily report with Dad that Ethan and Ehlana could finally do with him telepathically while not needing to play at almost fourteen-month old babies. I may not have been thinking much about not using my Magi powers over the last few weeks, but I'm sure they have been. Dad was pretty much ready for his week in the city by then, so we did the full bedtime bath, snack, and story time routine for Ethan and Ehlana together, and I'll just pretend not to know what Mom and Dad have been doing since going to bed early too.

Moving on, I've wrapped up the nightly email and entertainment checks; watched some highlights from the Olympics closing ceremony; and exchanged a few messages with Aunt Leanne. She and Uncle Adam, Uncle Nick, Aunt Deborah, and Christine are all still on their way home. They made a little side trip for a visit with Deborah's family in Willow Grove after doing a brunch with Trish's family; and didn't end up getting on the road again until six o'clock. Mom and I will have to wait until tomorrow night for the weekend news report from Aunt Leanne. I'll guess that there will be parts of that story that I won't want to know the details of too.

It might be nice to have a break in the action, but with Dad away, and a lot going on in the three weeks between now and the holiday weekend; we'll probably just have to enjoy the quiet moments when we can get them. That won't be an option tomorrow morning – Mom's already advised me that I'm drafted for the post-vacation house cleaning crew. Just thinking about that is making me sleepy.

Time to wrap this up; get out of the Jacuzzi; finish getting ready for bed; and crash.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were all up to see Dad off to the city, and then Mom had four cuddle buddies, including Mandy, until it was time for us to get up for the day too. Tai Chi by the river and breakfast was really quiet compared to the last few weeks, and once Alicia came over; it was time to get to work.

I was assigned the third floor to start with, and cleaned everything except Violet's room. That took a couple of hours, and then I helped out with laundry and some work around the main floor until lunchtime. We had a quick break to eat, and then I spent most of the afternoon working outside. Rowen came over to hang out with me after spending the morning at the computer store, and helped me out with straightening up the storage barn; cleaning up around the fire pit; and doing the rest of the outdoor chores that Mom wanted done. We took Ethan and Ehlana to the park for an hour after finishing the work, and then Rowen stayed for dinner and an evening Magi lesson with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana – the first we'd had in three weeks.

Violet had spent the morning helping Mom too, but spent the rest of the day with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie, so when Rowen went home after our lesson; it was Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, Mandy, and me at home for the rest of the evening. That worked for me. Mom and I did the bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana; she's doing some work in the office now; and once I have this done, I'm going to shoot for back-to-back early bedtimes.

Since there really isn't much else to report, I guess that's it for today, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

It's been a fairly quiet day, and I don't have much to report.

Rowen and I went biking; took a picnic with us; and ended up spending most of our time hanging out around the park or riding out along the river. We had dinner with Mom, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and the twins; and then had our baseball practice. Our last regular season game is on Saturday morning, and I think we're ready for it. Whether we win or not won't matter for us, since we've already won the home team spot in the Championship game, but it definitely does matter to the Ridge River Gypsies and Witch Falls Wayfarers. We'll just play our best against the Gypsies, and not worry about which team ends up in the Championship game with us.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had dinner with us for two reasons. Mom and Aunt Leanne needed to work on the shopping trip plans for next Monday, and we had a Magi Healing lesson after I got home from baseball. With less than a week to go, Aunt Leanne's guessing that we'll end up with somewhere between eighty and ninety shoppers. Hopefully it won't affect Rowen and me, but there are going to be a few boys going along this year too – including Patrick and Scott. Basically, some of the Moms – like Rowen's – don't want to make two trips to Crystal Springs. I'd suggest they get the guys to start up a father-son back-to-school trip; but after taking a moment to picture a gang of seventy or eighty of the guys from around here shopping for clothes at the Mall, the whole idea is probably absurd and unworkable.

Anyway, while I'm now trying to get that mental disaster scene out of my head, I'll move on to our Healing lesson.

Uncle Adam and I were both really glad to get back to doing our lessons with Mom, and she spent an hour or so teaching us a fairly cool technique that can help purge viruses and bacteria from the body. That happens automatically for Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and me; but that's a lot different than understanding what's happening, and being able to make that happen in other people. Uncle Adam doesn't have the same automatic self-healing that we do; though he can consciously heal himself just as he can heal others, so this lesson was particularly helpful for him.

We both had archive homework to go along with the lesson, and after doing the bedtime routine with the twins, I came up to bed and have been doing that, and my usual nightly computing, for the past few hours. I wasn't really thinking about it until Mom and Aunt Leanne started talking shopping trips, but we'll be starting school again three weeks from today. Grade Seven. The good news includes getting Jenny's Mom for our teacher again; and Rowen will be going through it all with me. The scary part is wondering if our year will be a strange as we thought last year was for Rebecca and Jenny.

Don't go there, Proctor!

Rowen and I are both working in the morning, and this seems like a very good time to wrap this up and call it a night, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Violet's back.

Okay, she wasn't actually gone, but was busy with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie while they were taking their usual two days off from the Inn. Mostly, I just liked getting to spend a few hours with her in the office this morning while we both worked on our jobs.

That's pretty much all I did between breakfast and lunch, and while I was working in the office; Rowen was working at the computer store. An impending major shopping trip can be very motivating! Mom and Alicia were busy all morning with taking care of Ethan and Ehlana; and working around the house. We stopped for lunch at twelve-thirty, and then Rowen came over, and she and I went canoeing for the afternoon. We went for a couple of swims, but the water is getting noticeably cooler after a few nights of dropping temperatures. We mostly paddled between home and the falls; stopped at the park for some playground action; had our afternoon snack break at the Emporium; and got home in time to play with Ethan and Ehlana for an hour or so before dinner.

Mom had her baseball practice, and Rowen and I took care of Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi while she played with my uncles, aunts, and their friends. Now that Ethan and Ehlana can toddle around a bit in public, we're having a lot more fun at the park and playground; and they're definitely happy about being able to do more with Naomi. Most of the Arrows players were going to Sheldon's after the practice, but I was out of the loop for that because Rowen and I were doing a sleepover at her house. We did find out while I was packing a bag and getting ready to go over there that Violet and Dillon were going to babysit Ethan and Ehlana so Mom could go to the pub too. I'm sure that the twins will let me know in the morning whether they went off to bed on time, or decided that they needed some cuddle time with two of their favorite teens.

I'm going to skip over all of the details about Patrick's and Scott's intrusions into our sleepover fun, except to note that they must have learned some new tricks from the older boys last week; and they were even more annoying than usual tonight. The good news is that Rowen's parents eventually ran interference for us, and we've still managed to have a really good night. We watched a chick flick with Owen and Patricia; baked up a quick little bedtime snack; and had a little girl and Mom chat time after getting ready for bed. Since then, Rowen and I have been surfing the net on our computers and talking about everything from the shopping trip and plans for the rest of the week to speculating on what Grade Seven was going to be like. Talking about school brought us around to talking about something we've both mostly avoided until now – our first boy-girl birthday party with our classmates. We have absolutely no idea why Roger invited us to his party, unless he was just looking to invite the two girls who are shorter than he is for some balance. Whatever the reason, it's probably going to be a strange day for us – especially if there's a dance like we've heard rumors there will be.

We're not sure what's scarier about that – getting asked to dance by guys, or being there with nothing to do all night while most or all of our friends and classmates are paired up and having the kind of fun we're not interested in experiencing anytime soon. What's kinda funny is that our scary party worries are probably Cinderella story dreams for most of the other girls in our class.

This seems like a good time to change the subject, so we're going to do that, and I'm going to wrap this up and get back to some surfing while we do that; so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Rowen, signing off!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Congratulations Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick – you're pregnant!

The good news, besides the obvious, is that you won't get teased about bringing home extra honeymoon souvenirs.

The bad is that you probably will get ongoing jokes and speculation about whether your first child was the result of some extra celebrating after Rob and Trish's wedding.

I should mention that there are only a few of us in the loop on this news right now. Aunt Deborah suspected that she was pregnant, and stopped by our house on her way to work to get confirmation from Mom. The joke of the day is that she was trying to save the cost of an early pregnancy test kit. Anyway, yes, Uncle Adam could have done that check too, and did later, but Mom does have a perspective on these things that Uncle Adam never will. Somehow, I don't see Ethan, Ehlana, or I getting asked to confirm Magi pregnancies anytime soon either. I will guess that Aunt Deborah will get invited to regular Magi Healing lessons with us for the next eight and a half months or so.

Let's move on to the regular events of the day.

Tai Chi for one in Rowen's back yard was accompanied by a pair of second-floor hecklers who were very creative, but unsuccessful in their attempts to distract me from practicing my forms. Breakfast for six was slightly more controlled, though Patrick and Scott are a bit scary when they're having meals together. I still think there's a chance that Rowen's brother and his best friend will cross over before we do – they certainly are showing all of the danger signs that we see with the guys in our grade. Rowen and I helped out with the cleanup, which turned out to be a bit of a problem when we had to deal with getting ready while fending off the antics of two boys with nothing else to do but bug us until we were all ready to go. Rowen's Mom was doing the riding lesson transportation today, so we all went in their van to the store; the boys were dropped off there; and then we drove out to the Ridge River Ranch. By then, I think Patricia would have rather stayed and gone riding with us instead of going back to the store, but she didn't do that. This week, Pamela was busy with something else, and we got to have Christie and Cody Carter for our trail ride leaders. Half the girls in town go a bit mental over Cody, and his older brother, Colt, but Rowen and I really love getting to ride with Christie. She's the most amazing rider, and the tricks she can do with horses are really awesome. The girls who are usually crushing on the Carter boys only had Cody to watch today. I haven't really paid much attention to what goes on with the college-age teens and adults, but it is about that time for them to head back to school, and we found out today that Colt left a bit early for his sixth year of college. Rowen and I overheard a couple of the girls in our riding class joking about how lucky the animals around the Ridge River District were going to be in a couple of years when Colt was their veterinarian.

Why does it seem as if there's no escape anywhere for that kind of stuff even on a trail ride where it's supposed to be all about horses and enjoying the great outdoors? While ignoring the giggles and whispers around us wasn't really an option for me, Rowen and I stayed close to Christie, and she kept those of us who were actually interested in the lesson and ride entertained while Cody mostly handled kid control for the guys and girls who were more interested in horsing around.

After getting home from our lesson, the Moms approved a picnic and bike ride to the caves that Rowen and I had decided to do for the afternoon. We hopped into the river to wash off most of the trail dust; packed up our food and drinks; and headed north on Quarry Road by a bit after twelve. Our afternoon caving adventure was more like what we'd hoped our trip there with Dawn and Jillian would have been like. The only blip in a great afternoon was when we needed to wait out a little rain shower that rolled through at about the same time we were thinking about biking home again, but getting held up at the caves was better than if we'd ended up riding most of the way home in the rain. A little more play time in the caves and needing to dry our bikes off once the rain stopped wasn't really anything more than a little inconvenient; and it wasn't like we had major plans to get back home for anyway. Well, I didn't anyway; and Rowen wasn't late for the plans she had for the evening with her family.

Rowen stayed to go for another swim with me after we got home, and then went to her house to grab a shower and get ready for a family barbeque. Mom was going with a 'real' meal after a couple of easy-dinner baseball nights, so Ethan, Ehlana, and I went for a walk to the park to play while she and Violet worked on that. We had dinner out on the back porch; cleaned up; and did a long Magi lesson that was really several lessons geared toward each of us – Violet; Ethan and Ehlana, and I – was working on. That took nearly until it was time to do the bedtime routine with the twins, and I helped Mom with their baths, snack, and story time while Violet went to meet up with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie at the Inn.

I came up to my room after Ethan and Ehlana were tucked in, and have been working on my computer while having a long soak in my Jacuzzi. I've got the usual nightly computing done, and it's time to get out of the tub and into bed with Mandy. With Roger's party tomorrow, I'm probably going to need the extra sleep. Hopefully I won't have guy-girl party nightmares keep me awake.

I will not dream of bunnies; I will not dream of bunnies.

(Watch 'The Good Witch' movies if you don't know what that means.)

Live from Witch Falls; and hopefully soon to be surrounded by cute, fluffy bunnies; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Rowen and I are sitting in my bed with Mandy; talking about the party that we got home from about an hour or so ago. We're thinking about rating the night a seven-point-five on the fun scale, and an eight on the weird meter.

There are twenty-one kids in our grade, with me being the only change to the class list since kindergarten. Rowen and I do hang out with some of the other girls sometimes when we see them around town or at the park or school, but today was the first time we were together with everyone since school ended in June. There were some other kids and teens at the party too, including some of Roger's cousins; younger and older friends; and a couple of his guests brought dates. Getting to spend the afternoon and evening with everyone was fun, but my analytical mind pointed out to me that Rowen and I really aren't as close to the other kids in our class as they are with each other. There are probably lots of reasons for that, but we should probably work on getting more involved.

Some of our friends would probably tell us that we're the weird at the party, and it was obvious to both of us that we are now the last two holdouts – nineteen out of twenty-one about to be Grade Seven students have crossed over. I suppose they could be right, but then Rowen and I weren't doing anything that could even remotely be called weird, while most of the other guys and girls were busy trying to impress or be impressed with the usual array of strange and crazy antics. If you've spent any time around a gang of eleven to thirteen-year old kids, you know what I'm talking about.

The party started at four o'clock. Rowen and I didn't get the memo to be fashionably late, and were the first two girls at Roger's house. He had his closest buddies there already too, but that just made it a bit more awkward until the next group of girls joined us. Rowen and I went with sundresses, and that worked fine as a fashion statement; but not so well when, um, stacking up compared to the more physically developed girls. The guys all definitely noticed those differences, though that also put more than half of them at a height disadvantage – or advantage as I overheard one guy who shall remain unidentified here whisper to his buddy.

I wonder what he might have meant by that – not!

So the party started with a social hour and a half or so before the barbeque dinner. We weren't completely divided along guys and girls lines, but it sometimes felt like we were – partly because the girls were mostly spectators to the guys' efforts to show off. Wearing dresses didn't exactly make running around the yard playing Frisbee or tossing baseballs or footballs around an option either – though I suspect the guys would have liked it if some of the girls did do that. Speaking of sports, the guys were doing a lot of football talk tonight, and while I don't follow it much at all; apparently our school team is looking good this year for their small-school division. That might have something to do with Kyle Landry. He hasn't actually doubled in size in the last year, but he is definitely on the way to being as big as his father, Lee; and I can see why that might scare the players on the other teams.

Moving along, Rowen and I mostly sat and talked with some of the other girls while listening to music being pumped out of a small DJ-type sound system that had one of the standard school laptops hooked up to it. The top topic was back to school shopping with starting Grade Seven being second on the list. Rowen and I didn't say much about why we were looking forward to school; mostly because our reasons didn't have much in common with the other girls. For instance, getting to see certain guys every weekday is not on our lists at all. Neither is getting away from stuck on a farm boredom; chores; work; babysitting; or too much parent time. About half of the girls, including Rowen and me, are going on the shopping trip on Monday, but all of us are doing at least one trip to the city before school starts. I expect that all of the guys will be doing that too, but none of them wanted to talk shopping or fashion.

Rowen and I know that crossing over is inevitable, but we're hoping that we can delay it until after the guys get through this tween phase. Dinner was scary, and boys are definitely worse in packs. Yes, some are worse than others, though by their standards; that means better. Imagine a pack of starving wolves let loose at your average backyard barbeque, and you'd be getting warm. Just as scary was the fact that nearly all of the other girls at the party were as impressed as the boys' intended. Let's just not bother adding any more details. There was cake and ice cream for dessert; Roger opened his gifts; and then his parents led a cleanup crew that we weren't allowed to help with even though some of us offered.

The dance wasn't starting until dark, so we had some more time to hang out in the back yard, or do whatever we wanted until then. Some couples went for walks, and that included a handful of our classmates. Rowen and I kept up with that kind of news, so there weren't any surprises; but it was still strange seeing those friends holding hands, hugging, or kissing. Here's where there was some more weirdness for me. I haven't specifically looked into the future for any of my classmates; though I do know about some things for the kids who will be closest to me – like Rowen. That said, my abilities still let me sense things about others, and what I was sensing most strongly tonight was that almost none of the tween and teen couples at the party were matches.

I really haven't paid much attention to the dating game at school or around town, and maybe that's a good thing. Seeing couples like Violet and Dillon, or Jake and Stephanie; and being able to tell that they are matches is cool, but seeing the flip side of that, like tonight, isn't. Neither is getting a mental picture of watching the rest of my classmates taking turns dating each other until they find those matches.

Is that why you've been playing matchmaker with me this summer, Aunt Leanne? Are you worried that I'll be the odd girl out if I wait too long to cross over? You've got nothing to worry about there, so feel free to turn your matchmaking attention elsewhere.

Let's get back to the party. While there are only a few 'official' couples in our class, I'd guess there are a two or three more getting close to that point – or at least there are after tonight. Roger wasn't one of the guys in any of those couples, but he did get asked to dance by a few of the girls; and he looked like he was having a great time. I'm sure that the burning question for some of you (Aunt Leanne) is whether I was out on the dance floor too. Yes, I was. Rowen and I were up and dancing with some of the other girls for most of the up-tempo songs. No, I did not go dancing with any of the boys, and neither did Rowen. That might have something to do with the fact that we did our best to find somewhere else to be every time we hit a batch of ballads in the playlist.

Try to look at that from my perspective. There are some things I don't really want to remember, and what some of my friends and classmates were doing and whispering to each other during those slow dances are definitely some of those things. There's also the fact that if I had gone dancing with any of the boys, and they'd tried any of the hand-wandering moves on me that I saw tonight; that dance wouldn't have ended well at all for him. I really wouldn't want to be responsible for that kind of a reputation killing incident. In this town, a guy would probably never stop getting razzed about something like that.

Rowen and I probably lost a few reputation points because of that, since we were the only two kids in our class who didn't do at least one boy-girl dance, but we're okay with that. We'll probably know by the time we start school about any official new couples, but there were also some unsuccessful guy and girl chases too – or at least unsuccessful so far.

All right, Rowen, I'll add that; but only because Aunt Leanne will hear about it by tomorrow anyway and have something to say. You know I don't care about it.

Michael was one of those guys being chased tonight; and he went dancing with Vanessa every time she asked him. I'm sure that half the guys at the party were jealous that she picked him. If you insist on going down this road, though, maybe we should discuss whether any of the other guy-girl dances tonight were of any interest to you, Rowen. Yeah, I thought you might want to move on now.

The party started wrapping up by eleven, though the goodbyes took a while. Rowen and I ended up walking home with Michael and Tim, but only because we were all going the same direction; and Tim was staying overnight at Michael's house. Unfortunately, that also led to the final weirdness of the night. Miranda and Jacob were out on the front porch, so Rowen and I stopped in for goodnight hugs. I don't know which was worse – Miranda asking us why Michael and Tim weren't getting goodnight hugs too when we were leaving, or having Aunt Leanne urging us to go back there and do that after we got home. She and Mom were out on our front porch with Dad and Uncle Adam, and the teasing started before I even had a chance for welcome home hugs with Dad.

Yes, it did occur to me that at least some of our favorite adults were out on their front porches specifically to watch out for us getting back from the party. Rowen and I are not at all sorry to have disappointed anyone with the complete lack of action.

Even though it meant getting teased for a while, we stayed downstairs for a while mostly so I could spend some time with Dad, and hear a bit about his week in the city. Our party recap skipped most of the details above, and just gave Aunt Leanne more ammunition to use against us for 'wasting' the opportunities of our first boy-girl party. We had fun and the weird didn't get personal, so I think we had a really good night.

Now it's time to get some sleep, and for me to figure out a way to not dream of soft, fluffy bunnies.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Rowen, signing off!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Happy sweet sixteen, Alicia!

For some reason, Alicia had better things to do today than hang around at our house, but we did the gifts and a birthday bakery treat with her yesterday at lunch. Hopefully her friends and family are helping her to have a really great day.

Mom and I loved having Dad back with us for morning Tai Chi, and Rowen, Ethan, and Ehlana all came out by the river with us while we exercised. Dad cooked breakfast after that while Rowen and I got ready for our ball game, and then we had nearly an hour to talk more about what we'd all been doing for the past five days before it was time to head over to the park for our team warm-ups.

I don't think that the party had anything to do with the results of our game this morning. The Gypsies didn't have any more of their players there than we did, and they needed a big win to have any chance at playing us again in the Championship match, but that didn't really show up on the diamond today. Rowen and I both played great; and helped lead our Rovers to a fourteen to four win. Even with our little baseball league undefeated seasons are pretty rare, so winning all of our regular season games is cool, and if we win the Championship game too, that'll be amazing.

While the baseball and post-game trip to the Emporium was great, the rest of the day until dinnertime was all work around the yard for me; and Rowen spent the rest of the day at the computer store with her parents. Mom and Dad wanted to get the big cleanup out of the way instead of needing to do that next weekend; so we had a very long to-do list. We took lunch and one afternoon break, but other than that, we worked through until six-thirty before stopping for the day and getting cleaned up for dinner.

We didn't have any specific plans for the night, but the Emersons came over after dinner, and while our parents spent a couple of hours visiting in the living room, Rowen and I played games in the lounge with Patrick, Ethan, and Ehlana. The Emersons stayed for the bedtime snack and story time too, and then went home while Mom, Dad, and I took Ethan and Ehlana up to bed.

I was in serious need of some Jacuzzi time by then, and have been doing a little Magi computing while soaking out a day's worth of work and play dirt. There isn't anything else to report tonight, so I'm going to wrap this up and move on to a little light archive reading; and doing an update in our Magi project archive about a few things I've been thinking about since last night.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

It's been a fairly quiet day in Witch Falls.

We had a normal Sunday morning with Tai Chi by the river; breakfast for six; and a couple of entertaining hours with our family and friends at church. Lunch was quick and easy, and then Mom, Dad, and Violet all wanted or needed to get some work done in the office; so Ethan, Ehlana, and I met up with Rowen and went to the park to play for a couple of hours.

When we got home from doing that, we had a snack break with Mom and Dad while Violet went to hang out with Dillon during his lunch break before the dinner buffet rush at the Inn. After that, we moved up to the third floor for a movie and Magi chat that Mandy was happy to join us for; and we wrapped that up in time for Rowen to head home to get ready for her family's dinner plans.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over for dinner with us, and that was mostly so Mom and Aunt Leanne could finalize the shopping trip plans and send out the groups, drivers, and passenger assignments lists for everyone. The final numbers for this shopping adventure is eighty-six shoppers; including twenty-eight adults and fifty-eight kids and teens. That's mostly girls, but there are a few boys going this year too, including Ethan with Mom; Patrick and Scott with Rowen's Mom; and Ryan Bassett with his mother and sisters. We'll see how that works out, but I have a feeling that most of the boys won't find this trip nearly as much fun as the last Christmas shopping adventure was.

It is going to be a blast for the girls, though, and I need to get to sleep so I'll be charged up and ready for eight or nine hours of shopping. Mom and Aunt Leanne worked on their plans during and after dinner, and Dad, Uncle Adam, Violet, and I took care of the cleanup. We had time after all of that was done for a little visit in the living room, and then Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne went home; Dad went back to work in the office for a while; and Mom, Violet, and I did the full bath and bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana that included a little Magi elements lesson in the tub that made playing in the water a lot of fun for all four of us. Too bad we couldn't try some of those tricks at the whirlpool!

Anyway, I came up to bed once Ethan and Ehlana were tucked in for the night; and writing this has been the only computing I've done other than my usual email check. Grandma sent her daily update email earlier, and it's hard to believe that their trip is already more than half over. This was a travel day for them, and they'll be back to work in the morning – a few hours from now their time. They have four more work days, and then four days of sightseeing before making the trip back over two days and getting home a week from Wednesday.

Okay, I think that's it for now. Time to shut down and get to sleep.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, August 20, 2012

This has been another awesome shopping adventure day!

Mom, Aunt Leanne, and I all needed to skip Tai Chi this morning to have time to get ready, and go over to the Inn with Violet, Ethan, and Ehlana in time for the breakfast buffet. Dad and Uncle Adam saw us off, and then were planning on exercising by the river together before having breakfast at the Inn too once the shoppers had cleared out and hit the road. As usual, Jacob and Miranda were expecting a lot of the temporarily single men and boys in town to be doing that; and they were running the breakfast buffet until nine or ten o'clock.

The Inn was a bit more than half full once everyone going to the city had gotten there. Mom and Aunt Leanne only had about forty-five minutes to eat before they needed to be outside again; making sure that their drivers were matched up with all of their passengers, and that no kids were missed and left behind. Violet, Stephanie, Rowen, and I had the extra time while they were busy, and took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana fed, and then changed before putting them into their car seats when it was time to hit the road.

Mom and Aunt Leanne had Ethan, Ehlana, Rowen, and me with them in the minivan. Violet was taking Dad's truck for the storage space, and she and Stephanie had Alicia and Erin with them for the drive each way. We were heading east toward the highway by five after eight along with the last few vehicles in the convoy – including Miranda's and Patricia's groups. We put one of Ethan's and Ehlana's favorite movies on, and while they mostly watched it, Rowen and I sat on the back bench seat and talked about what we wanted to look for, or needed to get, while we were shopping. We made good time getting to the Mall, and had time to get Ethan and Ehlana into their double stroller; go to the food court; and pick up drinks before Dawn, Jillian, and their Moms met up with us.

The hugs and kisses took a few minutes, especially for Violet and Aunt Melissa, but then we headed out into the Mall in search of this year's coolest fashions and hottest sales – or possibly the reverse of that for the older girls. Violet and Stephanie were usually in the same general area with us all morning, but they were also either in other stores or other parts of the same stores from where Aunt Leanne and our Moms were looking for clothes for us. We had the largest group of shoppers with us, but Rebecca, Jenny, and their friends were mostly doing their own thing too with minimal intrusion from their Moms. Since Miranda and Emily were letting their girls mostly pick out their own clothes, they had time to shop for themselves, help Mom and Aunt Leanne out with Ethan and Ehlana, and play dress-up with us. For some reason, having our teacher help with our back-to-school wardrobe seems weird, but Rowen and I really love Miranda and Emily a lot; and we all had a lot of fun spending the day together.

Patricia and Sylvia Bassett were with us too, and while we were almost always in stores where they could shop for Jessica and Sophia, they also needed to juggle that with shopping for Patrick, Scott, and Ryan Bassett while trying to keep the three boys entertained too. Yes, that probably was an impossible mission, but they did their best; and we're fairly sure that both Moms got home tonight with their sanity intact.

We shopped until noon; stopped for lunch and a trip to the parking lot to drop off bags; and then went back out into the Mall until three-thirty. There was an afternoon break while Mom and Aunt Leanne checked in with the rest of the groups, and then more than half of our shoppers moved over to Wal-Mart for another couple of hours of mostly supply shopping. Rowen and I had a little free time while we were there that we mostly spent picking up some gifts for upcoming friend and classmate birthdays; since this would likely be our last trip to the city for a couple of months. I didn't find an anniversary gift for Mom and Dad, but I can always order something online and have it delivered to Aunt Leanne. We had the rest of that shopping done, and a few supplies picked up for ourselves, by the time we needed to meet up with Mom and Aunt Leanne again; and then we were another half hour getting out of the store and in the van again.

A fast food stop was the last thing we needed to get done before getting on the highway for home, and an hour and a half later we were home and wrapping up our shopping adventure with a little blast through Palmer's Ladies Wear and Taylor's shoes before going home. I still think it's very funny that one of Abby's biggest sales days now happens on days when so many of the girls in town aren't even here. She probably wishes that we'd do more of these big trips, but then the novelty of her thanks for not going on the shopping trip to the city sales would likely wear off if we did that.

Violet had some extra deliveries to make, so she and Stephanie took care of that after dropping Alicia and Erin off at Alicia's house. Stephanie's house was the last stop, and by the time Violet got to our house, we had the van unloaded, and a small crew available to help unload the rest of the truck. Rowen had gone home to help her Mom by then, and once the truck was unloaded; Uncle Adam took Aunt Leanne home while Mom, Dad, and I were busy getting Ethan and Ehlana ready for bed and Violet was hanging out with Dillon.

I came up to my room after Ethan and Ehlana were tucked in, and put all of my new clothes away in drawers or the closet before getting changed and into bed with Mandy. It's been a long day, and I'll guess that this is what shop 'til you drop feels like. We have two weeks left of summer holidays, and a lot of fun to fit into those fourteen days; but right now, all I'm interested in doing is sleeping, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Happy Twelfth Birthday, Tim!

Tim and Michael may have crossed over already, but he wasn't having a boy-girl birthday party. He and his buddies spent most of the day at Quarry Lake instead. Rowen and I dropped off his card and present before she went to work at the computer store, and then I came home again to work in the office on the family business for the morning.

Violet and Dillon went out to Quarry Lake with Jake and Stephanie too, and offered to take Rowen and I with them, but we decided not to do that. The four teens were helping Miranda, Jacob, and Tim's parents with the party; and though hanging out with Violet and Stephanie would have been fun; that wouldn't have offset getting razzed about coming along by the guys in our class. We found out during our baseball practice that some of the other girls in our class did go to Quarry Lake too; including the two girls who had been dancing with Michael and Tim at Roger's party. I'll guess that at least some of the guys were happy about that – especially the guys who had their girlfriends there in swimsuits. After hearing about the party from a couple of the girls on our team, Rowen and I are even more glad that we didn't go to the lake too.

While most of the guys around our age were away, Rowen and I had fun playing this afternoon. We went biking; swam in the river; and played at the park for an hour with Ethan and Ehlana. Mom and Dad did an early easy-dinner for us before Rowen and I went to our ball practice, and then we did a Magi lesson after getting home again. We've only got one more practice before the big game, but some of us are going to get together for an extra practice or two between now and the holiday weekend.

Rowen went home after our lesson, and I've split the rest of my night between some Jacuzzi time and working on my computer while cuddling in bed with Mandy. Now that the shopping trip is over, I'm most excited right now about having Aunt Grace and Mark coming to spend the last week of August with us. They'll be here next Monday, and while they'll be staying with Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam, I'm sure we'll get to spend some time together with them while Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam are at work during the weekdays. What is really going to be awesome about their visit will be the surprise we have waiting for them. Hopefully they'll think it's just as great as I do!

I've finished my usual email and news checks; finished my archive homework from tonight's lesson; and it's time to shut down and get some sleep. Rowen and I don't actually have anything specific planned for tomorrow other than our usual co-ed baseball practice babysitting; but I'm resting up while I can. Starting this weekend, I expect to have a lot of late nights through until we go back to school.

Until next time...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

While we didn't want to go to Quarry Lake while Tim was having his birthday party there yesterday, that wasn't a problem today; and being out there on a really hot summer weekday really seemed like a very good idea this morning when Rowen and I got together after breakfast. We were given parental approval to bike out there for the day, but before we could get our little adventure started, we needed to get backpacks ready with the usual supplies; so it was going on ten o'clock by the time we hopped on our bikes and headed out of town on Quarry Road.

Mom, Violet, and Alicia came out to the lake with Ethan and Ehlana to have a picnic with us and give the twins a chance to play in the water for an hour or two; so Rowen and I didn't really have that much time to play there on our own after our ride before they were there too. Violet wanted to be home in time for Dillon's afternoon break at the Inn, so they all went back to town again by two o'clock while Rowen and I played until nearly four before packing up and starting our return ride. We were home in time for a cool-down swim in the river before sitting down to have dinner with Mom, Dad, Violet, and the twins. We were in charge of Ethan and Ehlana after dinner while Mom, Dad, and Violet took care of the cleanup and did a little work in the office before Mom and Dad needed to be at the park for their ball practice.

Rowen and I added Naomi to our group after her parents got to the park, and spent most of our time at the playground and by the river while our parents were busy playing with their friends. From what we saw the couple of times we stopped by to check in with them, it looked like they were really working hard to get ready for their last game, but we've done the math; and if the Torpedoes don't win the game, all they'll need to do for second place is take advantage of the mercy rule before our Arrows can win by enough for second place.

Anyway, since we have our last riding lesson of the summer in the morning, Rowen is staying overnight with me; and Naomi and Ehlana decided that they needed to have a sleepover too – though only some of us knew that they actually did want to do a sleepover. That meant doing a little running around after the practice ended, and it was after dark by the time we were all home and inside for the night. Rowen and I helped out with the bedtime routine for three, and then went up to my room and took turns using the Jacuzzi before getting into bed with Mandy.

We've been chatting and surfing the internet since then; and I've done my usual nightly email and entertainment checks too. It's heading toward one now, though, so I need to finish this up and we both need to get some sleep. (Mandy's been asleep for a while now.)

For starting out with no plans at all, this has really turned out to be a great day – especially thanks to the parents giving Rowen and me a little extra freedom. Maybe next year we'll see what they think about letting us try overnight camping at Quarry Lake! Now that would really be awesome! Anyway, that's all the news for today, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I think we had a future Tai Chi student with us this morning. Ethan and Ehlana were content to sit on the grass and play with Rowen while Mom, Dad, and I exercised, but Naomi was trying to imitate some of our forms as we worked through the Chen long form. Mom reminded me that I used to do that with her before I was two, and she and Dad both thought it was adorable.

That made for an extra-fun start to our day, and Naomi, Ethan, and Ehlana entertained us during breakfast too. Rowen and I got our second get-out-of-cleanup cards in consecutive meals so we could get ready for our riding lesson, and Violet drove us out there when we were ready to go so Alicia wasn't left on her own with three toddlers. We had a shorter trail ride than usual this morning, but this year, John and Pamela ended our summer lessons with a mini rodeo and snack time that starred two of their kids and some of the advanced riders doing some really cool tricks.

Rowen worked at the computer store this afternoon, so I worked in the office on the family business too; though Mom and I did make one little shopping trip while Ethan and Ehlana were having an afternoon nap. I hadn't really thought about it at all this summer, but Grade Seven is one of the usual school computer upgrade years. (Grades One, Four, Seven, and Ten) Patricia and Owen had both my computer and Rowen's ready when Mom and I got there, and though they're not anywhere near as cool as my family business computer; they are a bit nicer than the standard Grade Four computers – a bigger screen, and more speed to keep up with the more advanced work we'll be doing on them. Rowen was definitely a happy camper, and was already getting everything she wanted from her old computer moved over to the new one by the time Mom and I left the store.

I'll need to do that too, since our old computers will be donated to a rural-school charity that Owen and Patricia have worked with for years. When we got home again, I went back to work in the office, and didn't take a break until dinner was ready. We ate out on the back porch, and took a nice long break to just have some quiet time without any extra people around. Violet and I took care of the kitchen cleanup, and Dad needed to get some homework done, but we all did a Magi lesson together and watched a little television until it was time to get Ethan and Ehlana ready for bed.

By then, I was seriously ready for some Jacuzzi time, and have been soaking in the tub since coming up to my room. Since I was working all afternoon, there wasn't much new to deal with for email, but I read through the archive records that Mom assigned me to go with our lesson; and read through the latest from Uncle Adam in our Magi project archive. An early bedtime is an option, and I don't have anything else to report, so I'm going to wrap this up; get out of the Jacuzzi; and finish getting ready for bed.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Friday, August 24, 2012

We've got rain in the weekend weather forecast, so Mom and I spent the morning getting the yard work done in case that wasn't an option tomorrow. I mowed the lawn; helped with some of the garden weeding; and swept the porches, sidewalk, and driveway while Mom did most of the weeding; raked the paths; and trimmed a few trees and bushes.

Violet had worked in the office all morning while Alicia took care of Ethan and Ehlana; and they had lunch ready for us when we finished our work by a bit after twelve-thirty. Rowen came over to meet up with me while we were still having lunch, and we stayed and helped with the cleanup before hopping on our bikes and heading out to play for the afternoon. Our first stop was the park, and since some of our friends were there, we stayed for most of the afternoon; hanging out around the playground; swimming in the river to cool off; and sitting under the shade of one of the big oaks when we didn't feel like doing anything except talking for a while.

Mom and Dad were doing a dinner and a movie night with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Nick, and Aunt Deborah, so Rowen and I needed to be home in time to help Mom with making dinner and setting the table. It's hard to believe that this is our first Friday dinner and a movie since the end of June, but I guess we have all been busy just about every weekend this summer. Uncle Nick and Aunt Leanne came over at the same time that Dad got home from the office, and the guys went outside to get a grill fired up while Aunt Leanne joined the kitchen cooking crew. Violet was helping us by then too, and we had fun while making up salads and side dishes to go along with the steaks and barbeque chicken that Dad was cooking.

The real reason we were having a dinner and a movie night was so that Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Aunt Deborah could talk about their plans for the next week and the holiday weekend. They got started on that after Aunt Deborah and Uncle Adam joined us after closing the clinic for the day. Since Aunt Deborah hadn't taken a break in hours, she was put in charge of making the lists and notes while sitting at the table with a cold drink. Rowen and I mostly stayed out of that conversation, and a lot of what they discussed included extra work for me, but I'm getting more excited about our last week of summer too.

First up was contingency planning for Saturday night if we get the rain and thunderstorms that are being forecast. Rain wouldn't affect the party at Sheldon's, but it would be for the major camping adventure that had been planned for our back yard – complete with a crew of babysitters to take care of all of the younger kids. The tentative alternate plans will be sleepovers at several houses – including ours; and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's. Rowen and I suggested having separate boys and girls sleepovers, but Aunt Leanne didn't think that would be fair to the babysitters stuck with the younger boys; and Violet thought that was a terrible idea too.

I wonder why?

Anyway, we moved on to plans for entertaining Aunt Grace and Mark next week – particularly while Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were at work during the weekdays. We'll need to do that around the extra work, like pre-cooking meals for the long weekend; but having them here for nearly eight days is going to be really cool. I offered to help Aunt Leanne get a second bedroom ready for their guests after she had Aunt Deborah add getting a guest room ready for them to her to-do list for the weekend; but she didn't seem to think that was necessary.

By the time we'd finished dinner and cleaned up, the planning was done, including everything from getting Grandma and Grandpa's house ready for their homecoming on Wednesday to long weekend guest assignments. Rowen and I took a swim break then, and took Ethan and Ehlana with us while everyone else relaxed on the back porch with cold drinks for a while. We watched a movie after that; did the bedtime snack and story with Ethan and Ehlana; and then Aunt Leanne and Aunt Deborah took their boys home; Rowen went to her house then too; and Violet went to meet up with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie at the Inn.

I came up to my room after Ethan and Ehlana were tucked in, and got changed and cuddled in bed with Mandy. We talked for a bit while I started my usual nightly computing, but she's been asleep for nearly an hour now. Whether we can salvage the campout, or end up doing a sleepover, it's going to be a late night, so it's time for me to wrap this up and get to sleep too. Rain or shine, it should be a fun weekend!

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Other than a little rain early this afternoon, we still haven't gotten the rain and storms that were forecast for most of the weekend; but that did still mean changing our camping adventure plans. The good news was that the Arrows were able to play their game against the Tornadoes, and we – the kids and teens – were still able to have our campfire while our favorite adults were at the Pub party.

The good and bad news in baseball – for the Arrows – was that they won the game fifteen to ten, but that wasn't by enough to get into the Championship match. There were a few disappointed Arrows players, including Aunt Leanne, but I think that Mom and Dad are just as happy that they won't be playing next weekend. That will make it a bit less hectic for them next Sunday.

I should back up to this morning.

Mom and Aunt Leanne both ended up spending some time on the phone after breakfast, and their tentative plans were only changed for what the older kids and teens would be doing instead of camping. The majority of parents decided to leave it up to their own kids to work out sleepover plans instead of saddling Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne with a house full of teens. The campfire at our house was still tentatively approved, weather permitting, and by lunchtime; Mom had four babysitters and fourteen kids booked for the night at our place.

Would you like a guess as to whether I was drafted for the guest bedroom and bathroom cleaning crew to get ready for the impending sleepover? I didn't actually expect that yesterday's yard work would get me off the work schedule for today, but cleaning the entire third floor – except for Violet's room – kept me busy all morning. While I was doing that, Dad and Violet made a grocery store and bakery run to pick up extra supplies for everything from snacks and drinks for tonight to enough food for a major breakfast on Sunday. We all pitched in after lunch to get the second floor ready, including an extra cot in Ehlana's room so she could have Naomi and Sophia Bassett in her room tonight.

I was set free after that, and met up with Rowen to hang out together for the rest of the afternoon. We didn't really play much, but by dinnertime, we had her overnight bag packed and in my room; had gone for a walk with Ethan and Ehlana; and went swimming with them at home after a little side trip for Emporium ice cream treats. The outdoor parts of our afternoon had been after the couple of little rain showers, and there were heavy clouds in the sky almost all day; but the sun was out for a while when we had dinner with Mom, Dad, Violet, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam.

Alicia, Erin, and two of their friends were starting their babysitting work after the game, but they both came over to our house just as we were finishing the dinner cleanup; and took custody of Ethan and Ehlana when we all went over to the park. That left Rowen and me free to play during the team warm-ups, but we were back at the ball diamond in time to get our cheerleading squad ready to go. Ehlana and Naomi were helping us as usual, but we had extra support tonight from some of the other girls that were going to be at our house for the sleepover; and Violet, Alicia, and Erin all helped us too.

The game was fun despite the fact that our team's season is over now. There was a party at Sheldon's or a campfire for all of us to get to, and we weren't at the park for long after the game ended. We had quite a gang coming home with us, though not even a third of the kids and teens we had around the campfire by the time Jake, Stephanie, and Dillon joined us after the Inn closed for the night. Mom and Dad were only home long enough to get the fire started and get showered and dressed up for the party, and then Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne picked them up; and the back yard party kicked up a notch or three.

By then, all of the kids staying at our house were there, and the teens were joining the campfire in waves of small groups. Rebecca, Jenny, and the girls that were staying at the Stone's house tonight came over shortly after the fire was lit, and Michael and Tim came with them. The boys had been invited to stay at our house, but had decided to stay at Michael's house instead. I'd say there was a direct connection between that decision and having a house full of Rebecca's and Stephanie's friends doing a sleepover at their house too.

Yes, Aunt Leanne, I do know that you were behind that offer to the boys. Cut it out!

I suppose it's time for some scary observations from the campfire – which is still going on for most of the teens as I sit in the window alcove with Rowen and write this.

Jenny's heart seems to be on the mend faster than Rebecca's is if tonight is any indication; and there were a couple of boys around the campfire tonight who were happy about that. That could make things a bit strange next weekend when Martin's here, but we'll see what happens. Rebecca looked like she was having fun, but she wasn't really paying any attention to the boys who were trying to impress her. Alicia and Erin had boys vying for their attention too, but unfortunately for the guys, they were far too busy keeping up with their kids tonight. I will give bonus points to them for helping out with the younger boys – including Ethan and Aiden. They even managed to do that without seriously damaging their reputations!

Speaking of reputations, Michael earned some points tonight too – from most of the guys and at least two girls – when he ended up playing guitar for the campfire until Jake took over. I knew he could play, but I didn't know that he's nearly as good as Jake already.

You can stop grinning like that, Aunt Leanne. Yes, I was impressed, but the girls I was referring to above were classmates; and Vanessa was all but tethered to Michael from the time she got to the campfire until she and Nora decided that they needed to go home too when Michael and Tim left.

Anyway, while Michael and Jake took care of most of the music, there were also campfire stories that started out mild while the younger kids were still awake, and moved on to scary as the toddlers, and then the rest of the kids were taken to bed. Rowen and I came up to my room to help with Jessica Bassett and Lindsay Faulkner, but ended up having a pair of sleepover buddies in the lounge; and we didn't get back to the campfire at all after spending nearly an hour getting the girls settled and sleeping.

It was after midnight by then, and there were mostly just teens left at the campfire anyway, so we got changed; turned out the lights; and have been watching and listening to the action around the campfire while having a little computing and girl talk time. I've actually been doing most of the talking, and Rowen's been a lot quieter than usual. I know why, but we can't really talk with Jessica and Lindsay nearby; a house full of guests; and a gang of teens in the back yard.

Let's just say that my best friend is showing symptoms of something we're both trying to avoid; she's annoyed with someone specific; and that it's probably a very good thing that we aren't allowed to use our special abilities to deal with things like that. Mandy must know something too, since she's been extra-cuddly with Rowen. I'm sure we'll get around to talking about this soon, but for tonight, I'll just go with extra hugs, and keep talking; since that's all that Rowen seems to want right now.

I'm going to wrap this up now, but we'll likely sit here in the alcove for a while unless the campfire breaks up soon. If anything else newsworthy happens later, I'll add it to my journal tomorrow.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

There were two things that ended the campfire last night, and Rowen and I were still awake to witness them. First, Mom and Dad came home with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Miranda, and Jacob at about twenty after two. They quickly put an end to the campfire, but not quickly enough for the teens when it started raining before they could finish cleaning up and head to wherever they were spending the night. We heard a couple of jokes about parents having mother nature on their side, but it didn't look like any of the teens minded getting rained on a little in exchange for a really great night.

That wasn't the case when we saw some of them at church later, but before I get to that, it felt like we put in a day worth of busy before even leaving the house this morning. I didn't get any more sleep than Mom and Dad, but was still up at my regular time. It was still raining, so I practiced my Tai Chi indoors, and then went into Ehlana's room to start a round of diaper changes that Alicia and Mom joined in to help me with before we took Ethan, Ehlana, and their sleepover buddies downstairs to get drinks for them; and start working on breakfast.

Alicia went back upstairs then to wake up her fellow babysitters; and start getting all of the kids moving. Mom and Dad did most of the cooking, though they had some kid and teen help with setting the table and easier jobs like making toast and juice. It didn't feel like I stopped once, even while eating breakfast; since Rowen and I were also helping to get Ehlana, Naomi, and Sophia fed. We also had to help Jessica and Lindsay get ready for church; help with the kitchen cleanup; and find time to grab quick showers and get dressed up for church too. The kid transportation began arriving at nine o'clock. It was still raining off and on, and by the time we left for church, Mom and Dad only had Ethan, Ehlana, Rowen, and me to take with them in Mom's minivan.

It was hot enough this morning – mostly because of the humidity – but not really any worse than other Sundays this summer. I'll guess that Pastor Martha took pity on the sleep-deprived members of her congregation, and that's why the service wrapped up in just under an hour. We had Violet with us instead of Rowen when we went home again, and though we all would have liked to have a nap; that didn't happen for most of us. Violet and I started cleaning and getting dirty towels and laundry downstairs while Mom and Dad took care of the twins and made lunch. We all stopped for lunch, and then I went back to work on the third floor while Ethan and Ehlana went for a nap. Dad had to work in the office, and while Mom and Violet took care of the lunch cleanup and more laundry; they also were planning on a long Magi lesson. Now that they were down to about a week before Violet goes home for her last year of high school; Mom's feeling a little pressure to get Violet a bit farther in her training before they'd be back to having long breaks between lessons.

When I was finished getting the third floor back to normal, Rowen came over, and we ended up watching a movie in the lounge while having the telepathic chat that Rowen would have liked to have with me last night. I was able to help Rowen feel better, though we couldn't do anything about the combination of problems that included more developed and advanced classmates; guys that find those developments very interesting; or how an ultra-shy girl should handle bouncing around on the border of crossing over when the boy she likes is being chased by more aggressive girls.

That chat kept us busy nearly until dinnertime, and then Rowen needed to go over to the store, and I helped Mom with making dinner. It's been a quiet evening since then; and I've already had some Jacuzzi time; did a bit of studying in the archives; caught up with email and a bit of family business work; and am ready to wrap this up and get some sleep. Mark is on his way here right now. Aunt Grace will be picking him up at the airport; though they won't make the drive here until tomorrow morning sometime.

This is going to be a really fun week, and I really do need to catch up on some rest to be ready for it, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Welcome home, Aunt Grace and Mark!

I'm sure it was just the fact that Mark is still on west coast time that kept them from getting here until this afternoon. Since Mom had me working all morning anyway, that wasn't really a big deal. Cooking, cleaning, and laundry was my life from after breakfast until lunchtime.

Rowen and I were set free for the afternoon, but we stayed close to home so we could welcome Aunt Grace and Mark when they got here. They pulled into Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam's driveway at around two o'clock, and Rowen and I helped them with getting their luggage into the house before we all walked down to our house to see Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana. We had a little snack break while we were there, and then Aunt Grace, Mark, Rowen, and I took Ethan and Ehlana with us and went on a little tour that included stops at the clinic to see Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah; the office to see Aunt Leanne and Dad; and the Olde Bakery, just so I could start reminding Mark of one of the best things about Witch Falls. The dinner desserts that wouldn't let us go home without them were a bonus, though.

Aunt Leanne left work a bit early, and we all went over to her house then so that Mom and I could help out with making dinner. Uncle Nick was back to work at school this week, along with the rest of the teachers, but he came over after work too, and he and Mark went outside to fire up the grill. They were ready to start cooking by the time Dad joined us. Violet and Dillon had been having a play day with Jake, Stephanie, and some of their friends, but came over in time to catch the tail end of the pre-dinner work; and everything was ready by the time Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah got home from the clinic.

The next two hours was a lot of fun. Aunt Grace and Mark had a lot of stories to tell us, and wanted to hear all about everything that was happening here in Witch Falls too. Rowen and I took care of feeding Ethan and Ehlana so that Mom and Dad could sit back and enjoy their food without interruption, and while we weren't really all that involved in the main conversation; it was still fun to just listen in on a very entertaining story time.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had wanted to spend the rest of the evening with just Aunt Grace and Mark, so the rest of us pitched in for the cleanup, and then left the two couples alone and either headed home, or in Violet and Dillon's case, on to meet up with Jake and Stephanie again. As usual, Dad had some homework to do, so Mom decided to do a Magi lesson with Ethan, Ehlana, Rowen, and me. We spent about an hour and a half doing that, and then we all went for a walk around the park before Rowen went home, and Mom and I started a lengthy bedtime bath, snack, story, and chat session with Ethan and Ehlana.

I've been in my room since Ethan and Ehlana went to bed; doing a little computing while cuddling with Mandy. We've got a big day tomorrow for the next step in our future plans, and I've been thinking about that a lot since Aunt Grace and Mark got here. They're definitely in love now, though it sounds like they haven't really even talked about how they were going to make their relationship work. That's a good thing for us, since while we know what's meant to happen, there are still choices to be made; and other options could complicate or change those decisions.

I'm not actually going to be directly involved in this part of our future plan, though I will be doing my very best to help out in other ways – including daytime help with entertaining Aunt Grace and Mark. The next few days are supposed to be beautiful, so that should help. Some sun and fun; Aunt Grace in swimsuits; Olde Bakery treats; and meals at the Inn will all help to give Mark some good reasons to think about when making those choices.

While I'm thinking about our future plans, there's more work for that coming up in September. Mom, Dad, and Aunt Leanne have continued to deal with all of the issues surrounding all of the construction that's going to be happening over the next few years; and some new road construction will begin next week. That kind of work will be the most obvious and visible, but there will be other things happening too – like the resumption of regular training with Mom for Naomi with Ethan and Ehlana that's been on hold for most of the summer. They'll have one more addition to their little Magi study group, but that won't be until after Aiden's first birthday. What they're doing is going to set the precedent for what Magi training is going to be like in the future, and in some ways; that's more important than anything else we're doing.

Mandy's telling me that it's time to sleep, so that's all for now. It's not quite midnight yet, but we're basically down to seven days left of summer holidays. Mom would probably turn down a request to time-phase the whole town to drag summer out for another month or two worth of fun, so we'll just have to enjoy the week in real time.

Yes, Mandy – we can enjoy some sleep in real, quiet time too.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Mark may be having issues with the time change, but Aunt Grace doesn't seem to have a problem with sleeping in late too. We didn't see them at our house until we were nearly ready to head out for our trip to Quarry Lake.

Going out to the campground wasn't specifically in today's plans until this morning; when Violet suggested that today would be a great day to spend there when Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie had the day off and could go with us. By the time Aunt Grace and Mark came over, we had another big group going along, including the rest of Jake's family; Jenny, Tim, Patrick, and Scott. That meant that we had extra work to get done this morning; and Violet and I pitched in to help out so that Mom could still get most of the weekend pre-cooking she had planned for today finished while we took care of some laundry, cleaning, and getting nearly everything except the picnic ready for our play afternoon.

Our little caravan left town by eleven; and we had our little camp set up at the edge of the beach by a quarter to twelve. Everyone was ready to cool off by then, so we went swimming for nearly an hour before the adults started getting lunch ready. Rowen and I stayed with Mom, Alicia, and the twins; and Aunt Grace, Mark, Miranda, and Jacob mostly played with us while the teens, Rebecca, Jenny, and the rest of the boys played on the slides and out on the big diving rafts in the middle of the lake. I'm not sure if Jake and Dillon were asked to help out or not, but they spent more time than usual with Michael, Tim, Patrick, and Scott; though Michael and Tim had some other friends to hang out with for most of the afternoon too.

Since we're at the picnic lunch part of today's recap, I'd just like to make a little note that we definitely need to invite Miranda and Jacob to more Quarry Lake trips – and book them on their days off. Jacob makes the best picnic foods in the world! Between his contributions and the Olde Bakery treats, it's a wonder that we didn't all just sink to the bottom of the lake when we went swimming again after lunch. Aunt Grace was complaining about what all of those calories were going to do to her, but all of those protests are just a little unbelievable when you look that hot in a bikini both before and after the meal. Mark wasn't the only guy to tell her that either – especially if you include some of the blushes and averted eyes from some of the younger boys in response to some of those comments.

The boys in our group must not have been the only guys thinking about girls in swimsuits today. Even though they were coming up on one of the busier month-ends of the year, Dad and Aunt Leanne blew off work early, and came out to Quarry Lake to spend the last hour or so with us before we needed to get home again. Getting to spend that time with them was great with one little exception – Aunt Leanne jumped right into matchmaker mode.

I know you'll never read this Aunt Grace, and I'm glad you thought that her efforts were both amusing and some deserved payback; but you weren't eleven when we nudged you and Mark together. I'll remind you of this precedent some day when you're kids are my age. It should be interesting to find out if you still feel the same way about pre-teen matchmaking.

Fortunately, Aunt Leanne had a time limit, and Michael went into hiding with Tim and some of their friends shortly after her first attempt to shove us together; so hopefully he didn't get razzed too much. The Stones, Stephanie, Violet, and Dillon were all staying later than we were, so we only packed up about two-thirds of our day camp when it was time to leave. Having Dad and Aunt Leanne with us helped with the transportation back home again; and Dad took Alicia, Patrick, and Scott home with him while Aunt Leanne came back to town with Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, Rowen, and me.

We were doing another barbeque, but at our house this time. Rowen and I had our last ball practice of the summer before the big game this weekend; so we were eating early too. I would have loved to be there for the big after dinner walk and talk, but Rowen and I went to our practice; and it was still cool getting to hear all about it later; first while everyone talked about it back at Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam's house, and then from Ethan and Ehlana when they did a telepathic story time with me before we put them to bed. They were very, very happy about how everything went with Aunt Grace and Mark.

I'm sure that there will be a few archive entries about this, but I'll add my two cents too.

Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Mom, and Dad eased into what they wanted to talk to Aunt Grace and Mark about. They walked out along River Road, and started telling their cousin and best friend about their plans for the research lab and medical center showing them where the two buildings were going to be built. I'm sure you can guess that Mark in particular was interested in how Uncle Adam was planning on juggling a research job with his doctor duties; though he was definitely floored by the answer. Thanks to Ethan and Ehlana's bedtime story, I know exactly what he looked like at that moment – an expression that Aunt Grace duplicated when she was advised that they wanted her to become the CEO of the new research company.

The rest of their walk included a return trip along the river with the turnaround point approximately where the new residential part of Witch Falls was going to be built to accommodate the extra people that would be living here as the lab – and other new businesses – got up and running. They took another look at that from Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's back yard too; though Aunt Grace and Mark weren't told everything about that part of our future plans. That much information might just scare them off – or have them sure that we're all certifiably nuts!

I walked home with Rowen before moving on to join my family next door, and by then; they were relaxing in the living room. After getting a cold drink; I joined them there, and mostly sat back and watched the show. Aunt Grace and Mark both had a lot of questions, and it's a good thing that we have a fairly brilliant group putting our plans together; or we wouldn't have been ready for that – and even with all of our preparations; they both had some very useful opinions and suggestions. We didn't expect either of them to jump into a decision this big – especially since Ethan, Ehlana, and I know we won't get their answers until later this Fall.

They'll both have to give up a lot to come here. It's a bigger move for Mark, but Aunt Grace would be moving away from her parents; brother and sister-in-law; and nieces and nephew even if this is home for her too. Their jobs would be quite a bit different than big-city hospital medicine for Mark; and going from blue-collar manufacturing to high-tech bio-engineering research for Aunt Grace. From their perspective, when all they've seen are empty fields to go with the plans they've been told about tonight; maybe they've already been told enough to think we're crazy. I guess we are asking them to make a leap of faith, but that's not always easy to remember when some of us know just how great their future is meant to be.

By the time that Mom and Dad took Ethan, Ehlana, and I home, one thing that we could be sure of was that Aunt Grace and Mark were definitely interested in our offers; and opened up a possibility for a life together that they'd never have even dreamed about before now. I'd call that mission accomplished!

After a day of sun and fun, I'd also say that it's time to call it a night – especially since I've been working on my computer for nearly two hours since climbing into bed with Mandy. I'll be helping Mom again in the morning, but have the afternoon off to play again; and Grandma and Grandpa will be home in time for the dinner at the Inn we've waited to take Mark to until Miranda and Jacob were back from their days off. The biggest part of our future plans tasks for this week is over now, but I'm sure we'll manage to keep the fun going for the rest of the summer – all six days of it.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Hopefully by this weekend, Mark will get used to our time zone, but he and Aunt Grace didn't make an appearance at our house until nearly eleven o'clock again. They'll miss out on half the fun if they sleep in on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday!

While they were sleeping – or something – we were busy working. Violet and I were drafted for a bit of running around that included picking up a few things at the grocery store and bakery to drop off at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Mom was cooking all morning, and Alicia took care of Ethan and Ehlana while we were busy. Violet and I had fun together, and it's hard to believe that we really haven't had much time for just the two of us all summer. I'd suggest that we work on doing better with that next summer, but since she'll be going away to college; that probably won't happen.

Mark and Aunt Grace were over in time for a little visit with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana before helping out with lunch; and it was nearly one o'clock by the time we finished cleaning up the kitchen and were set free to play for the afternoon. Rowen and I were their entertainment coordinators, and we took them, and Ethan and Ehlana, for a canoe ride; stopped to play at the park; went across the river for an Emporium ice cream break; and walked to the Falls before canoeing home again. Mom, Violet, and Alicia all joined us for a swim, and then Rowen and I went back to the park on our bikes while everyone else went inside to stay cool and relax for the rest of the afternoon.

Grandma and Grandpa got home a bit later than expected, so we all met them at their house and helped out with unloading their van before walking to the Inn for dinner. They provided the stories; the food was as awesome as always; and we sat and talked until we were the last group in the dining room. Jacob and Miranda even joined us for a while to have a little break before we headed out; and they got ready to close the Inn for the night. By then, it was middle-of-the-night to Grandma and Grandpa, so we walked them home and they went in with plans to go straight to bed.

Rowen had come with me for dinner, and we were doing a sleepover too, so we made a side-trip to pack an overnight bag for her before going home. We went for a moonlight swim after that, and ended up having a little more time to hang out with Violet when she, Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie all decided that a moonlight swim was a good idea too. That was fun, but short for Rowen and me; since we only played with the four teens for fifteen or twenty minutes before decided that six was a crowd.

Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Aunt Grace, and Mark had come home with us; and Rowen and I joined them in time for Ethan and Ehlana's bedtime story and drinks – none of us needed snacks too. We did that in the living room, and then Rowen and I took Ethan and Ehlana up to bed on our way to my room. After getting changed and in bed with Mandy, it was time for some serious girl chat and a little random surfing around the net. We'll probably do at least one more sleepover this weekend while Dawn is here, but since this is the last one for just the two of us before going back to school next week; and it was school that we talked about the most.

We're both working at our jobs tomorrow morning, and it's nearly midnight, so I'm going to wrap this up and we're going to get some sleep. Just two more days until the holiday weekend, and the three-day blast of fun before we go back to school; and at least some parents celebrate the start of their kid-free weekdays.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Congratulations Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick!

It would have been more fun if Aunt Deborah had needed to interrupt Uncle Nick's class to give him the big news; but it was still fun watching our friends and family find out about Aunt Deborah's pregnancy. The news also made for a couple of last-minute changes for the weekend too; and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne are going to have a few extra weekend guests.

Their news was the top story of the day around Witch Falls, and Rowen and I heard most of the gossip while we were at our back-to-school hair appointments. Liz was taking care of both of us while Vicky had other customers; so we were there for nearly an hour of baby and pregnancy talk that occasionally included more information than either of us needed to know. While we had the afternoon off to play, except for those appointments; we mostly took it easy between lunch and dinnertime. We dropped off Olde Bakery treats at the clinic and school for Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick after our visit to the Salon, and then spent the rest of the afternoon either swimming in the river or lying on blankets under one of the big trees and doing nothing at all except talk and sip on cold drinks. It's hard to believe that this is nearly the end of summer considering just how hot it's been so far this week.

The heat might be part of the reason why Aunt Grace and Mark were mostly staying indoors and doing their own thing today. It's definitely been a lot hotter here than Mark's used to in Seattle. Hopefully that won't end up being on the 'cons' side of his list when thinking about his job offer, but if I find out that it is; I'll point out to him that hot weather does equal more time with Aunt Grace in a swimsuit, and see if that helps.

Since Uncle Nick's family was mostly busy with work; our house was dinner central again – mostly so we could have a mini-celebration that Aunt Deborah joked could be one of her last regular meals for a while; depending on how her morning sickness progressed. Baby and pregnancy jokes and stories kept all of us entertained during dinner, but with the long weekend just one sleep away now; there was work to do at everyone's houses; and it wasn't long after we'd finished eating that Mom, Dad, and Violet were on their own with just Ethan, Ehlana, and me.

There isn't anything exciting to report about the rest of the evening, and I'm tired and ready to shoot for a solid eight hours of uninterrupted rest, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Friday, August 31, 2012

It started raining around noon today, and hasn't stopped since. That didn't get in the way of any play time, since Rowen was helping her parents all day either at home or at the store; and I was helping out at home; babysitting with Alicia this morning while Mom and Violet did all of the running around to pick up everything from groceries to dry cleaning. At least they beat the rain getting that done, but we weren't so lucky with helping our guests bring luggage in when they got home.

We first ended up sitting around for two extra hours before Violet's family got to Witch Falls. The rain made for a miserable trip for them; with accidents slowing them down all the way from Woodvale. It took them over two hours just to get through the snarled highways in and around Crystal Springs – and they'd left home early! Dad, Violet, and I all helped out with unloading Uncle Rick's SUV, and Grandpa Richard's car; and we all looked like we'd jumped in the river with our clothes on by the time we were done.

Dawn and I decided that visiting with everyone else could wait; and we took turns with some quality Jacuzzi time before going back downstairs for what ended up being a little bedtime snack and round of hugs before we came back up to my room and decided to just go to bed. She and Mandy are already sleeping, but I wanted to check my email and write this up. It's funny that I wanted to get to bed early so I'd be ready for the big game in the morning; but there's basically zero chance that we'll be playing now. Even if the rain stops by morning, it's a safe bet that the ball diamonds will be flooded – and it's supposed to keep raining for most of the day on Saturday.

The farmers would have loved to get all of this rain if it had been spread out over the last couple of months; but we've heard that most of them are worried about losing crops that are close to harvest. It's hard to believe that they can battle drought all summer, and then end up having their crops flooded out. Compared to that, rescheduling Championship baseball games – or even having most of the holiday weekend events moved indoors or cancelled seems trivial.

While we have the Rice family staying with us, Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne have Grandpa Duncan, Grandma Mercy, and Aunt Deborah's parents, brothers, and their families at their house. Uncle Blaine, Aunt Alison, and their kids are with her family this weekend; and the rest of the Johnson family, and all of the McEwans, had other plans too.

Our big, summer-ending holiday isn't exactly off to a great start, but even if it rains all weekend, I'm sure we'll have fun together. The sound of the rain is lulling me to sleep now too, so I think it's time to wrap this up and call it a night.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

September 2012

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Well, it didn't rain all day, but all of today's Championship games were washed out. So was our trail ride; barbeque; and campfire.

The good news is that we replaced all of that with a lazy, indoor play day; a family dinner for everyone at our house; and a girls' movie night marathon in the lounge while the boys played video games in the living room. Dawn and I spent a few hours playing with Rowen this afternoon, but she was mostly busy with her own family, and at the store, for the rest of the day.

We weren't surprised when Jenny spent most of the day with Martin; though I'm fairly sure they've both either moved on already, or at least they don't expect there to be anything ongoing between them after they go back to school. Rebecca didn't come over at all, but I'm sure that wasn't only because Jonathan wasn't here for the weekend too. She might not be ready to move on yet, but there is no shortage of guys around here wishing she would – with them.

No, I'm not going to be doing any matchmaking for her.

So we played around the house most of the day, though Dawn and I went for a walk down to the falls and back after it stopped raining. Rowen was still with us for that, and then we walked her to the computer store before going home again. We didn't need to stop in at the park to know that the playground would be too wet to play at for the rest of the day.

The top stories at dinner were Aunt Deborah's pregnancy, and Aunt Grace's and Mark's job offers. I was happy to hear everyone in our family agreeing that a move to Witch Falls would be perfect for them; though Grandpa Duncan and Grandma Mercy also assured Aunt Grace that they'd miss having her close to home – just not as much as they would if she was thinking about a move to Seattle instead. Mark's sure that his family will think he's nuts to even be considering it; but then they don't know what Ethan, Ehlana, and I do. Just as Mom and Aunt Alison had shared pregnancy time, Aunt Deborah had Aunt Elaine a few months ahead of her with their second child. Aunt Elaine was just getting over the morning sickness phase, and though it sounded like that had been harder on her than on Mom, she and the baby were both healthy; and she looked great. Nicole is going on three now, and doesn't seem quite sure whether a new brother or sister will be a good thing for her little family or not; though she does think that if the baby is a nice as Ethan or Ehlana that they'll probably decide to keep it.

Dawn and I were on twin-watch after dinner, and got out of helping with the cleanup. We played in my room until the rest of the girls were ready for the first of two movies; and then we sat on the floor or in the window alcove while our Moms and the other women sat on the sectional or the table chairs. Martin and Jenny were mysteriously absent for the movies and gaming; and Martin didn't get home until after most of our guests had either gone home or to bed for the night.

Nicole wanted to have a sleepover with Dawn, Mandy, and me; so we agreed to keep her for the night. She was asleep before the end of the first movie, so we put her in my bed with Mandy, and if it gets too crowded for Dawn and me, one of us will sleep in the lounge tonight. Violet went to meet up with Dillon after the first movie was over, and we only had a few girls staying in the lounge for the second movie. It's just kids up here now, and Dawn's currently having another Jacuzzi bath while I'm doing this and my usual nightly computing.

We'll find out by morning if baseball is on for Sunday or not, and if it is; our Rovers' game is tentatively booked for three-thirty at the school ball diamond. According to the town intranet, the only confirmed change for tomorrow so far is that the church service will be at the church instead of in the park.

Side note: I just found Martin and Jenny. They're sitting on one of the benches by the river. (I'm doing this while sitting in the window alcove) I wouldn't have noticed them if not for the headlights from a car passing by on River Road. I'd ask Martin if Dad was right about moonlight kisses by the river, but it's too cloudy to see the moon right now; so I guess he wouldn't know.

It sounds like Dawn's nearly ready to get out of the tub, and I'm ready to get some sleep, so...

...live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Happy Forty-fifth Birthday, Miranda!

Yes, I love you a lot, but having my Rovers team playing your Witch Falls Wayfarers on your birthday instead of yesterday did not mean that we wouldn't play our best so you could have a Championship win for a present.

Before we get to the big game, though, let's start with the usual holiday weekend, Sunday morning rush.

I didn't mention the obvious last night, but Tai Chi was indoors yesterday, so it was nice to get outside again this morning. Nicole apparently needs nearly all of the space in whatever bed she's in; and it didn't take Dawn and Mandy long last night to decide that sleeping on the sectional sofa was far safer. I stayed with Nicole, and tried to sleep when I wasn't being kicked, pulled on, climbed over, or keeping her from falling off the bed as she travelled around the bed; waking up just once for a little washroom break that I helped her out with too.

Dawn cuddled with Nicole while I was exercising with Mom and Dad, and then we all went downstairs to 'help' Dad and Uncle Rick with making breakfast and warming up the dishes that we'd be donating to the food booths later today while Mom was busy with the twins, and the bathroom sharing got started. Clothes were dropped off for Nicole by the time it was our turn to get ready for church, and Dawn and I played dress-up with Nicole before passing her off to Aunt Melissa while we got ready too.

The next item on my Sunday morning to-do list was to give Miranda the birthday present I'd picked out for her when we were on our back-to-school shopping trip; and I did that when we all met up with the Stone family on our way to church after we joined Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and their gang at our house.

Yes, Aunt Leanne, it was quite a coincidence that the earrings I gave Miranda went so nicely with the bracelet that Michael got his mother. That's all it was – a coincidence. I'm happy that you were able to entertain yourself and some of the other girls; but let's move along, shall we?"

It seemed strange having a holiday weekend church service at the church, but it apparently wasn't just because of the rain behind the change in plans. The park set-up needed to be done for today's celebrations; since that work hadn't been possible on Friday or Saturday. That also meant that there were dozens of people missing the church service to do that work, but this was one of the biggest fund-raising weekends of the year; and those charities were doing what they could do to keep from losing something like a quarter of the money they'd earn to spend on their various programs.

The teen-led service was as amazing and fun as always; and it didn't seem like nearly an hour and a half had passed when it was over and we could head home again. Since nearly everyone had work to do before going to the park; there wasn't a greet-the-Pastors line today; and we were soon home and busy getting the truck loaded up with our donations and day camp gear. The coed Championship game was being delayed until twelve-thirty just because of how much needed to get done before food booths were ready to open; though the park was already more than half full by the time we walked to the park. We met Dad there, and helped unload the truck; set up our little spot of picnic paradise; and then moved on to pick up food before wandering over to the near ball diamond to watch at least part of the coed game.

It was really different to not be cheering for Mom and Dad's team – and not having a cheerleading squad at all. Carolyn Landry had some girls helping her cheer for Landry's Lasers, including Rebecca and Jenny; but Rowen, Dawn, and I didn't want to join them, and wouldn't really have fit in with the older girls anyway. Taylor's Torpedoes had a smaller squad cheering them on, but that competition wasn't really much of a challenge for Carolyn. I don't know how much their cheerleaders helped them, but the Lasers won their Championship easily, with a final score of eighteen to six.

We didn't end up staying for the entire game. After finishing lunch, it wasn't long before Nicole, Ethan, and Ehlana weren't the only members of our combined family wanting to go and play games for a while before Rowen and I needed to get to the school for our team warm-ups. Mom didn't try to win any giant prizes for Ethan, Ehlana, or Nicole; but all of the kids, including Dawn, Rowen, and I, had one or two little stuffed animals by the time we finished running the gauntlet of game booths.

Finally, after a day and a half-long rain delay, it was time for the biggest baseball game of the weekend – at least for all of the Rover and Wayfarer players, coaches, and sponsors. I'm sure that Miranda and Aunt Leanne had nothing to do with the weather that caused the move to a Sunday game, but they might have been involved in whether our game was today or on Monday. I just think it's too bad that there weren't a lot of spectators at the school to watch their cheerleading competition. The ones that were there had a lot of fun, and nearly all of them also ended up with coupons for free food at the Inn – even the few people that Miranda couldn't convince to come over to her side of the ball diamond and cheer for the Wayfarers.

To the members of my family who did make the move, I don't mind; and you just helped to motivate me even more! Mark won't read this, but hopefully someone pointed out to him that the coupons he negotiated with Miranda for won't do him any good at the all you can eat buffet tomorrow, so unless he's just going to give them away; the only way they'll be of any use to him is if he comes back again before they expire on the Labor Day weekend next summer.

It'd make for a great story if some free fries, drinks, and desserts tipped the scales for his decision on our job offer!

Getting back to the game, while everyone there gave Miranda the cheerleading squad win, her tactics didn't work to help her team; mostly because the better she did, the more fired up I got. I'm not going to write about just how well Rowen and I played today, but we definitely did our part to help our team to a very big, sixteen to four win; earning both the Championship and an undefeated season.

I'm sorry that you didn't win the cheerleading match too, Aunt Leanne, but it's not your fault that most of your squad picked the food and fun with Miranda – especially after most of their parents, including mine, ended up on the Wayfarers' bleachers. I think that you and Ehlana still did a great job!

After the game, Rowen and I both wanted to go home and get cleaned up. Dinner was already starting at the park by then, so we were skipping the usual post-game ice cream celebration, but we still needed to hurry and get back to the park have dinner with the rest of our family. The food had already been picked up by the time we got there, so we ate; helped with the clean-up; and then had time for some more games before the dance started.

The band hitting the stage was my cue to exit stage anywhere except where Aunt Leanne could attempt to set me up on the dance floor, and Rowen and Dawn were happy to help me make my escape. The game booths were still running, snacks and drinks were available, and the dock along the river turned out to be a good place to sit and talk while dangling our feet in the water and listening to the music that alternated between sets of upbeat dance tunes and soft, melodic ballads. We checked in with the parents once, and I danced for one song each with Dad and Ethan, but went back down by the river before Aunt Leanne could maneuver me into any other dances – mostly thanks to the fact that Michael was already busy dancing with Vanessa at the time.

Ethan and Ehlana needed to go home by ten, so Dawn and I volunteered to take them; and stay home to babysit them while Mom and Dad played at the park with their friends for the last hour or so of the dance. Rowen came home with us too, and it didn't take us long to get the twins changed and in bed. After tucking them in, we got drinks and snacks, and sat in the living room to watch a movie until Patricia came from the park with the rest of our family to pick up Rowen and take her home.

Dawn and I helped out with the work that needed to be done to put lawn chairs and the rest of our picnic supplies away, and then we had a little visit in the living room before most of us went up to bed. That didn't include Martin, since he wasn't back from walking Jenny home yet, and Violet and Dillon were left on their own in the living room when even Chris figured out that this was going to be their last chance for some alone time before they'd be separated again for one last school year apart.

With everything else that's been going on today, I hadn't really thought about that much, but I am now. Dawn's been asleep for nearly two hours now, but I've been sitting in the window alcove, working on my computer, and waiting for Violet to come upstairs to bed. Martin got home a while ago; and I haven't heard him moving around for a while. With most of our families here, there wasn't any email, and I didn't feel like studying in the archives, so I've mostly just been surfing and listening to music.

I was staying awake for Violet, but she and Dillon weren't the only people I was thinking about tonight. Watching Aunt Grace and Mark today was fun, and reminded me a lot of Mom and Dad during our first summer here. It's just a matter of time now before they decide that having a long-distance romance isn't enough for them anymore; and I can hardly wait for them to let us know when – I mean whether – they're going to move here.

Since babies were the other top story this weekend, I was thinking about that too. Ethan, Ehlana, and I aren't doing anything at all about that part of our collective future, but the plans we are working on aren't really any more important than kids will be for our families and friends over the next few years. We haven't been allowed to see everything about that, but what we do know is going to be amazing!

Finally, inevitably, I've been thinking about the impending start to Grade Seven. I've been there, but it's still funny to know that Ethan and Ehlana will be starting their Grade Nine level studies while Rowen and I are playing at school. Sometimes I really wish I could just be me and not have to hide my real abilities from nearly everyone; but that's one wish that won't ever happen. At least the school work is easy. We can't say the same for the social part of our lives; and the dance at the park tonight emphasized that to Rowen and me in a big way. It wasn't like we were the only kids in our class who weren't there with a boyfriend or girlfriend; but we were the only two who weren't either with a date, or paired up with a classmate or friend of the opposite sex for the evening. I can see parts of the next year being very awkward for us; and hiding out by the river like we did tonight won't always be an option.

Violet just came upstairs, so I'll have to thank her sometime for saving me from that train of thought; but I need to wrap this up. Once she's ready for bed, I'm going to volunteer my services as cuddle buddy. Hopefully I'll be able to help her through another tough night.

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Violet and I didn't get much sleep last night, but we didn't let that stop us from keeping up with the rest of the girls while we were shopping this morning.

Before we could get to that, though, everyone was up early; and we basically ran around like crazy getting ready for the day; having breakfast; and helping our guests – including Violet – to pack and load up their cars and SUV for the trip home. Once Dawn was packed, we bout helped Violet when we had time; and we managed to have all of the work done by the time the stores started opening for the last big shopping day of the summer.

Try not to be shocked, but I actually only bought three things all morning. I know – it really is hard to believe! Rowen and Dawn did better than I did with their shopping, but in my case, I didn't pick out more clothes mostly because there really wasn't anything I didn't already have for back-to-school and Fall-weather clothes. At the rate that Rowen and I are both growing at right now, there's no point in buying anything that won't fit anymore three to six months from now.

It's a bit scary just how much that sounded like my Mom. Maybe Aunt Leanne's right, and I need to get away from them more often!

Anyway, so the shopping was fun, but ended too soon when we needed to meet up with everyone at the Inn for the first buffet at noon. The boys, including Ethan, had done their own shopping, and the girls had ended up in three groups; so it took ten minutes or so before we were all seated in the dining room at a handful of tables. Dillon was working all day, but Stephanie and Miranda had him take an extra break so he could have lunch with Violet and say goodbye to her before getting back to work again. I'm not sure if that was easier or harder for them, but they were still happy to have just a little extra time together before Violet had to go home. I hadn't really thought about Aunt Grace and Mark being in the same position, though in their case they'd only spent a week together; but Aunt Leanne might have been; since she had both couples sitting with her and Uncle Adam.

That last hour and a half or so together felt more like minutes, and then it was time for a too-short round of goodbyes outside of the Inn before all of our visiting guests headed out toward the highway. Rowen was helping out at the computer store for the rest of the day, so I went home with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana; and helped Mom get started on the loads of laundry, and post-holiday weekend cleaning. Ethan and Ehlana helped out too for a while when Mom let them join in for a bit of Magi-powered cleaning, though that tired them out; and they had a late afternoon nap. Dad was working in the office all afternoon and evening, and he only took breaks for the snack dinner we had at around six o'clock, and to do the bedtime snack and story with Ethan and Ehlana.

I don't think it's going to become an annual event, but the twins and I had a long after-dinner future plans chat that included another look into our collective futures to see if anything new had become clearer as we moved forward. Tomorrow isn't just a big day because it's the first day back to school for the kids and teens – or the start of Ethan and Ehlana's high school education. Nearly everything we've done up until now has been behind the scenes. Twenty-four hours from now, there are going to be the first visible signs of our plans taking shape that everyone will see. That's going to be amazing to watch as it all comes together!

You're probably reading those last sentences and wondering whether we did see anything new.

Yes.

Some day, I'll be able to write about that in this journal, but that won't be anytime soon. Trust me; you're better off not having the burden and responsibility that goes along with having the Sight. There are times when Ethan, Ehlana, and I didn't know what we do.

I have been thinking about our future plans all evening, though, and sometimes it all seems a bit overwhelming. Having a long soak in my Jacuzzi after Ethan and Ehlana went to bed helped, and so did a computer chat with Rowen and some email exchanges with Aunt Grace, Mark, Dawn, and Violet. My nightly computing included some extra research to be ready for school in the morning – all the usual news, entertainment, and sports information that an average, informed, seventh-grader needs to know even in a small town school.

The last thing I was doing before writing this was a Hathorne Industries check. Mom, Dad, and Aunt Leanne keep regular tabs on the Hathornes, and keep me posted of anything important; but I still like to do my own snooping now and then too; and they usually have more going on around long weekends. They had a party out at their estate today.

Note to all Hathorne employees: You're corporate calls, emails, and messages are all saved on the company systems. You might want to think about that before you type or say anything – especially if it has to do with your bosses or their family.

Of course, I appreciate the information those saved communications provide us. For instance, while Ethan and Ehlana are advancing their education in leaps and bounds that only a few people know about; Gwyneth's brilliance is being trumpeted and bragged about to anyone and everyone. I'm sure she's more advanced in her studies than they're publicizing. If I had to guess, she's using the development path from one or more of the recent kid phenoms as a guide for her genius-level development. Of course she also seems to need to be just a little better than the best too. Hopefully, getting that kind of attention won't bring more trouble on her than she already needs to worry about just from being the Magi Master of a family with a lot of very dangerous enemies.

There have been some changes at Hathorne Industries too. Kellie and Gawain are doing some things differently now, but unfortunately, that doesn't really mean better; except from their perspective. From what I've seen, the only real difference is that the pain and suffering they cause is strictly for power and money; where nearly everything Corwyn had done was for the dark joy and satisfaction he got out of inflicting his will and power on others. If the end results are the same, though, their victims could care less about the motivation behind the actions.

That's a fairly dark tone to end today's journal entry on, but I do always need to remember what the Magi of the Light are up against – even when we're not directly in conflict with the Dark Magi. The Hathornes, and the others around the world like them, won't give up their power easily, but the Ascension of the Light is coming, and when it does; we're going to change the world!

Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie Proctor, signing off!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Even in small towns, the first day back to school is a big deal. There are always a few exceptions, but nearly all of the kids and teens take a little more time getting ready; wear their favorite and best new school clothes; and even get to school early to hang out and talk with friends that they'd seen regularly, if not daily, all summer anyway.

When you think about it, the whole annual right of passage custom is a study in human oddity – but it's also one that I'm not immune to being a fairly enthusiastic participant.

My day started out as usual with Tai Chi by the river, but then I spent way too much time getting ready – mostly because it took over a half hour for Mom and I to get my hair done up in curls; four thin strands of braids; and have it all cascading in a tumble down my back. Mom earned bonus hugs for that, but that extra play time meant that I needed to hurry up with getting dressed; having breakfast; and then grabbing my book bags and heading out to meet up with Rowen at her house.

We hadn't picked out clothes to match, but Rowen and I had decided to wear sundresses, and she and her Mom had put some extra time into her hair too; so I think we both looked great today. Owen needed some pictures before we were able to head off to school; and Patrick went with us; including for a little detour to my Grandparents' house. Grandpa was having fun with what was becoming an annual front porch tradition of teasing some of the kids about being stuck going to school while he got to play all day. That had been the main reason I'd wanted to stop by to see them; but the hugs, kisses, and best wishes from Grandma and Grandpa were nice too.

Once we got to the school, Patrick had to be cool and go hang out with Scott and the rest of their buddies; and Rowen and I went in search of Dillon. I had a little gift for him, and a hug that had Jake teasing me that I'd just been waiting for Violet to go home to make my move on her boyfriend. That wasn't exactly the kind of joke I wanted to start the new school year with; but I'm not sure if I helped myself or not by assuring him that if I was the kind of girl who would steal boyfriends – which I'm not – I'd be trying to steal Stephanie's boyfriend. That might come back to bite me sometime, but at least it made Dillon and Stephanie laugh; and Dillon really needed some cheering up today.

After that little cameo, it was time for Rowen and me to hang out with our own friends and classmates where we belonged – in theory. Reality can be something completely different, and when you're the only two members of your class at a different social level than the rest; even being friends with everyone doesn't save you from those moments when you just don't quite fit in.

It's still been a really good day, but there were quite a few of those moments too. Before first bell, one of those moments was when Rowen and I were confronted with the reality that there's apparently a big difference between still being little girl cute and developing young woman hot. Even the usually dense boys around our age can tell you the difference. Being upwards of six inches shorter than the other girls isn't the most appreciated difference by anyone except us, and the couple of girls who are only a bit taller than we are; but it was something that was even more pronounced than when school ended in June. The fact that we still had a slight height advantage over a couple of the guys, and weren't much shorter than even the tallest boy in our class wasn't much consolation.

The next moment of the day came when it was time to pick our desks for the year. Last year, there was still an obvious division between guys and girls. Today was the launch of the boy-girl group phase; and Rowen and I were once again the only exception. We chose two front-row desks right away, and then watched the action as boyfriends and girlfriends paired up first, and then surrounded themselves with pairs of best friends. Since Aunt Leanne already grilled me on this during dinner, and will razz me some day if she finds out I didn't include it in my journal; I'll add that though Michael and Tim aren't among the guys with girlfriends; they were paired up too; and were sitting with Vanessa and Nora. Since Rowen and I aren't playing those games, which leaves ten guys and nine girls in our class that are; at least they're not the two odd guys out who are both chasing after the same girl. That kind of thing can be bad for best friends.

Anyway, moving along, Mrs. Warren is back in her usual Grade Seven class; and Rowen and I are both really happy to have her teaching us again. There are big changes that come with Grade Seven at our school; with the biggest being a two-day class rotation. We can't have the same course options that bigger, city schools can; so we have twelve subjects; and six classes each on the two days. Day One classes are Mondays and Wednesdays; Day Two classes are Tuesday and Thursday; and we rotate between the two schedules on alternate Fridays. We'll be doing this from now until the end of high school; though we'll be able to have some spares if we want them in Grades ten, eleven, and twelve.

We started with the Day Two rotation, and that's Geography, History, and Health for us in the morning; lunch is at the same time for everyone; and then we had Social Studies, Art, and Computers in the afternoon. Our class schedule didn't matter at all to Rowen or me, but most of our friends seemed to like ending our mornings and afternoons with easier classes for both days. One other thing that's different in a small school is that we don't move from classroom-to-classroom for most of our subjects. The only exception for our Day Two schedule is Art class. Everything else is taught in our home room; and Mrs. Warren teaches us everything except Computers and Art.

Since the academics are all an act for me, I can do the work while letting my mind wander. Today I spent a lot of time thinking about our Magi project. The dynamics in Grade Seven make for some interesting observations. I've mentioned the fluctuations in the aura ranges for Magi, Latents, and Normal people before; and on a super-charged day like today, those fluctuations are pronounced. A new note that I've added to that archive is just a suspicion right now, but I think that there might actually be a suppression of aura – and of power, for Magi – in cases where those connecting auras don't mesh. In other words, perfect matches augment both people; while mismatches diminish them. That might seem obvious, but I also think that it may be quantifiable; and might affect every part of you. Imagine, for example, if a diminished – or augmented – aura affected the genetic choices being made during something like conception. Something like that could be a factor that explains such varied power levels within the Magi families in Witch Falls. It could explain why Ethan and Ehlana are so extraordinary too.

Deep thoughts didn't fill up my entire day. Lunch was a weird-fest filled with new dynamics. In our school, the grades are lumped together in four groups – five if you include the Kindergarten. The seventh and eighth-grade classes are one of those groups; and end up lumped together at lunch time. That meant that hanging out with Rebecca and Jenny again was an option for Rowen and me, but while we did talk with them for a few minutes to see how their classes were going so far; we didn't do that. They were hanging out with a group of girls and guys that included some of our classmates, and we just didn't fit in on any level. Both of our friends seemed to be enjoying the attention from some of the boys, and I was only a little surprised that Jenny seemed to be completely over Martin already.

Fast-forward through an uneventful afternoon, and we were set free with more homework than we'd ever had on a first day so far. I went to the computer store with Rowen first, and did the daily update with Owen and Patricia before leaving Rowen there and going home. With last-minute back-to-school shopping, Rowen was working at the store, and we were both getting started on our usual school days routine – which meant work nights on Tuesday and Thursday.

I repeated the daily recap for Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; and then once more at dinner for Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne. Between story times, I did my homework; spent an hour on the family business; and helped Mom with making dinner. We'd just done the big family meal at the Inn yesterday, but tonight's visits weren't just so we could talk about my first day back at school, or the Grade Nine studies and Magi lessons with Naomi that kept Ethan and Ehlana entertained all day. That kept us entertained during dinner, but when we moved into the living room after the kitchen clean-up was done; it was time to talk family business and future plans.

The ground-breaking for what will be the main street of the new residential part of town was the top news story everywhere in town except at the school; and I'm sure it will be number one there tomorrow. While construction on the new houses and apartment buildings won't start until spring, and even finishing the roads and services will take years; everyone can feel that it's the beginning of big, exciting changes for Witch Falls. I haven't been involved much in the day-to-day work that got us to here; mostly because Dad, Aunt Leanne, Grandma, and Grandpa were able to handle all of the legal and political issues. For some reason, they don't think anyone will need me to help build roads; lay sewer, water, or electrical lines; or do any of the other heavy lifting.

It'd be cool if Ethan, Ehlana, and I could, though; and it'd make for some awesome Magi lessons!

Since I'm not in on the daily work, I also didn't contribute a lot to tonight's meeting. Dad and Aunt Leanne led the discussion; and went over the timetable for the next few years; going into more detail for what they were coordinating during the next few months. We spent nearly two hours doing that, and then Mom did a short healing lesson with Uncle Adam and me before we finished up with a bedtime story and snack that wiped out a few Olde Bakery treats that were left over from the weekend.

I've been in bed with Mandy since Ethan and Ehlana went to bed and our grandparents, aunt, and uncle went home. While I didn't get much family business done earlier, I did still want to get back to my language studies too. Next up on my list was Portuguese; and I've spent an hour and a half reading tutorials and listening to the corresponding audio files. There were email to deal with too, and the nightly news, sports, and entertainment checks; but it's after midnight, and I've had enough fun for today.

Say 'Goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Day Two is Day One – at least it is for our class schedule this week. It's also going to be my favorite of the two days.

Some of my classmates would think that was nuts, since we have Math, English, and Science; but it's the Phys-ed, Music, and Spanish classes that I'm going to have the most fun with. Of course, I actually have fun in the other three subjects too, but my new favorite class this year is going to be music.

I've never really put much thought into playing musical instruments – except maybe to learn how to play guitar like Dad does. In the past, that was partly because Mom and I were trying to keep hidden; and being a music prodigy is something that gets noticed as much as prodigious academics or sports. Mom and I have also had other priorities, and while we both love music; Mom was never into playing it even when she was a kid and teen. This year, we get to start learning how to play the usual range of wind and percussion instruments that you'd normally find in any small high school band; and while we won't pick 'our' instruments for a few weeks yet, I already know after today that the saxophone is the one I love the most. This isn't the Sight, or some other Magi power, but a simple connection that I didn't feel with any of the other instrument demonstrations today. Rowen told me that she felt exactly the same way about the flute and piccolo; despite the fact that those demonstrations weren't very good compared to some of the other instruments.

Our Instrumental Music teacher is Mrs. Robinson, and please don't go there. Yes, she's very pretty, and a Mom; but she's also happily married to Mr. Robinson; he teaches at the school too; and they're only thirty-one. There might even be more girls with crushes on him than boys crushing on her. Anyway, just in case someone might think my instrument choice was teacher-related; it's not. Mrs. Robinson's best wind instrument is the oboe; though she also plays the piano and cello; and can at least demonstrate every instrument she showed us today with varying degrees of success.

A downside of finding a new passion for me is that I can get a bit too focused on it. I'm better at controlling that than I used to be, but that didn't keep me from memorizing a book on musical theory and another instruction book for learning to play the alto sax tonight. That added forty minutes to my bedtime computing, but I probably wouldn't have gotten to sleep without that bit of extra studying. I've jumped ahead now without even writing anything about the rest of the day, so let's take a moment and go back to the beginning.

Tai Chi by the river is always one of my favorite parts of the day, and then we jumped into our usual school and work day routine. That meant a normal breakfast, and it didn't take me long to get cleaned up and ready for school – at least compared to yesterday. The sundress was exchanged for shorts and a sleeveless top. It was going to be another hot day, and though I'm now acutely aware of the fact that I don't fill out a shirt like most of the other girls in my class now do; I won't be trading off comfort just to wear something that would mute that obvious, if temporary, fact.

Yes, I know. I think I've mentioned before that Magi Masters aren't immune to the forces of life that apply to everyone. Understanding all of that doesn't always make dealing with the reality of being an eleven-year old girl easier. If you really want to think about that, keep in mind that I actually have to ability to affect things like my physical development if I chose to do that – just as Mom didn't have to go through the usual physical post-pregnancy issues. For that matter, I could help every girl in town too if I could do that without revealing my secret identity. All of that's a moot point, though, since I won't be making any changes like that to myself or anyone else.

Moving beyond discussing my lagging physical development, Mrs. Warren hopped right into our Math and English classes this morning, and it looks like the review phase is going to be very short this year. We rounded out the morning with Phys-ed, and Rowen and I are both glad that we have that right before lunch. You only have time for about a two-minute shower if you have one of the first two class times of the morning or afternoon; and there's no time to dry long hair.

The top lunch topic, at least for the guys, was the first home game of the season for our football team. I haven't written about our school football much, and didn't pay any attention to their first away game last Friday; other than to know they'd lost a close match. Some of the girls were either actually – or pretending to be – interested in talking football; though they still managed to work the usual fashion, entertainment, and general gossip chat into the conversation too. Rowen and I can think of a lot of things we'd rather be doing, or talking about other than football, but I suppose we are going to need to actually show up and support our team once in a while; and it's practically mandatory once you're in Grade Nine and above. There's rain in the forecast for Friday, though, so don't expect that to happen this week!

I wonder if that would be different if Dad had played league football when he was in high school? There aren't likely very many alumni players that don't at least go to the home games.

Getting back to school, we start the afternoon with Science, and then wrap up with Music and Spanish. By the time Rowen and I went home to do the after-school snack with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; we had a fair bit of homework. The good news is that it wasn't a work night; and we could blast through all of it in about fifteen minutes thanks to a little Magi power. We sat up in the lounge and talked for another half hour after we were done the work before deciding that it was safe to go over to the park and play without looking suspicious. Every kid and teen in town knows who does and doesn't have the strict, homework first rules; and Rowen and I are definitely on that list.

That still left us with an hour or so to play before we needed to be home for dinner. Rowen was staying for that; mostly because she and I did a Magi lesson with Mom after dinner. I didn't really notice it last night, but not having baseball at all this week feels a bit strange. Mom and Dad both had work they wanted to get done tonight, though, so after Rowen went home; I took care of Ethan and Ehlana while they worked in the office. We played in Ehlana's room; had a nice chat; and I took care of the bedtime bath and story before having our snack with Mom and Dad in the office.

I've been working on my computer since coming up to bed, and with the extra studying; it's now... past one-thirty.

Oops. Time to wrap this up.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, September 6, 2012

It's definitely starting to feel like our usual routine is clicking into place today. The return of game night at the Inn to our Thursday night schedule definitely played a part in that, but so did a repeat of our Day Two classes; the second work night of the week for Rowen and me; having Alicia resume her part-time job with Mom; and the easy-dinner night that usually went along with going out to play with our friends on Thursday nights.

There isn't really much to report from school today. Rowen and I are settling into our work a bit more quickly than some of our classmates; but having Mrs. Warren for a second year does also mean that we all know what to expect – and what she will and won't put up with in her classroom. While I mentioned already that our subject reviews are speeding along faster this year; we don't need to do reviews in every class. For instance, we're not starting out with a keyboarding – or typing – module in computers. It's assumed that we're all reasonably proficient now; and we've jumped right into learning how to use a fairly cool graphics and animation program. The guys all really like that subject now; since animation is a lot more fun than learning about ones and zeroes; or any of the basic computing we've been taught.

A new dynamic that's showing up this year is the groups of couples that travel together between classes; hanging out together at lunch, and before and after school. It's not like I haven't noticed that going on with the teens at school ever since starting here near the end of Grade Four, but it's definitely more than a little strange for Rowen and I now that it's hit our class. We talked about it a bit tonight – chatting on our computers after getting home from game night and going to bed. Rowen feels a lot like she did before I moved here; except in reverse. Before, she always felt held back; which we were, and still are. Now we're the ones behind the rest of our classmates, and while they may all be oblivious to how that makes us feel; it's something that Rowen and I are thinking about, and dealing with, a lot.

No, I don't think we're in imminent danger of crossing over. We'd just like to be able to hang out with the rest of our classmates without the tween drama; wishing we weren't around for most of the girl talks; and definitely not seeing any of our friends making out around their lockers, or some out-of-the-way corner of the school or yard.

I also really hope that isn't going to be a daily part of my journal; but it does seem to make the highlights far too regularly over the past few months. Unfortunately, before I change the subject, I should note that there were two additions to the usual kid/teen game night gang. It seems that Vanessa and Nora have suddenly become interested in playing games too; though they haven't been there even once since Mom and I started going. They made it fairly obvious that the games they were interested in playing didn't include cards, darts, or the rest; and only required the additional participation of two other contestants – Michael and Tim.

The only reason I mention this is because Aunt Leanne had a few quiet comments for me tonight, and I really wish she'd stop teasing me about Michael – or any other boys. That, more than anything else, has me seriously considering offering to stay home and babysit Ethan and Ehlana instead of going to future game nights. At least she didn't try to nudge me between Michael and Vanessa; though that might have been more because I made a conscious effort not to be in a position for her to do that.

I've written more than enough on that topic. Let's move on.

The game night championships didn't come home with anyone in my family – or Rowen's. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came in third, while Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma were all handicapped from keeping up with two busy little toddlers. Kyle Landry and Doug Warren won the junior championship, with Jake and Stephanie a close second. There were some jokes about the boys using game night as a warm-up for the football game tomorrow night; but I seriously doubt that winning game night will even be a top ten motivator for Kyle or Doug. I'd suggest a couple of possibilities for number one on their lists, but again, I've had enough of that sort of thing for one night.

Once we got home again, I did the bedtime routine with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana, and then Mom and Dad went downstairs again to do some work in the office; while I came up to my room and got ready for bed. I've already mentioned that Rowen and I were chatting on our computers, but I've also been doing my usual nightly computing; some language studies; and an hour of reading in the archives. That's all added up to yet another late night, so I'm going to wrap this up and shut down my computer.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

P.S. If my new journal closing line isn't familiar to you; Google Burns and Allen. They're amazing!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Happy first birthday, Miles!

Ethan and Ehlana don't spend much time with Miles Sheldon yet, but he will be a future classmate and friend; and they took a little gift and card over to him this morning after I'd gone to school.

My top school news today is from music class, where we got to spend most of the time experimenting with different instruments. Rowen and I don't have the musical background that some of our classmates have from private lessons in piano, guitar, or other instruments; but we were both happy to at least manage a few coherent notes on a flute and saxophone respectively. If today's class was any indication, the school should send warning letters home the first time we're allowed to sign out instruments, though in my case; I plan on using my wards to spare Mom, Dad, and the twins whenever I can. This is one case where reading the books doesn't just translate into immediate proficiency.

While we had the most fun during music class, our first Friday of the school year was busy and fun; if not particularly newsworthy. After school, Rowen and I started out our weekend by getting approval for a sleepover at my house. That worked out especially well for me when we found out that our Friday night dinner and a movie was being changed to dinner and a football game at the school.

Yeah, just when I would have liked it to rain all night, the weather decided to cooperate with the football players and fans. It stopped raining a couple of hours before game time. The fact that we ended up watching the home opener tonight was partly my own fault, since I did talk to Mom and Dad about the inevitability of needing to attend a game now and then. They must have decided that it was a little piece of Witch Falls entertainment that I needed to experience sooner instead of later.

That change in plans also meant that we had another easy-dinner night, and then we headed for the school; dressed appropriately for a cool night. My disinterest in football in general didn't mean that I was oblivious to how popular the home games were. Despite the earlier rain, and rapidly dropping temperature, the bleachers were nearly full. There were concessions being run as a fundraiser for the team selling snacks, drinks, and even a few team souvenirs. We picked up a few things before finding a spot in the bleachers were we could all sit together; and then settled in to wait and chat with the people closest to us for the ten minutes or so we had until the kick-off.

I should probably start by conceding that watching a live game can be more fun than watching a game on television, but that's as much because of everything that's going on around the field as the action on the gridiron. Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam all remembered watching games when Lee Landry played for our high school team, and they all thought that watching Kyle Landry playing tonight was like a flashback to those games. I heard quite a few similar comments from other people, and whether it was true or not, everyone seemed to think that Kyle was as good a player as his father had been. That must be a tough reputation to live up to. I sure hope Kyle doesn't try bench-pressing combines!

Our home opener was against division rival Maple Valley. I was told that these matches are usually fairly competitive, but I wouldn't exactly say that was the case tonight. We have a defensive team, and though Kyle isn't a senior; he is undoubtedly the team leader. He plays both sides of the ball sometimes, but it's on defense that he really shines. Tonight he had two interceptions; two fumble recoveries; and out of those four chances, he scored two defensive touchdowns. I seriously doubt that the Maple Valley quarterback will remember how many times he was sacked tonight. Most guys getting hit that often might have trouble remembering their own name. Even though our team isn't exactly an offensive powerhouse, when you have great field position at the start of nearly every possession, you don't need to be spectacular – especially when your opponent isn't being allowed to score anything except the occasional field goal.

Final score: forty to nine.

We stayed for a bit of the post-game mingling, but didn't stay too long. Ethan and Ehlana were tired by then; and we all wanted to get home and have hot drinks and a snack. Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Nick, and Aunt Deborah came back with us for that; and the three couples have been hanging out in the living room since putting Ethan and Ehlana to bed. Rowen and I came up to my room after finishing our cups of hot chocolate and bakery treats; and we've been snuggled in bed with Mandy and our computers since then.

I haven't gotten any extra work done, but that's mostly because we're both tired; and other than listening to some music and talking about some of the extra-curricular activities that we saw while at the game; neither one of us is particularly motivated or interested in pulling an all-nighter movie or gaming night. In fact, Rowen's actually drifting off to sleep as I write this – while her computer is still on and she's propped up with some pillows. I'd say that's a sign to tell us that we both need to get some sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie; and goodnight to you too, Rowen!"

Saturday, September 8, 2012

We spent the entire day doing yard and house work from the time we finished breakfast until a bit after seven when we wrapped up for the day and had dinner. I'd give you the list of all the work we did, but I'm too tired now to even think about all of it again.

There was time after that for us to play with Ethan and Ehlana, but then I went to soak in my Jacuzzi while Mom and Dad did the bedtime bath and story with them. I'm in bed with Mandy now; Mom and Dad stopped in to say goodnight to me too; I've caught up on my email; and once I'm finished writing this, I'm going to be offline for the rest of the night.

I'm done.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, September 9, 2012

It's been getting cool at night, which means that we need to dress warm for Tai Chi by the river; but having a cooler day yesterday was good for working, and we've had a beautiful, warm Sunday.

That worked out great for Rowen and me; since we were having a play day. Now that summer was over, her parents were cutting back to six days a week at the store too; and we celebrated that with a barbeque lunch at their house that included Rowen's grandparents, our family, and a few friends.

Not having the store open didn't mean no work on Sundays for Rowen's parents anymore than keeping office hours from Monday to Friday meant that my Dad played all weekend. Rowen and I helped with the lunch clean-up, but then we took Ethan and Ehlana to play at the park while our favorite adults all got on with their respective afternoon plans. There were some picnics going on at the park, so there were lots of kids to play with; though that also meant that Ethan and Ehlana had to take shorter turns on the swings, and wait in small queues to go down slides that Rowen and I had to team up for with one of us at each end of the slide. I can tell you for sure that my brother, sister, and I all inherited a streak of daredevil in us. They have no fear of anything at the playground. My own tendencies toward adventure don't extend to them, though, and I now have a pretty good idea what Mom probably went through with me when I was their age. (And probably still does; considering some of our recent adventures.)

We ended up playing with Ethan and Ehlana straight through until Rowen needed to go home at five; and then I helped Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Leanne with making dinner while Grandpa and Uncle Adam played with Ethan and Ehlana; and Dad finished up his work in the office. The dinner conversation included everything from future plans to upcoming trips to Arizona. After eating and cleaning up, we moved into the living room to watch some television and just enjoy a couple of quiet hours together, and then Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne left when it was time for Ethan and Ehlana to go to bed.

I came up to my room after the twins were tucked in for the night, but I've been busy with some Jacuzzi time, and a lot of computing that's included my usual nightly checks; some archive studying; and an hour immersed in Portuguese. It's heading toward twelve-thirty; there isn't anything else to report; and I've had enough fun for today, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, September 10, 2012

The back-to-school transition is just about complete now that we're into week two. While there are always some kids and teens needing a little more time to adjust from summer freedom to the daily grind of classes and homework; most of us are settling in, getting on with the work, and trying to have as much fun as we can while we do that.

I don't have much particularly exciting to report from school today, but while I was busy playing Grade Seven student, one of the things I spent some time thinking a lot about was how different Magi students handle sports. Mom and I have both written about our own experiences, but there really isn't all that much written about things like this in the archives. From what we've been told, there also aren't any specific rules in place for the Magi in Witch Falls either – except that they're - we're – obviously not allowed to overtly use our Magi powers overtly.

What's interesting to me is how the individual Magi handle dealing with that compared to how I do. For instance, in Rowen's case, before meeting me, she didn't really compete in sports despite the fact that she could easily have been one of the best in her class at everything. Her abilities don't extend quite to the same level as mine do, but we do still need to hold back when we play baseball or during gym class – especially right now when so many of the other girls have a significant height and strength advantage.

The other kid and teen Magi pretty much run the range from not showing any above-average talent for sports to being among the best in the school. That alone is interesting when compared to the fact that every Magi hasn't seemed to feel the same need to blend in when it comes to their academics. Every adult Magi is a top college graduate or student in their respective fields; and every Magi kid and teen is at or near the top of their class at school. I suppose it would bring too much unwanted attention to our little town to have every Magi collegian also be top college athletes, and doing that won't be an option for me; but I can't help but wonder how much fun it would be if we could all have some place to play where we could actually find out just how good we could be both with and without using our Magi gifts.

Getting to throw two-hundred mile-an-hour curve balls would be awesome, but then so would playing against someone who could then hit it too. The vampires in the Twilight movies wouldn't have a chance against a Magi-powered team!

Getting back on topic, I've added some notes to our Magi Project archive; and will be studying this more. I think that the way we – Magi – deal with this sort of thing should change; or we should at least give the kids more guidance. I can tell you from experience that it's not always easy to hold back and be less than you are; and I'm finding out that it's even tougher to do when you're heading into the teen years.

Moving along, I don't really have any other school news, but music was the best class of the day – even though Mrs. Robinson had us working on basic music theory for nearly half of the lesson before continuing a rotation that would eventually have each of us trying out every instrument at least once. We found out that band practices are starting this week too, and though nobody in our class will be joining; this was the first time I actually paid much attention to the news, and Rowen and I are even thinking about sitting in on a couple of practices to find out what it's like if Mrs. Robinson will let us.

After school, Rowen and I did the snack and daily re-cap with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana. The twins are sure that they had a more exciting day than we did; and they're probably right. Their new schedule started today, and the Magi lesson and morning play session with Naomi this morning was the highlight of their day so far. Naomi was going to start spending most Monday and Wednesday mornings with them; and starting this week, Ethan and Ehlana were going to spend Friday mornings with her at the KidZone daycare. That was going to be as much for Mom and for them; and she planned on using her morning off doing the major weekly grocery and supply shopping.

Snack and story time was followed by a homework session in the lounge for Rowen and me; and then we had time to ride our bikes and play at the park for about an hour before splitting up and going home for the night. We didn't have any guests for dinner, and Ethan, Ehlana, and I liked having Mom and Dad to ourselves for a couple of hours; but Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over just as we finished cleaning up. Uncle Adam was doing a Healing lesson with Mom and me, and then Aunt Leanne was going to do some family business work with Mom after that.

Between that Healing lesson; helping with Ethan and Ehlana's bedtime routine; and doing my own nightly computing, archive and language studies, and a long messaging chat with Rowen; I've been keeping busy. It's going on one o'clock now; and time to get some sleep, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I imagine that everyone in the world who knows about what happened in New York on 9/11 is at least thinking about it today, even if the commemoration isn't the big deal it was last year on the tenth anniversary.

Mrs. Warren did talk about it during History class this morning, but there wasn't an assembly or any school-wide commemoration. It's actually been a fairly normal, quiet day at school; and that's probably a good thing. Our Day Two classes aren't quite as much fun as Day One, but ending the day with Art and Computers is good, and while Rowen and I won't be taking the art world by storm with our efforts; we do really like the drawing and painting we've been doing for the first module.

It's been a work night since getting home from school; though I stopped in for a visit with Rowen's parents first. My homework and family business work kept me busy until nearly nine, and then Mom did a lesson with me after putting Ethan and Ehlana to bed. I've decided to go to sleep early instead of staying up late to study; though I did my archive reading from Mom's lesson while having a soak in my Jacuzzi. I'm in bed with Mandy now; just finished a quick email check before getting to this; and since I've covered what little news I have for today, I'm going to leave you with this little 9/11 commemoration, and call it a night.

The Angels Cried

I remember the day before it happened

The rain fell down, cleansing the city

Just another rainy day

As we went about our lives

If we could have this day back again

Would we have done anything different

If we had known

If only we had known

Chorus

But Heaven knew

What was going to happen

The gates were open wide

To welcome thousands

It wasn't just

Another rainy day

For on the day before it happened

The angels cried

I remember the morning that it happened

The sky was clear, the sun so bright

Then the world came crashing down

And so many lives were lost

If we could have this day back again

Would we have done anything different

If we had known

If only we had known

Chorus

But Heaven knew

What was going to happen

The gates were open wide

To welcome thousands

It wasn't just

Another rainy day

For on the day before it happened

The angels cried

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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

It's been another beautiful day here, and even though we were at school, that did allow us to have Phys-Ed outdoors; lunch time is always better when we can escape from the building for a while; and just having bright sunshine to look out the windows at feels better than it does on bad weather days.

Why am I writing about the weather?

Because I'm trying to avoid writing about what has been on my mind off and on all day. No matter how much I might wish it to be different, it seems that ignoring or avoiding the favorite extra-curricular activity of nearly every tween and teen in town is impossible.

Avoidance got less likely today, and while I'm not suggesting that I'd rather be oblivious to what's going on around me; sometimes it's not fun being an empath.

Rowen crossed over today – or she did for a few minutes of temporary insanity. She came back this time, but the writing's on the wall; and I'm going to have to deal with being the last sane Grade Seven student in our school while also figuring out how to support my best friend as she descends slowly into madness.

Okay, so that's just a bit over the top, but you know what I mean.

The 'moment' came while we were at the park this afternoon. I'll skip the rest of it, but let's just say that by then; I'd already had enough of the boy-girl goofiness that seemed especially intense among our classmates today. We'd already done the after-school snack with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana, and finished our homework, before biking over to the park. As usual during football season, there were boys playing a pick-up match there; while a group of girls were sitting on the bleachers playing their usual part in the other game going on there – the only one they were really interested in. Rowen and I rode over to the football field first; mostly just to talk with some of our friends for a few minutes before moving on.

We'd been sitting on our bikes next to the bleachers that the rest of the girls were sitting for a few minutes when one of the guys in our class scored a touchdown on a long pass and run play. I'll leave the names out for Rowen's benefit, but when the girl in our class who is currently chasing touchdown boy started bouncing around and cheering for him; and Rowen saw his reaction to her attention; that was the moment when she crossed over.

Just as an aside, if jealousy can cause you to cross over; I wonder if it's ever been a trigger to launch a strong latent across the line into having usable Magi power. Violet's trigger had been different, but then anger had triggered other involuntary uses; so I suspect strong jealousy could have the same effect.

Studying that would be more interesting, but would just be another way of avoiding this little problem of mine.

I know what you're going to be thinking when you read this some day, Aunt Leanne; and no, not even having my best friend cross over ahead of me is going to pull or push me into making the leap too. My personal preference would be to just skip the next couple of years and just meet the rest of the kids my age on the other side once they've passed through the crazy years. No, I'm sure that won't happen, but I might be able to shorten the time I'll be stuck in the middle of it all.

Getting back to Rowen, as I mentioned already, she did come back over the line again, but I know that it'll happen again, and eventually; she'll stay on the other side for good. When she does; I'm going to have to figure out how to handle doing all of the things she'll want to do with the other girls when the last thing I want to do is sit around; talk about boys; moon over them; chase them; or giggle over every lame joke or amazing, ridiculous feat that the boys attempt to impress with.

If that sounds harsh, ask yourself how you'd feel if you were a PhD student, and the guys all sat around trying to impress you with belching, drinking, and eating contests.

Oh wait – that pretty much describes every college comedy movie ever made; but I'm sure you get my point.

Rowen and I went on to go for a ride around the park shortly after that moment, and she didn't want to be anywhere around that football game after that. She was even quieter than usual too, and we split up and went home or to the computer store a half hour before we needed to be back. I'm sure Rowen's had even more to think about that I have; though she didn't talk about any of it when we were chatting on the computer earlier.

I had dinner with Mom, Dad, and the twins; Mom did a Magi lesson with us; I helped her with the bath and bedtime routine for Ethan and Ehlana; and I've been working on my computer in my room since they went to bed. Archive and language studies; email; a bit of family business work; the chat with Rowen; and the usual nightly news, entertainment, and sports check didn't really keep me distracted enough, though it has at least helped to make me tired. Maybe that will keep me from having dreams tonight that have Rowen and me in the middle of endless moments of tween angst. I have a feeling there will be more than enough of that going on in the real world for us in the not-nearly-distant-enough future.

With Halloween coming up, even the timing for this is scary!

That's enough for today.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Happy 12th birthday, Karla!

It's been a rainy afternoon and evening, but I hope Karla's had a fun time at her birthday party. Rowen and I weren't on the guest list, and despite Rowen's recent close call; I'm sure she was as glad as I was not to be going to the boy-girl party. In her case, I'll guess that at least a small part of the reason for that is because she doesn't want to be around to witness anything that might push her across the line again.

Our afternoon and evening would probably rate as boring by comparison to the rest of our classmates, but I was quite happy to go home and work on my homework and the family business until dinnertime while Rowen was working at the computer store. Game night at the Inn was quieter than usual for Rowen and me because we were the only two kids in our class playing tonight. It's not like we ever have even half of the kids in our class at the Inn on Thursdays; but it was different having nobody else there. I don't know if having Dad away in the city next week made a difference, but he and Mom won the senior championship this week; and Miranda was already talking about partnering up with Mom next week to get in on a chance for a possible repeat win. Considering their record; I'd say their chances are pretty good.

When we got home, Ethan and Ehlana were popped into the tub so they'd be squeaky clean for their first Friday morning visit to KidZone. Mom and I took care of that while Dad started on his homework in the office. We all did the bedtime snack and story together; I helped get the twins into their beds; and have been working on my computer since getting changed and into bed with Mandy. I skipped the archive studies, and have only done about an hour of work on my languages, but we've got a few busy days ahead, and I'm going to get a little extra sleep tonight, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, September 14, 2012

The top news story for our class at school today was Karla's birthday party. I'm going to skip writing about who was getting cozy with whom; and be glad that I wasn't there to witness any of the action. Hearing about most of it today was bad enough. We had our first Day Two schedule Friday, and I definitely like ending the school week with our Day One classes better; though Rowen and I still had a pretty good day too despite the ongoing party re-hash that kept most of our classmates entertained.

Rowen and I did our homework after school, and then rode our bikes and played at the park until it was time to head home for our dinner and a movie night. There was another home football game tonight too, and I did check the town intranet to find out that our team won again; but Rowen and I were both good with staying home and spending the evening with my family.

I haven't written much about Aunt Deborah's pregnancy here; and probably should more often. She's dealing with morning sickness every day, but that's been fairly mild so far; and she hasn't even needed to take any time off from the clinic. There apparently aren't any major food gross-outs for her either, and everything else about her pregnancy is going great.

We had dinner in the dining room; cleaned up the kitchen; and then moved on to the living room to watch a comedy together. Grandma, Grandpa, Rowen, and I took care of Ethan and Ehlana's bedtime routine after that while Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, Aunt Deborah, and Uncle Nick stayed in the living room for a little couples' chat time; and then all three of them headed for their homes once the twins were tucked in for the night.

I've been in my room since shortly after seeing Rowen out, and worked on my language studies; some Magi Project archive research; and the usual nightly computing that included reading about the football game highlights – though I'm sure that I'll hear about the real, non-game-related highlights at school on Monday. We're going to be busy with the never-ending yard work in the morning, and I've already stayed up later than I should; so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, September 15, 2012

I'll take a wild guess that Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and the rest of their usual gang are having more fun tonight than Rowen and me.

Reasons why Number one and two: Patrick and Scott.

While our favorite adults – including Rowen's parents – are playing at Sheldon's Pub; we're doing a sleepover at Rowen's house that includes watching Patrick and Scott while Patricia and Owen are out. I can tell you that it isn't easy to put up with those two boys and not use a little Magi power to keep them under control. We might have had an easier time if Ethan and Ehlana were here too, but I'm sure they're really happy to be spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa instead.

Watching an action movie; playing video games; and making pizzas for a late night snack wasn't enough to keep the boys from their usual pranks, gags, and goofiness. Rowen and I especially loved getting to pick Bits and Bites out of our hair after a little one-sided food fight. The pranks and gags mostly happened after Patrick and Scott supposedly went up to bed, and Rowen and I sat in the living room and tried to watch another movie that wasn't all about blowing stuff up now and then in between fight scenes. It wasn't until they heard the minivan in the driveway that the boys suddenly decided that at least pretending to be asleep was a good idea.

Rowen and I were required by tradition to assure her parents that everything had been fine while they were out, though I'm sure they didn't believe that for a second. We had a little chat with them before we all came upstairs to bed, and Rowen and I have been chatting and computing since getting changed and into her bed. I haven't written about the rest of my day, but it was just a standard yard and house work morning; nothing particularly interesting happened while Rowen and I were biking and playing this afternoon; we've got church in the morning; and it's late enough that we should both be sleeping. Time to call it a night!

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie – and goodnight to you too, Rowen."

Sunday, September 16, 2012

I'm keeping this short tonight; skipping any extra work; and going to sleep early.

I'm glad that Mom and Dad enjoyed their kid-free night; and don't want to know the details. Ditto that for why Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam were so happy today too.

For me, Tai Chi for one in Rowen's back yard was the only quiet time I had until after dinner. Patrick and Scott were in fine form before, during, and after breakfast; though Rowen and I did manage to eat and get ready for church despite the ongoing interruptions from the boys. We traded that annoyance for some usually-whispered girl chat that was mostly about guys and girls at Friday night football games before, during, and after church and Sunday school. That might have been okay to get out of the way a day early if I didn't know for sure that weekend romance updates were a required and unavoidable part of the school gossip network every Monday.

We had the Emersons over for lunch after church, and then Rowen and I were free to play for the afternoon while Dad was busy getting ready for his week in the city; Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana were doing their own thing; and Rowen's parents went home to catch up on some work around the house now that they had a day off where they could do that. We went for a bike ride; did a little exploring along the ridge in the woods at the park; and hung out at the playground for a while – not really much of a difference from our Saturday afternoon.

Mom and Dad decided to have dinner at the Inn instead of cooking, and it wasn't hard to convince Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne to come with us for the early buffet. That was fun, and so was the Transmutation lesson that Mom did with me after we got home, but once we finished getting Ethan and Ehlana bathed, changed, and tucked into bed; I was ready to come up to bed too. With Dad away, it's going to be a busy week, and I'll have some late nights, so that's it for tonight.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, September 17, 2012

Our morning started out early so that Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I could all see Dad before he left for Crystal Springs, but then four of us were able to have a little cuddle and nap together in Mom and Dad's bed before we needed to get moving again too. Tai Chi by the river seemed a bit less fun without Dad; and the dull, cloudy sky matched the part of me that was missing my father. There was rain in the forecast, but we didn't actually get any; and ended up having a nice day – especially by the time we were finished school when Rowen and I were ready to play.

Before we get to that, it was a good day at school. As usual for a Monday, the guys talked football a lot while the girls talked about boys; the latest entertainment gossip on the web; shopping; and some random local weekend gossip. Rowen really didn't want to be around for certain parts of the chats about boys; and I was happy to help her out by hanging out together in the school yard at lunch, and staying out of the pack between classes. Phys-Ed was outdoors, and Rowen and I paired up for the cross-country run that included a lap of the path around the park. We may be vertically challenged compared to the other girls in our class right now, but that doesn't really matter for longer runs. We were the first runners back to the school; though I'm sure that at least some of our classmates were taking advantage of the time away from direct supervision – a theory that was all but proven when the last group of runners returned with just a few minutes left before lunch.

Music class was the most fun this afternoon, and we again split the time between a theory lesson and two more rotations where we tried out different instruments. If you've ever been in beginner instrumental music classes, I'm sure you can relate to what it sounds like, and even though Rowen and I did better than most with everything we tried; we definitely contributed to the cacophony of noise that in no way resembled anything harmonic or melodic. That little detail didn't keep us from having a blast, though, and I really love having a class that is actually in a subject that's new and challenging for me.

With Dad away in the city, after Rowen and I did our homework, we took Ethan and Ehlana with us so Mom could have a break; and went to the park. Our first stop was the football field; mostly because Ethan and Ehlana wanted to see Rebecca and Jenny, and watch the boys playing football. Ethan didn't just want to watch; he ran out onto the field right away; and then he and Michael earned some laughs when Michael helped him to score a touchdown before running him back to us and dropping him off in Rebecca's lap. While we'd planned on taking Ethan and Ehlana over to the playground, they wanted to stay; I could sense that Rowen did too; and since that unofficial, silent vote left me in the minority; we stayed until the pick-up game ended, and it was time for us to head home.

Rowen stayed for dinner with us, but then she needed to head home; and we had Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne coming over for a Healing lesson and family business work session. By the end of the evening, the big news for us was that Mom was doing an overnight trip to Crystal Springs sometime in the morning; I was going to have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house; and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were going to get the twins for the night at their place. I'll guess that Aunt Leanne had the idea in mind well ahead of time; since it didn't take very long for her to get our grandparents on board, or have Alicia set up to pick-up the twins from their house after school.

Spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa will be fun, but Mom and I have both been doing some extra work in the office since Ethan and Ehlana went to bed and Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam went home. I've finished the archive studies that went with the healing lesson tonight; practiced languages for an hour; took care of a bit of family business work; and did the rest of my usual nightly computing. It's now after one, and Mom's decided that we both need to pack up and get some sleep, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

I definitely need to find a way to spend more time with Grandma and Grandpa when it's just the three of us.

It was a quiet day at school, and I went over to their house after walking Rowen to the computer store. Alicia was already there by then, and was just about ready to take Ethan and Ehlana out for a visit to the office to see Aunt Leanne before taking them on to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house; where she was going to babysit them until Aunt Leanne got home from work.

I got my studying and family business work out of the way first; having fun with Grandma and Grandpa while showing them my Magi-powered computing. We had dinner at home; went for a walk that included quite a few front porch chats; and then went home again to watch television for a couple of hours before they were tired out and ready for bed. It felt strange not having Mandy to cuddle with, since we decided to leave her at home; but the rest of my night has been pretty normal – except that it's barely past midnight, and I'm finished my work and ready to get some sleep. Hopefully Mom and Dad are enjoying their alone time too; but except for their dinner out with the Malloys, I doubt I'll want to hear most of the details. That's all I have for tonight, so it's time to...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The top news that Mom brought back from Crystal Springs was about Angela, Terry, and their soon-to-be born baby. Angela is doing great, though she's wishing that the big day would get here sooner rather than later. Mom checked her out, and thinks that she still has at least another week to go before Angela and Terry will get to welcome their new bundle of joy.

While that was the top news, and Mom and Dad enjoyed spending a few hours with their friends, I'll guess that there were other reasons why Mom was still smiling as much as she was after Rowen and I got home from school. Ethan, Ehlana, and I are good with not hearing any of those stories. My after-school recap didn't take long, but Ethan and Ehlana had a lot to talk about while we had our snack; and even the parts of Mom's trip that she could talk about took a while. Rowen and I needed to do our homework after that, and then we took Ethan and Ehlana to the park again for a little play time.

They wanted to stop for another visit at the football field, but we didn't stay long this time; and spent most of our time at the playground before going home in time for dinner. Mom and I spent the evening playing with Ethan and Ehlana until they went to bed, and then we've been working in the office since then. I've mostly been studying languages and working in the archives, and Mom's been working on the family business. I should do an update about the family business, but I'm getting tired; so I'll do that tomorrow, and call it a night now.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, September 20, 2012

It's been a nearly all-work day for Mom and I today, except for a little play time with our friends at the Inn. Mom and Miranda won the game night senior championship; while Rowen and I mostly tried to ignore the classmate weirdness that had resumed after getting a break from it last Thursday night due to Karla's birthday party.

I also needed to dodge Aunt Leanne, since she seemed to be more interested in playing at matchmaker than in game night – which could be why she and Uncle Adam didn't even place top five this week. We really don't need to go there tonight; and I'd rather write an update on the family business instead; as promised in my journal entry last night.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's only been a bit more than a year and a half since I started helping out with the family business; and only a bit longer than that for Aunt Leanne, Miranda, and the others. When you think about all of these changes, it's amazing just how perfect the timing has been – both for the success of our family business, and because there is more need for our charities in nearly every country around the world.

Considering the state of the global economy, our businesses are doing exceptionally well too. We've managed to expand while also increasing our charity work; increasing our family business value by about twenty-five billion dollars since that first night when Mom started telling Dad and Aunt Leanne about everything. We'll be getting more people involved in helping us to do even more; though any growth we achieve will be done solely to give us the ability to do even more with our charities. We'll need to do everything we can for that; since there will be much greater need between now and the Ascension of the Light.

For my little part of the family business, I can report that nearly all of my companies are doing great. I'm mostly working on Christmas now except for a few retail-related issues for Halloween. There are always ongoing projects and normal business operations for me to keep track of; but I'm keeping up with the regular work now without any trouble.

I do get tired, though, and since getting home and helping Mom get Ethan and Ehlana off to sleep; she and I have been working in the office. It's nearly one o'clock, and I've had enough fun for the day, so I'm going to pack up and go to bed.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, September 21, 2012

The top Grade Seven news today, at least for Rowen and me, was that we got to pick our instruments in music class!

Since Mrs. Robinson wanted to have some balance, and there are a limited number of instruments, we were supposed to be ready with our top three choices. That wasn't an issue for Rowen, not only because she's alphabetically advantaged; but she was also the only kid in our class to pick the flute. I had to wait nervously for a while, but then I was the first to pick the saxophone. Some of our classmates were a bit disappointed, and needed to pick second choices; but I don't think anyone had to choose an instrument that they really didn't want to learn to play.

While Rowen and I were very happy campers, not all was well in music class. We didn't even hear about it until after school, but Michael is in the doghouse with Vanessa for picking the saxophone too; apparently because he was supposed to pick the trumpet like his best buddy Tim had. She'd needed to choose her instrument ahead of Michael, and is regretting picking the trumpet once she found out that the main reason for her choice wouldn't be sitting next to her in music class for the rest of the year. I'm sure that Michael knows that she's annoyed with him, but then there's a good chance that everyone playing or watching the pick-up football game at the park this afternoon noticed the frosty glares; overheard loudly whispered comments; and caught the full range of usual tween girl danger signs that Vanessa was really quite good at doing.

Yes, that does mean that Rowen, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were at the park again after school, and we watched a bit of the football game; but we didn't stick around to watch the extra-curricular action. We spent most of our time at the playground, and then went home in time to have dinner with Mom. We weren't doing a dinner and a movie night this weekend, but Rowen was spending the evening with us so we could spend some time playing around with the flute and saxophone we were able to bring home for the weekend for the first time.

Ethan and Ehlana wanted to watch us practice, but I spared the rest of Witch Falls from the agony by putting sound wards up around my room so that nobody else had to hear our feeble attempts to make music come out of our instruments. My photographic memory will come in handy when it's my brother's and sister's turn in about eleven years; though their giggles and comments did just make our practice time more fun. Patricia and Owen picked Rowen up on their way home from the store, and since Dad was home by then too; they stayed for a little snack and chat.

While I'm thinking about that, I really hope that the saxophone jokes don't go on endlessly; and quite a few of them are just wrong to be teasing an eleven-year old about. I've heard quite a few of them today; though most of them were overheard, and directed at Michael instead of me. I don't even want to think about what Aunt Leanne will have to say the next time I see her – especially since she'll likely be putting those jokes into a way too personal context. If she spreads too many comments around about Michael and me, though, I'll likely be the next person in Vanessa's doghouse. Just the thought of that has me wondering if I should be annoyed with Michael for not picking the trumpet too!

Let's move along, and I may or may not write about Aunt Leanne's reaction and comments to this little news nugget.

I miss Dad every week when he's in the city, but welcome home night is always fun; and after the Emersons went home, we stayed up and had a long telepathic chat and cuddle time in the living room. It was after eleven by the time Ethan and Ehlana were tucked in and I came up to my room; and I've been working on my computer since then. Rowen and I are doing a sleepover tomorrow night, so I wasn't going to do much work or studying; but I wasn't sleepy, and have somehow managed to keep busy for more than two hours now. That's included some family business reading; a chat in Spanish with a girl in Peru; and I worked in the Magi Project archive for a while.

Sleeping in isn't going to be an option, and though I'm still not really all that tired; I'm going to wrap this up and at least try to get some sleep. The yard work all morning isn't exactly all fun and games, but the afternoon trail ride, and the movie night and sleepover here with Rowen will be; and I should be ready for another late night, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Stop laughing, Rowen. Aunt Leanne's jokes are a lot funnier when they're not aimed at me.

I should say that Rowen's still laughing; since she thought the jokes were just as funny this afternoon when Aunt Leanne was teasing me while we were on our trail ride. There wasn't anything I could say to slow Aunt Leanne down; and I'm seriously wishing that I'd picked a different instrument – or that Michael had. Since Rowen thinks I should; here are some of her favorite jokes from today.

What's the difference between a sax player and a mosquito?

The mosquito will stop sucking if you smack it on the forehead.

Why did Adolphe Sax invent the saxophone?

Because he hated mankind; but couldn't invent the atomic bomb.

What's the difference between a saxophone and a lawnmower?

Vibrato.

What's the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a saxophone?

You need to plug the vacuum in first before it sucks.

And Dad's favorite:

What do a lawsuit and a saxophone have in common?

Everyone's happy when the case is closed.

I'll skip writing about any of the jokes or comments relating to sax, saxy, and the rest; but I'm sure you can guess most of them without my help. Rowen can get away with laughing at me about this because there just aren't that many jokes about flutes.

There isn't really much news from around town. Yard cleanup included the usual weekly work; the trail ride was great even with Aunt Leanne's matchmaking-related humor; and we had dinner together before Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne headed home for a date night in. Rowen and I had Ethan and Ehlana with us in the lounge for another short music practice and our first movie while Mom and Dad did some work in the office. We did the bedtime snack with them after that, and helped to get the twins tucked in for the night before returning to the lounge again. We've just finished our second movie, and have been surfing the net and chatting telepathically. We're going to start a third movie, but it's time to take a little break; and we're going to grab pillows and blankets in case we fall asleep on the sofa.

It's not goodnight time for me quite yet, but then George and Gracie didn't likely hop into bed right after their shows either, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, September 23, 2012

I didn't mention it yesterday, but it's definitely felt like we're heading into Fall this weekend. It was downright frosty this morning when we went outside for Tai Chi by the river. The good weather news for this week is that it's going to get hot again, but then there's supposed to be rain coming along with the warm.

The weather didn't really affect my day much except for dressing more warmly. Other than Tai Chi, church, and an afternoon visit to the park; I didn't even go outside much. Rowen and I spent most of the afternoon in the lounge. We got our homework done right after lunch; played around with the saxophone and flute; and had a long telepathic chat with Ethan, Ehlana, and Mandy. The trip to the park was mostly because the Ethan and Ehlana wanted to get outside for some fresh air, and then we walked Rowen over to her house and had a quick visit with her parents before going home in time for me to help Mom and Grandma with making dinner.

Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam were booked for dinner with his family today, so we had Grandma and Grandpa to ourselves; and I was spared any more teasing about either saxophones or the potential love connections with other saxophonists. I was a bit surprised that Grandpa didn't have a few jokes, but maybe he isn't any more interested in thinking about me getting into the dating game than Dad is. Whatever the reason, I'm glad that the dinner conversation was mostly about the family business work going on around town and Grandma and Grandpa's travel plans for their trip to Arizona. It's hard to believe that they'll be heading south in just over three weeks!

Mom's keeping a record of the work going on around Witch Falls, but since we talked about it a lot tonight; I should probably include an update. The road construction is still really just getting started, but the three new roads that mark the boundaries of the new section of town have been dug; and the water and sewage lines are going in too. Oak Park Ave is the road closest to Rowen's back yard; and it will eventually be a through street to River Road; though not until the bridge over the Ridge River is built. Riverbend Drive follows the river east from Oak Park; with Orchard Place completing the loop back to Witch Falls Road. There will be two more roads between Oak Park and Orchard Place; but construction for them won't likely start until Spring. Everything for that part of our future plans is on or ahead of schedule.

As for Grandma and Grandpa's trip to Arizona, Ethan and Ehlana are talking about hiding in their luggage, but I think they should consider talking Mom and Dad into taking them there for a visit sometime before Thanksgiving. If they kept it to just a long weekend or something; I might even get to skip a day or two of school and go along! We should definitely make sure that Ethan and Ehlana get to do more fun travelling than I got to do while Mom and I were busy playing hide and seek with the Hathornes.

Grandma and Grandpa stayed for a while after dinner, and took care of Ethan and Ehlana while Mom did a Magi lesson with me and Dad was finishing up his work in the office. They went home at a bit after eight-thirty, and I helped Mom with the bath and bedtime routine for the twins. We did the bedtime story in the office with Dad, and then I came straight up to my room once Ethan and Ehlana were tucked into their beds. I've been doing my usual nightly computing while enjoying a bit of quality time with my Jacuzzi, but it's time to get out and ready for bed. It's been a while since I've had eight solid hours of sleep, and I'm going to make sure that happens between now and morning, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, September 24, 2012

You won't be surprised to find out that my top school news was our first music class where we really started learning how to play our chosen instruments. Aunt Leanne is sure that's because of the saxophone player I'm sitting beside. That is partly true, but only because Michael knows a lot about music, and is helping me even though playing the saxophone is new to him too. Anyway, we, as a group, aren't exactly making music right now; but we did have a lot of fun trying today!

As usual, the Monday morning gossip network was all about football for the boys; and weekend updates on just about everything for the girls. Our football team had a big away game win at Sweetwater Ponds with a fifty-six to twenty-seven win. They'll be on the road again this Friday, and only have one home game in the next four weeks. I'll skip the recap on the girls' gossip, except to mention that Sally Reynolds handed out invitations for her birthday party today. The big news there is that she's having her first boy-girl birthday party. Since she was the first kid in Witch Falls to invite me to a birthday party, I won't hold that against her; but I'm sure that's going to be another weird day for Rowen and me.

There isn't much else to report from school, and after getting home and having a snack with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; Rowen and I went up to the lounge to get our homework done. Rowen signed out a flute again, and that's another advantage for her choice – it's small enough to be tucked into her computer bag; while I'll have an extra case to carry. Since I had a healing lesson tonight, I didn't sign out a saxophone, but we're both thinking about using part of our lunch hours on our Day Two schedule to practice in the music room. That way we'll get some practice time in every day.

It didn't take long to get our homework done, thanks to a little Magi power, but we stayed upstairs and mostly just talked and listened to music for a while before collecting Ethan and Ehlana on our way out; and walking over to the park. Our first stop was the bleachers at the football field, where my adorable little brother and sister continued to wrap every girl there around their little fingers; and probably more than a few of the boys. I should probably be suspicious that they're also working for Aunt Leanne's matchmaking service, but it's just too funny to watch them when Ethan runs off to join the football game, or Ehlana needs hugs from Michael when he returns her adventurous twin, to be upset that they might have an ulterior motive.

While I'd have rather spent all of our time at the playground, Rowen wanted to watch the football game but didn't like seeing some of the sidelines action. She had at least one more temporary crossover moment; and I have a feeling that she was thinking a lot about what she could do with her Magi gifts right about then if only we didn't have all of those pesky Magi Council rules. I wish I could do more to help Rowen with that, but I can't tell her what Ethan, Ehlana, and I know about her future. Since she really is going to be my best friend forever, we know more about her future than most, but we're still talking about what's meant to be; and though that can change, I am sure that Rowen's not meant to know about her future the way that my brother, sister, and I are meant to know so much of ours.

So we watched football and talked with Rebecca, Jenny, and some of the other girls for about forty-five minutes, and then took Ethan and Ehlana to the playground for some swing and slide action until we needed to be home for dinner. Rowen went on from out house to the store after picking up her computer bag, and I helped Mom with making dinner while Ethan and Ehlana supervised and played with their iPads. Dad joined in to help out after getting home a bit late from the office, and then we had to hurry through dinner and the cleanup so we were ready when Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over.

Mom did the healing lesson with Uncle Adam and me first, and then we all moved into the office for a family business and future plans meeting. Most of that was just updates on what everyone was doing now; and the planning was all about getting ready for the construction and work that will be starting in the spring. While I'm thinking about that, I'll mention that we've heard nothing so far from Mark or Aunt Grace about whether they've made a decision about the job offers, but they are getting together for at least one weekend getaway that I've heard about; and I'm sure they are both thinking about it a lot. Aunt Leanne is wondering if we should do a bit more, but I don't think we'll need to do anything; and right now, I'd really appreciate it if Aunt Leanne would just stop her matchmaking efforts entirely for a while.

Yeah, I know; there's zero chance of that happening. Fortunately for us, the odds of getting another doctor in town are quite a bit higher!

The meeting wrapped up by a bit after ten. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne went home then, and Mom, Dad, and I did the bedtime snack and story with Ethan and Ehlana before tucking them in for the night. I came up to my room after that, and have been working on my usual nightly computing; the archive reading Mom assigned me from the healing lesson; and an hour of high-speed language studying. It's heading toward one-thirty, and I've had enough fun for today; so it's time to wrap this up and get some sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Some day, when I open up my personal archives for other Magi to read, I'm sure that Aunt Leanne will have something to say about this; but I could kiss Michael for deciding to have a guys' only birthday party this weekend. One boy-girl party for Sally's birthday a week from Friday is bad enough – two in just under a week would have been awful from my pre-crossover perspective. You know if he'd invited girls too that Miranda would have insisted that Rowen and I get invitations, so don't read anything into that kiss comment that isn't there.

Michael's upcoming party was news for the guys in our class; and a few other friends of his in other grades. A few of the girls were interested in the party too, but that was only because they were disappointed that they wouldn't be hanging out with their favorite guys while they were at the party. If Vanessa was over being annoyed with Michael for his uninformed choice of musical instrument on Friday; he was back in her doghouse for not wanting to spend his big day with her.

While birthday parties and the general density of certain boys were top chat topics today, there wasn't much else going on at school that was particularly newsworthy. Rowen and I spent a bit more than half of our lunch hour practicing in the music room, with the bonus of missing out on a lot of that girl chat time. Rowen and I were both working after school, and other than stopping to eat and going for a walk with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana after dinner; I've been working on my computer since getting home. I did my homework first; followed that up with a few hours of family business work; and have been studying languages and working in the archives since coming up to my room when Ethan and Ehlana went to bed.

I've had enough fun for today, so I'm going to wrap this up and call it a day.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

It's rained off and on all day, so Rowen and I spent our lunch and after school play time indoors. We signed out our saxophone and flute, and practiced both at lunch and after getting our homework done. Add in our music class, and we've spent at least a couple of hours practicing today.

There isn't really much to report from school, around town, or with my family. Other than homework and music, Rowen and I didn't do much else after school except listen to music, play with Ethan and Ehlana for a while, and have a long telepathic chat. Mom did a Magi lesson with me after dinner; I've done my usual nightly computing since coming up to bed; and now I'm ready to shut down and actually get to sleep before midnight for a change.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, September 27, 2012

It's been another fairly quiet day at school, and Rowen and I were working at the store and office after being set free from our last class; so dinner and game night at the Inn were the only breaks I've had since lunchtime.

The non-competition games were going on again this week too, and Vanessa appeared to have gotten over being mad at Michael; though I got the feeling that he was more worried about that sudden turnaround than he had been when she'd been upset. Rowen and I just tried to stay out of the way of all of that goofiness, as usual, and other than a couple of rotations where we needed to compete against our over-amorous classmates; we were fairly successful at doing that.

Have I mentioned how much I'd like to just skip the next few years? Yes, I'm sure I have. I'd think about skipping game night too, except it's one of the only chances I get to spend time with Miranda, Jacob, Stephanie, Jake, Dillon, Rebecca, and Jenny. Speaking of Dillon, he's heading to Woodvale on Saturday, and staying overnight at Violet's house, so I'm sure that you can guess he's a very happy camper right now. Jake and Stephanie were teasing him about getting to do weekends away with his girlfriend that their parents didn't allow them to go away for; but I'm sure Dillon and Violet would trade getting to see each other every day if they could – and it's not exactly like they'll be spending the night in a hotel room. I should have reminded all three of them about our amusement park trip, but then they're all pretending that they didn't make any room changes while we were there.

Moving along, since getting home, I helped out with the bedtime bath and story for Ethan and Ehlana; did a short Magi lesson with Mom in the office while Dad worked; and then got back to working on my computer while cuddling in bed with Mandy. I got the archive research from my lesson out of the way first; worked on language studies for over an hour; and then took care of a bit more family business work before finishing up with my regular nightly computing. I've had enough fun for one day, though, so I'm going to wrap this up and get some sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, September 28, 2012

Congratulations, Angela and Terry!

That's the big news for today – Valerie Anne Malloy made her appearance early this afternoon; and we made the flying trip to Crystal Springs so we could meet her; and share a bit of the first, happy moments with Dad's best college friends. Valerie was eight pounds and four ounces at birth; had all of the required fingers and toes; is perfectly healthy; and every bit as beautiful as her Mommy. While she's nearly a quarter bigger than Ethan and Ehlana were when they were born; she looked incredibly tiny in her Daddy's big arms when he first showed her to us. I'm sure that Valerie had his heart quite firmly wrapped around her little finger already too.

Angela was doing great too, though she was exhausted after being in labor for nearly twelve hours. They had nearly all of both families, and a lot of friends stopping in too; so we didn't actually get to spend much time with Terry or Angela. We did stay for nearly two hours, and Dad especially enjoyed spending some time with Angela and Terry's parents, brothers, and sisters; since he'd rarely seen them since college. That was fairly boring for Ethan, Ehlana, and some of the other younger kids; so I ended up helping to entertain them in a play room along with a couple of Angela's teenaged cousins.

We'd gone straight to the hospital from home, so when we left to head back to Witch Falls, we hit a drive-thru to get food; including a late-night snack that we delivered to Aunt Leanne when we got back to town. We stayed long enough to give her and Uncle Adam the baby and trip details, and by then it was long-past time to get Ethan and Ehlana home and in bed.

I haven't really gotten much computing done since climbing into bed with Mandy, but it's been a long, busy day; and we've got a big yard cleanup day to look forward to in the morning. With that in mind, it's time to...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Happy 12th Birthday, Michael!

There's a lot to write about today, but I'll start with the one piece of news that's been on my mind since this morning.

We – I – didn't want to risk messing up Michael's reputation on his big day, so Ethan, Ehlana, and I took his gift over to him right after breakfast. That worked out fine, especially since it was just him, Jake, and Rebecca there; and he liked the video games we'd picked out for him too. Since he had thank-you hugs for Ethan and Ehlana, I'm sure they sensed what I did when Michael's hand touched mine when I gave him the gifts and cards; but I seriously doubt it had the same impact on them as me.

More than anything else for his birthday, Michael wanted to spend the day with me.

I certainly wasn't expecting that, and I'm definitely not ready to handle it yet either. It took more than a little self-control to stay and finish our little visit, but I managed; and Ethan and Ehlana helped me by keeping Michael, Jake, and Stephanie busy until we could reasonably make our escape – I mean head home and get started on the yard work.

Thankfully, the yard work kept me busy almost all day, though that didn't stop me from thinking a lot about what I'd sensed so strongly from Michael. I can't keep anything like that from Mom, but she waited until after dinner to have a little girl chat with Ehlana and me while Dad and Ethan had some 'guy time'. My biggest problem with this boils down to the fact that I don't want to hurt Michael, and have no idea how I'm going to keep from doing that when I'm not interested in him – or any other boys – the way he's interested in me. Mom had some suggestions that might help, but she didn't exactly have any pre-teen romance issues to deal with when she was growing up; and I'm really not sure that anything I do, short of crossing over, will make any difference.

No, I'm not going to make that jump for anyone until I'm ready for it – which I am not.

I wasn't ready to talk about this with Rowen, but then she had other news for me when we had a little computer chat a little while ago after she got home from spending the evening with her family. Michael was having his birthday party at home, but had dinner with his friends at the Inn. The big news that Rowen witnessed first-hand while at the Inn with her parents, grandparents, and brother was that Vanessa just happened to be there for dinner with Nora and two of their friends too; and she rather publicly delivered a birthday gift, hug, and kiss to Michael while she was there. Apparently most of the girls thought that was adorable, while Rowen was sure that Michael was not happy about it at all – especially when his buddies all started razzing him, and Miranda teased him about being crushed that he didn't need birthday kisses from his Mommy anymore.

Considering all of the teasing I've been getting from Aunt Leanne over the past few months, I can definitely relate and commiserate. Rowen told me that Vanessa looked very happy with the results of her little birthday surprise, which must either mean that my perspective on this type of thing is completely warped; or she doesn't know Michael as well as she thinks she does. While we're on that line of thought, I know that cologne and after-shave are popular gifts for girls to give guys, but I can't help but think that nothing says I love you more than a present that strongly suggests that you don't smell particularly good; and need to do something about it.

Yeah, I know, but even if part of that sentiment is because I haven't crossed over yet, I really don't expect to change my opinion on the subject. It's one thing to help someone with perfume or cologne choices, but something else entirely to choose how you think they should smell.

I've had enough of that for today, so let's move along.

As I mentioned, we spent most of the day doing yard and house work. Mom and Alicia did most of the work in the house while Dad and I were busy outside. We haven't needed to deal with cleaning up leaves much yet, but there was still a lot of work to be done with the gardens; we washed the van and truck; did a bit of minor repair work on the dock; and took care of the rest of the usual chores. We only stopped for lunch and a couple of short breaks until finishing up at around four o'clock, and then I had time for a long, hot shower before helping Mom with making dinner.

The girl chat time was followed by a short Magi lesson that Dad and Ethan joined us for, and then we watched a movie together before going to bed. I've been working on my computer since then, mostly trying to keep busy and tire myself out. The chat with Rowen didn't exactly help settle me down, and neither did my language studies. Go figure, but the book I picked to read had a sweet teen romance tucked into what was otherwise a fairly decent mystery. My Portuguese writing practice was a book report that I thought was pretty good despite a little side-trip discussing the inundation of sex and romance that seems to be unavoidable and everywhere.

Don't believe me? Mom and Dad are not currently playing board games in their room. Yet another reason for me to keep distracted with anything else!

Writing about all of this isn't really helping either, so I'm going to wrap this up and move on to something mind-numbing – like random YouTube videos. Maybe that'll work.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Happy Birthday, Uncle Nick!

Wow, three birthdays in a row, including Valerie's. As if I didn't have enough reminders yesterday, Aunt Deborah had a few too many details for Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Liz about the birthday weekend away that she'd taken Uncle Nick away for in Crystal Springs when we all got together at our house for a pre-dinner social hour before going to the Inn for the late buffet. The news from Michael's birthday dinner had reached Aunt Leanne by then too, but I can at least thank Aunt Deborah for distracting her; and the comments she did have for me were passed along while we were at home, and not at the Inn.

I'd really like to leave it there and move along. Since it's the last day of the month, it'd be even better if we could leave the weird behind us in September too, but that's probably too much to ask.

After working yesterday, I had the afternoon off, and Rowen and I spent part of the time in the lounge practicing the sax and flute; we took Ethan and Ehlana to the school playground for an hour; and then had a little snack and chat time in the lounge again while Mom and Dad were busy. Rowen stayed with us when the rest of our company came over because her parents were on the guest list for Uncle Nick's birthday party. She and I were in charge of the kids while the rest of our family was having their pre-dinner fun, and then we had grandparent support at the Inn. It was a bit crowded at our table, but Rowen and I had fun with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, my grandparents, and Nathaniel and Lydia Ayres.

I haven't spent much time with Naomi's grandparents, and they're much more reserved than mine, but Naomi has no problem making up for that with her bouncy enthusiasm; and they absolutely adore their beautiful little granddaughter. Our grandparents talked a lot about travelling, and I expect that we'll be getting a pair of new charity volunteers sometime in the not too distant future; though it's a lot harder for the Ayres to get away from their store and work. Since I have a pretty good idea of what the next few years will bring them in the grandchildren department, they might want to think about doing a trip or two sooner than what they were talking about tonight.

We, the kids, were on the sidelines for most of the birthday party action, though we all gathered around Uncle Nick's table when he was opening his presents with some enthusiastic help from Naomi, and when it was time for him to attempt to blow out twenty-five candles. Naomi was there to help him out with that too, and she, Ethan, and Ehlana all really got into eating birthday cake and ice cream in a very messy way. Thankfully for me, it was up to the grandparents to clean them up!

Since we'd gone to the late buffet, there was no hurry to finish and make room for the next sitting. Miranda and Jacob came and sat with Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah for a while once the cleanup was in full swing, and when we did finally head out; there was a long round of goodbye hugs and kisses.

Okay, Aunt Leanne did tease me then that I should go into the kitchen and give Michael a hug and kiss goodnight too, but she whispered it, and I'm pretty sure that only Mom, Rowen, and possibly Miranda overheard her; so it wasn't completely embarrassing.

That's about it for tonight. I helped out with putting Ethan and Ehlana to bed after we got home; had a long soak in my Jacuzzi; and multi-tasked with my nightly computing. The only news from around the family was an email from Violet assuring me that she and Dillon had fun while he was there, but then I already knew that by then after talking with Dillon before dinner when we got to the Inn. She's coming home in two weeks for the Ridge River Fall Festival weekend, so that's going to be great too; though she's not bringing Dawn and Jillian this year.

It's been a busy weekend, and I'm actually getting tired now, so it's time to shut down and get some rest.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

October 2012

Monday, October 1, 2012

Normally, on a nice, unseasonably warm October day I'd have much rather been outside after school; hanging out with Rowen; and biking or playing at the park. Today I was just glad that I needed to do a work night to make up for needing the night off tomorrow for Mom and Dad's second anniversary party.

It was an especially weird day at school. From what we heard today from the girl chats going on around us, Vanessa is quite sure that she's all but locked up Michael as her boyfriend thanks to her bold birthday surprise. I didn't need to get close enough to Michael to know how he was feeling about that, but then we sit next to each other now in music class; brush arms occasionally while we're attempting to play our saxophones; and the brief contact was enough to confirm that he wasn't happy about things with Vanessa at all – and had no idea of how to deal with the problem.

Wow, does that sound familiar. I should probably be afraid...very afraid.

At least I didn't have to wear cologne, or perfume, to school to avoid offending the gift-giver. Dealing with the attention both from her and his buddies because he did was even worse for Michael. I'd have liked to help him, but there really was no way for me to do that – especially considering what I found out on Saturday morning. By lunchtime, I'd had enough of the unending daytime soap opera that I'm apparently going to be immersed in for the next three or four years; so Rowen and I ate quickly and then went to hide in the music room and have an extra practice. From what I picked up during our afternoon classes, Michael wished he could escape too, but didn't.

Moving along, I was glad to miss out on what's been our usual Monday afternoon visit and football watching time at the park; though Ethan and Ehlana talked Mom into going for a little walk so they could still go there. That worked out for me too, since it gave me nearly an hour on my own to just concentrate on work. I stopped to help Mom with making dinner, and then we had Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne over for our weekly Magi Healing lesson.

I went back to work again in the office after Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne went home, and after putting Ethan and Ehlana to bed, Mom and Dad worked there too until a bit after eleven o'clock. We all went up to our rooms then, but I've been working in the archives and chatting in Portuguese since climbing into bed with Mandy. By the way, my adorable kitty has been offering her two cents worth on what I should do about Michael, but I haven't written about that because cats apparently have a very different idea about how to deal with potential mates – her term, not mine. While I wasn't interested in following her advice, she did point out that I was lucky to have picked her instead of a dog; or I'd have been getting advice that included butt-sniffing and other extreme grossness. I'll give her that point.

Well, that's quite a thought to have in mind right before going to bed – not! I'd say it's time to finish this, and find something else to do until I'm tired enough to sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Second anniversary gifts are supposed to be cotton or china. I seriously doubt we could buy China despite how many little pieces we do own there; and I can't see Mom or Dad taking up cotton farming; so what do you get a couple who has everything?

Well, we do have everything we dreamed possible; but Ethan, Ehlana, and I didn't really have any problems finding gifts for our parents. We gave them one of those gifts this morning in bed, and then Mom and the twins surprised Dad and me with a pair of little gifts to celebrate our second Father and Daughter anniversary too. That, Tai Chi by the river, and a special breakfast made for a great start to the day, but it was still a school and work day; and we all needed to get back to the real world for a while.

There isn't much of anything to report from school. Morning classes were fairly quiet except for one quiz; Rowen and I practiced in the music room again at lunchtime; and other than having a bit too much politics in Social Studies, which will probably continue off and on until after the elections next month, Art and computers classes were mostly play time for us. I was on the volunteer list for Aunt Leanne's party work crew, and drafted Rowen to come along and help out too; so we checked in with the parents; dropped our bags off; and hurried over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house.

It's been a really nice day, and Aunt Leanne had considered having dinner outdoors, but decided to have it in the dining room instead; mostly because it would be dark by the time the party was over; and cleaning up would be harder. Rowen and I were first put on table set-up, and then we worked the prep line for an hour or so before being sent home to get cleaned up and changed. We were on babysitting duty after getting back again, and we played with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden in the living room. We were the only kids at the party, but the real significance is that the twins and I had our best friends with us for the party. Since Aiden still isn't quite a year old, he and Ethan aren't exactly best buds yet, but they will be; and Ehlana and Naomi already are.

Mom and Dad were fairly thoroughly roasted during dinner, but I didn't completely escape notice; and Aunt Leanne especially made a point of including some of her favorite stories about me. Since none of those stories involved her matchmaking efforts on me, it was all good; and a lot of fun. Grandpa was probably the next most-active storyteller, but all of our friends helped out too; and we spent about two and a half hours in the dining room from the time we sat down until finishing after-dinner drinks. Cleaning up took another hour, and Rowen and I helped with that while Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa were put in charge of the kids and shipped off to the living room.

Ethan, Ehlana, and I found out that we were doing sleepovers when the party started breaking up; and Aunt Leanne came home with Mom, Dad, Rowen, and me so I could get my overnight bag packed, and take it, and my computer bag, with me to Rowen's house. Aunt Leanne threw together a few things for the twins, and it wasn't long before we were all on our way; and Mom and Dad were kid-free for the rest of the night. Patrick had been spending the evening at Scott's, and Rowen and I got the bonus news from her parents that he'd be spending the night with the Faulkners. We still had our homework to get done, so we did that first; spent an hour watching television with her parents after that; and then got ready for bed.

We've been playing on our computers since then. I've only done the basic nightly computing, and we've spent the rest of the time chatting and surfing for random entertainment. I've skipped the extra studying and archive work, but we have somehow managed to lose track of a couple of hours while we've played; and it's time to wrap this up and get to sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie and Rowen'.

"Goodnight Cassie and Rowen."

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The day after a party always seems to be quieter and unexciting by comparison. That pretty much describes today for me; though there may be a lot of people thinking that just because it's Wednesday.

With a home football game on Friday night, the guys at school were mostly talking sports, while the girls in my class were all getting fired up about Sally's birthday party. She wasn't giving out many hints, which just heightened the anticipation. At least a few of the guys seemed to wish that they were going to the football game instead of the party; but that could have just been for show around their buddies.

It's been a beautiful day, so Rowen and I spent our lunchtime outdoors, and then went to the park with Ethan and Ehlana after getting our homework done. That included another visit to the football field, but we spent most of our time there at the playground and walking the path along the river to the falls and back. Rowen stayed for dinner, and then Mom did a lesson with us before she went home for the night.

I came up to bed early so I could have a soak in my Jacuzzi while doing my regular nightly computing. It's time for an early night; so I'm skipping the extra studying. There isn't anything else to report for today, and I need to get out of the tub soon anyway, so...

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Rowen and I are both having issues today. She temporarily crossed over and back again two or three times today; and I had Aunt Leanne trying to push me over while we were at the Inn. I really don't want to miss out on our Thursday night out, but skipping game night for a while is looking better and better every week.

Avoiding boys and boy talk among the girls had Rowen and I hiding in the music room again during lunch, and we were both glad that it was a work night after school. The work was fun for me, since I got to help turn a potential Halloween overstock loss into a profit after getting two of my companies together to work out a deal. The rest of my work was Christmas-related, and that still seems weird to me; but it is cool getting to know ahead of time what my companies think will be the toys, gadgets, and clothes that are hot this Christmas. Sometimes I put in my two cents worth when I think they're wrong, but they'll never know that advice is coming from a kid's perspective.

It was quick dinner night, and Mom had Alicia's help; so I worked until dinner was ready; helped with the cleanup; and then we walked over to the Inn with Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and Rowen. I'm beginning to think that the competition for the game night championship is just a side show to the real action going on in the dining room – at least for too many of the tween and teen players. Vanessa and Nora were happily continuing their pursuit of Michael and Tim, but they weren't the only girls or boys playing that game. I'm fairly sure that Jenny's picked her next boyfriend, and since he wasn't a game night regular either; it seems he's interested in her too. I already mentioned that Aunt Leanne was attempting a little matchmaking for me, and even though I did my very best to side-step her efforts; she still managed to put Michael in my path – or me in his – three times.

I love you, Aunt Leanne, but please stop it – you're scaring the kids!

I can wish for the impossible, can't I?

Moving along, there was no game night glory for our family this week, and even with the little problems Rowen and I were having; we still had fun. Dad had work to do after we got home, so I helped Mom with getting Ethan and Ehlana off to bed, and then I came up to my room to get started on my nightly computing and some extra studying. With the party tomorrow night and a big yard work weekend ahead, I don't expect to have much time to work in the archives or on my languages, so I put in an extra hour on both; and it's now going on two o'clock. Falling asleep at Sally's party wouldn't be good, so I'd better wrap this up and get some rest.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, October 5, 2012

Happy 12th birthday, Sally!

There's a very good chance that Sally pulled off the party of the year for our class, and while I'm not at all comfortable with boy-girl parties; I really love barn dances!

It was a lot cooler today, and we had a few spits of rain this morning, but Sally's family just added a little heat to the hay barn; and the colder weather didn't affect her party at all – except maybe for her father and uncle while they were working the barbeques outside before dinner. Before I get to the party recap, though, I should probably get the school day news out of the way first.

Day One Fridays are always more fun for me now, and other than needing to settle for Tai Chi indoors, it was a good day. Even though the other girls were talking a lot about boys today, Rowen and I put up with that during lunch so we could hang out with Sally; and the party talk and speculation was entertaining. In music class, we're already attempting to play songs, and I don't mind admitting that the saxophone and flute sections of our little would-be ensemble are the best in the class. I'd say that the extra work Rowen and I are putting in is helping a lot, and Michael was already ahead of the rest of us thanks to his background in music. That class was the most fun, but though I love Spanish too; today it was just the last class we needed to get through before it was party time.

Rowen and I split up after school to get ready for the party, and then we walked over to the computer store to get a ride out to Sally's house with Rowen's mother. Sally had invited all of our classmates, most of the girls she'd played baseball with; her cousins; and some of their friends. Bringing dates was an option too, and that all made for a very big group of kids and teens at the farm. It also required some parental cooperation for the transportation, and Patricia was also taking Rebecca, Jenny, Michael, and Tim. My Mom or Dad was going to be doing the return trip when the party ended sometime around eleven.

If I'd crossed over and cared about these things, going to the party with Rebecca and Jenny would have been a very bad start to the night. They both fill out a pair of jeans and a top way better than Rowen or I do – a fact that the boys at the party noticed immediately. We were practically invisible by comparison. For some parts of the night, that was a good state for us to be in; but I'll get to the weirder parts of the night in a bit. A hay barn dance sure isn't anything new, but it was new and exciting to me. The floor had been swept clean; bales of hay lined the area that was set up for the dance; and everything from pumpkins to scarecrows were used to decorate the place.

The party started out with a social hour that included all of the adult members of Sally's family – her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They were all on the work crew for dinner, and ate with us too; but then, once the post-dinner clean-up was finished, the rest of the party was almost completely chaperone-free. Yes, that is Halloween-scary!

Rowen and I weren't the only 'single' girls tonight, but we were the only two in our class. Rebecca was the only girl there from her Grade Eight class not currently playing the dating game; and she spent some time with us now and then; but had to juggle doing that without taking a hit to her reputation. I wasn't worried about that for myself, and if Rowen and I lost points with the girls in our class; we traded that for bonus points with the younger girls that we did spend time with; encourage to get up and dance; and entertain with some younger-girl rated chat and jokes.

That was all fun, but the weird and scary was all around us too. Apparently, haylofts are popular places for making out, and explained why party guests kept disappearing in pairs. Some of our classmates and friends were among those couples; though I'd guess that not all of those trips to one of the haylofts were 'successful'. One couple that apparently did have fun playing in the hay, though, had Rowen's attention when they returned to the dance; and not in a good way.

A cool night walk was exactly what she needed then, and we wandered around outside for a good fifteen minutes before she was ready to go back inside and not attempt a seriously inappropriate Transmutation on our unsuspecting classmates. Yes, that's totally wrong for a Magi of the Light, but we're the good guys; not perfect. I'm not mentioning any names here for Rowen's benefit; but I know she'll be expecting me to write about the fact that Michael looked desperate to escape when he and Vanessa returned from their little hayloft sojourn, and she didn't seem particularly happy with him; though not for the same reason. Vanessa had the full-on boys-are-so-dense look going on, but at least, according to the girl chat Rowen and I heard later, Michael was getting the benefit of the doubt for just being too nice a guy instead of too dumb to take the hints.

I don't really want to write about that anymore, so let's talk about Sally's best birthday ever so far instead; since this is her big day. The invitations had been best wishes only, but Rowen and I, and the rest of her closest friends, brought gifts that she opened during the cleanup between dinner and dessert. I'm pretty sure that she got her birthday wish too, since she spent a lot of time dancing with the guy in our class that I know she likes the most, Joshua. I'll be very surprised if they're not an 'official' couple soon.

The party started wrapping up at eleven, and Mom came to pick us up at about ten after; but it was closer to eleven-thirty by the time we were on the road for Witch Falls. That was mostly due to having three out of six members of our carpool AWOL. I pretended not to notice that Michael wouldn't look at me even once, or that he was trying to hide the fact that he was blushing. Tim wasn't blushing, and instead looked a bit dazed as he sat in the van with a lop-sided grin on his face. Jenny didn't say much, since she sat up front with Mom while Rebecca, Rowen, and I were in the back seat, but there was no doubt that she'd had a great night. I'm glad that it'll be Rebecca who will be doing that best friend chat sometime soon instead of me.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were still at our house when we got home after dropping Jenny and Tim off along the way. They'd been over for dinner and a movie night, and I found out right after Rebecca, Michael, and Rowen went home that they'd stayed specifically so Aunt Leanne could grill me about the party, and tease me about things like not kissing Michael goodnight when he left for home from our driveway. I'm sorry about being such a disappointment to her for wasting a perfectly good barn dance opportunity; but Mom and Dad didn't have a problem with me not dancing with any boys or spending any 'quality time' in a hayloft either.

In the category of too much information, I did not need that little side-chat about how much fun my parents or aunt and uncle think that making out in a hayloft would be. Yes, you all missed out on doing that because of growing up in two different parts of the country and age difference respectively; but I really don't think you should be looking to chaperone the next birthday barn dance just so you can experience what might have been when you were teens.

I was freed from the interrogation by twelve-thirty, and needed to have a shower before climbing into bed with Mandy. It's a good thing that I wasn't playing in the hay. It was hard enough dealing with my hair with what got in it just from leaning against bales of hay when we were sitting around and other incidental contact. Replaying the events of the party has kept me awake, and Aunt Leanne's teasing didn't help either, so I've been doing some archive reading while winding down. That included some work on our Magi project, and I always seem to have more to add to that after parties like this one.

We've got a yard work weekend planned, though, and I need to get at least a little sleep, so it's past-time for me to...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, October 6, 2012

The fall festival is less than a week away, and it sure felt like fall today. Since this is a yard work weekend instead of just one day, the cold weather didn't get in the way of any play time, but it did mean juggling the work schedule a bit.

Writing that little blurb has me yawning, and not only because I'm tired after working outside from shortly after breakfast until a little after dark. If it's that boring to me, then it isn't worth writing about here. Since the only other action for me today was an after dinner movie with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana; some quality Jacuzzi time; and a little cuddle time in bed with Mandy while doing my usual nightly computing; there isn't anything else to add to tonight's journal, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Today's part of the work weekend schedule moved the crews that had been at our house and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's place over to Grandma and Grandpa's for the afternoon. It's been a bit warmer today, but started out just as cool this morning. I'm really going to miss Tai Chi by the river – we probably won't get to do that outside much between now and spring. Popping Ethan and Ehlana into warm sweaters in the morning is one thing, but bundling them up to go out into the cold takes longer than actually doing a short form workout.

Moving along, we took it easy this morning, and had fun while having a light breakfast and getting ready for church. Pastor Lewis was on a roll today, though I only knew that because our Sunday school class continued on long after our lesson was finished – until the service ended at nearly a quarter after eleven. Aunt Leanne assured me that isn't a record, but it's up there with the longest services I've been to since moving here.

We went home to have lunch on our own and get changed, and then we drove over to Grandma and Grandpa's with both the van and truck; mostly because that was easier and faster than moving the car seats. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were already there by the time we parked on the side of the road in front of their house, and after taking Ethan and Ehlana in to hang out with Grandma; we all got to work. For Dad, Grandpa, and Uncle Adam, that meant some roofing and eaves troughs work and repair; lawn tractor and snow blower maintenance; replacing some fence boards; and some dead tree branch trimming that required some climbing that Grandma ordered Grandpa to leave to the younger men who would at least heal faster if they fell and broke a leg or arm. Grandpa's argument that he didn't need to worry about that with Magi Healers in the family did not budge Grandma an inch; and he did not get to climb trees with the other boys.

Mom, Aunt Leanne, and I had other outdoor jobs that included putting gardens to bed for the winter; some trim painting; washing windows; staining the new fence boards; and a bunch of little jobs that managed to keep us busy until it was time to go home and get ready for the late buffet at the Inn. Ethan and Ehlana stayed with Grandma and Grandpa while we did that, so Mom left the minivan with them too; and she, Dad, and I walked to the Inn once we were ready to go.

The hour and a half we spent together at the Inn was really great, and then, since we'd had Sally's party on Friday night, and were both busy yesterday and today; I went over to Rowen's house to do homework with her for an hour. Mom and Dad had Ethan and Ehlana bathed and ready for bed by the time I got home again, so we had a snack; did story time together; and then tucked them into bed before Dad needed to go work in the office, and Mom and I decided that we needed some Jacuzzi time again. I probably should have gone to sleep early, but I wanted to get some extra studying done now. Next weekend will be all play and no work, and I'll want to get some extra sleep by Wednesday or Thursday to be ready for that, so that really only gives me about three nights to do what I normally get done in a week.

Since I have a few more things to do after this, it's time to wrap it up and...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, October 8, 2012

Kyle Landry is the school hero again this week thanks to his three defensive touchdowns from two interceptions and a take-away fumble recovery. Those were just the highlights, and he helped our team to a forty-five to twenty win over Blossom Creek. With all of the weirdness from last Monday, I skipped writing about our team's away game loss to Ridgeway, and I can assure you that the boys at our school are a lot happier on the Monday after a win.

Some of the guys that had gone to Sally's party instead of the big game took some razzing today, with Tim Landry probably taking most of the heat in our class for missing his cousin's game to go dancing instead. I don't know if he tried to do anything to defend his reputation with the other guys, but Nora probably helped him out by talking about making out with him in the hayloft with her girlfriends. I'll move on without writing about all of the party chat news. Some parts of those conversations had Rowen seeing red – and I'm not talking about when she looks at her hair in the mirror.

The younger kids at school were all excited about the upcoming fall festival, and once football and parties talk was pretty much exhausted; the festival moved up to the top of the conversation list for the rest of us. For this year, the big change with my classmates is making plans for the big weekend that include dating. Rowen and I stayed as far away from all of that as we could, though we still hear most of the girl chat; and know the supposedly most important dating-game news.

While our actual education might not be as exciting for most of us, including me, and I don't write about it much; we are actually keeping busy with our class work too. Music may be the only subject that's actually new and challenging for Rowen and me, but we still have fun playing at being two of the top students in our year. We're into nearly daily quizzes or tests in one subject or another now, and though that makes for stress for some of our classmates; tests are not a problem for us.

Rowen and I got our homework out of the way after school, and then took Ethan and Ehlana to the park. Yes, football was involved; Ethan 'played' one down with a little help, as usual, from Michael; Ehlana happily spent some time with the girls; and then we went to the playground and kept entertained until it was time to go home for dinner. It was Magi Healing lesson night, and we had an easy clean-up meal so that we were ready to go when Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over.

We had fun with our lesson, but it's been all work for me since then. Mom and Aunt Leanne took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana off to bed, but I came up to my room and got started on my study plans; starting with my archive reading assignment from the healing lesson. I moved on to my language studies and a chat session in Portuguese about an hour and a half ago; finished my usual nightly computing; and once I finish this, I'm shutting down for the night in more than one way.

I haven't done a family update in a while, though there really hasn't been much news to report. Violet's coming home for the festival this weekend, but won't be bringing Dawn and Jillian with her this year. They may come with her for the Haunted Halloween walk weekend, but that hasn't been confirmed yet. I haven't been able to get confirmation on it yet, but there is some hints that Aunt Grace and Mark are doing a weekend get-a-way the weekend after next. Maybe they'll even find some time to talk about their job offers here while they're together. It could happen – maybe.

There isn't much news getting to me about Chris and Martin, and what is involves girls; so I'll just move along. Jaimie and Kaitlyn keep me updated on what they're doing at home, and their little brother reports are the most entertaining. Jayden is apparently well into the terrible twos; and his big sisters are not exactly enjoying the experience. Other than Jayden's frequent temper tantrums, though, everything seems to be going great for the Granite Park members of the Proctor family.

Okay, I'm hitting the wall fast, and it's time to crash for a few hours.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

I went to school; worked all night except for breaks for dinner and a Magi lesson; and wrapped up with a couple of hours of studying while in bed with Mandy.

It's late, and I'm beat, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

If you're a kid or teen in Witch Falls, the only story today is the arrival and set-up of the first rides for the fall festival.

By the time we were set free from school for the day, there were a handful of trucks at the park, and there were teens hurrying over in hopes of getting one of the jobs that were always available for locals to help out with setting up and running the rides and game booths. Rowen and I went home first to get our homework out of the way, but that didn't take us long; and then we took Ethan and Ehlana along and joined the gang of spectators watching the set-up action that was nearly as exciting for us as we expected the weekend to be.

The boys weren't even interested in playing football today, though the football field wasn't open for them to do that anyway; and that was a bonus as far as Rowen and I were concerned. Unfortunately, they made up for that by having too much time on their hands to annoy us instead – I mean try to impress all of the girls with some extreme goofiness. That's not much of a trade-off, but since most of the girls seem to enjoy the show the boys put on for them as much as they like watching them show off playing football; I don't see sanity returning to my classmates and friends anytime soon.

Mom and Dad haven't told us any of the details, and they're not directly involved in the festival planning, but I do know that our family business is sponsoring a couple of the thrill rides this year as part of the community involvement we'll be doing for our new business interests. The coolest rides being set up today were a drop tower, a fireball ride, and a zero gravity; though part of the reason we thought they were the coolest was because they're all new rides for the festival too.

There are new kiddie rides this year too, and the twins were more interested in that, since going on the big thrill rides wasn't an option for them. They suggested that playing on all of the rides actually was possible for them if Mom and Dad would let them use a little Magi power, but that isn't going to happen for them any more than it did for me when I tried that line out on Mom when I was little. It would be awesome if they could, though!

We stayed at the park until it was time to go home for dinner, and after splitting up to do that; Rowen and I met up for another visit to the park after we ate, and spent nearly another hour watching the ongoing work. Mom, Dad, and I all spent some time playing with Ethan and Ehlana after I got home again, and their bedtime routine included baths tonight. Mom did a Magi lesson with me after the twins were in bed for the night and while Dad got started on his homework, and I've been doing my usual nightly computing and studying since coming up to bed about two hours ago.

I've finished everything I wanted to get done before the weekend, and other than the family business work I have for tomorrow night; I'm ready to take the weekend off. Now it's time to get some sleep so I won't need to sleep through any of the festival fun.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, October 11, 2012

One more sleep until the start of the fall festival, and I'm going to keep this short and get started on that very soon.

It was a work night for Rowen and me, but I still took Ethan and Ehlana for a little walk to the park so we could check out the nearly-completed set-up. Almost all of the rides were ready to go, and it was mostly the charity food and game booths being worked on tonight.

Except for that break, and stopping for dinner, I worked in the office until it was time to go to the Inn for game night. There really wasn't a lot of competition tonight, since more than half of the regulars were busy with fall festival work. That made the classmate weirdness even more pronounced for Rowen and me; since Michael, Tim, Vanessa, and Nora were the only other members of our class there; and the other two girls were all over the boys, and talking a lot about how much fun they were going to have together at the festival. I'll just skip the details, and move along.

I did the bedtime routine with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana; spent some time in my Jacuzzi; and did most of my nightly computing while in the tub. Mandy and I are tucked in, and it's going to be lights out in about two sentences.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, October 12, 2012

This has really been an awesome day!

It was a fall-weather kind of day too, but that just meant that we needed sweaters and jackets to stay warm while we played; and hot chocolate and cider were more popular than cold drinks. We had a lot of classmates and friends taking advantage of the cooler temperatures for some cuddle time both during the day and at the teen dance; but I'll get to that a bit later.

With such a cool start to the day, our teachers took their time getting us organized and ready to walk over to the park from the school. The first weird of the day in our class was having boy-girl buddy pairs and groups – especially since Rowen and I were the only girls or guys-only group. Everyone else was in a group of four or more, with equal numbers of boys and girls; and about half of them were 'officially' on a day-long date. That extra time meant that we weren't even the first group of kids at the festival. There were four buses parked across Quarry Road from the park; and we soon found out that it was the students from the school in Brookbridge that had beaten us to first rides this year. All of the schools in the area were doing field trips to the festival, but that just helped make everything more fun; and Rowen and I liked getting to meet and talk with some of the other kids while waiting in the small line-ups for rides; or when we played games.

KidZone waited until after lunch to bring their kids to the festival, so Rowen and I had a few hours to play on all of the thrill rides; play games; and have a hotdogs and fries lunch before spending an hour with Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi. Mom and Liz came along with us, since they were both volunteering to help out with the KidZone group. Going on the kiddie rides wasn't as exciting as the big rides, but Rowen and I loved playing with Naomi and the twins. Ehlana and Naomi had us take them on the carousel three times, so I'll guess that was their favorite ride, while Ethan liked the monster truck, car, and helicopter rides the best. We all went on the Ferris wheel once, and Rowen and I did a total of three trips down the super slide to take each of the kids down twice. When Mom and Liz met up with some of the other volunteers and their kids, Rowen and I left them and got back to doing the thrill rides again. Our favorites were the drop tower, Fireball, and Zero Gravity; though I loved all of the rides, and Rowen only stayed away from the rides that spun around in too many directions at once.

Rowen and I had nearly three hours left to play before we met up with Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, Ethan, and Ehlana; but we ended up deciding to meet them at home so we could warm up for a while and drop off the prizes and treats we'd collected by then. Ethan and Ehlana had been napping when we got home, so we did their wake-up call too; and heard about the rest of their day while waiting for Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam.

Dinner was at the park, and by the time we'd finished eating, Violet had gotten to town; met up with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie; and caught up with us at the park. They all joined us for a few rides, including going on a couple with Ethan and Ehlana; but then they went off on their own for the rest of the night. We traded them for Rebecca, and I loved getting to spend some time with her even though she was mostly going on rides and playing games with us because she didn't want to be a fifth wheel with Jenny and Shane, or any of her other friends and their dates.

Rebecca, Rowen, and I played with my family until the teen dance started, and then we needed to make an appearance there while Ethan and Ehlana took the grown-ups home after a long, busy day. That – going to the teen dance – was where the weird really got going for us, but we mostly had fun with that too tonight. Rowen thinks that the top of my weird list should be finding out that while Rebecca was hanging with us while Jenny was on her date with Shane, she quietly advised us that Michael had been spending the day with Vanessa because Tim wanted to hang out with Nora; and she'd apparently told him that would only be happening if Michael paired up with Vanessa.

Next up, but closely related, was my one and only boy-girl dance. It will probably be a waste of time to ask her, but I strongly suspect that my dear Aunt Leanne had a hand in making that happen, since I'm positive that Stephanie and Violet did not come up with the idea to get me dancing with Jake; Michael dancing with Stephanie; and then trade dance partners with timing that made sure that Michael and I were stuck together for about five minutes before we could escape the set-up. I knew from that contact with him that his day hadn't been going very well, and that he was actually happy about dancing with me; but I also didn't need to get close to Vanessa to know that dancing with another girl was not going over well with her.

Now that I think about it, Aunt Leanne's little matchmaking plan could have been aimed at Vanessa as much as at me. If that's true, I'd say it was about fifty percent effective.

After leaving the dance floor, I was ready to escape from the dance, and Rowen happily went back to the midway with me to ride the weirdness out of our systems. I say 'our', but I doubt that happened for Rowen. She hasn't come right out and admitted it to me, but my best friend crossed over tonight, and didn't come back this time. Watching that happen to my best friend has been as scary as it was when Rebecca and Jenny went through it. The circumstances are different, because Rowen is dealing with the combination of crossing over; extreme shyness; and having a thing for a boy who is basically oblivious to her and possibly officially dating one of our classmates by the end of tonight – if what we observed at the dance was any indication.

Getting back to the festival for a minute, Rowen and I ended up skipping the rest of the dance, and split our time between the rides and games with one long break for hot chocolate and a snack. The dance ended at eleven-thirty, but the midway was open until midnight to give everyone time for one last blast of fun before going home for the night. Rowen and I were ready to leave by a bit after eleven, and left for my place along with a handful of other kids and teens that were cold and ready to get indoors and warm again. It started spitting rain while we were walking, and was sprinkling by the time we reached my house, so our timing turned out to be just about perfect. Everyone still at the park likely ended up both cold and wet if they stayed until closing.

Mom and Dad were still up and working in the office; so Rowen and I stopped in there to give them the recap for what we were doing after they went home. That took about fifteen minutes, and then we came up to my room and got ready for bed. We've been cuddling with Mandy since then; surfing the net on our computers; and having a long telepathic chat. Rowen might not be ready to talk to me about crossing over, but she definitely wanted to vent a bit about a certain boy who shall continue to remain nameless in the digital pages of this journal. Mandy had some suggestions for Rowen, but her ideas definitely wouldn't work as well on humans as she assures us they do with cats. I'm fairly sure that I don't want to find out how she knows about things like that; since I thought that her experience with boy cats was close to zero.

Yes, I'm sure she'd tell me if I asked; but I'm not going to do that. This is definitely something that a girl does not need to know about her cat!

While I've been doing this, Rowen's been checking the weather forecast; and it does not look good at all for tomorrow. They're calling for a lot of rain, and for it to keep raining from now until late tomorrow evening. It's supposed to be warm and humid too, but that won't help unless there are long breaks with no rain. The country dance tomorrow night; and most of the shows, displays, and competitions are in pavilions, so all of that will still be going on even if there isn't a big turnout because of the weather. Today was good, though, and Sunday's supposed to be another beautiful day, so I hope that everything will work out – especially for everyone who has worked so hard to put the festival on for us.

Rain or shine, we'll be spending a lot of time at the park tomorrow, so Rowen and I need to get some sleep. It would have been nice to talk with Violet for a while, but she's still downstairs with Dillon; and they probably aren't talking much right now after having almost no alone time together since the end of summer. I really don't want to go there and risk taking any of today's weirdness into my dreams tonight, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Before I get to today's report, I'd like to point out, yet again, that I'm only ELEVEN. Violet didn't verbally answer me when I asked her about the dance set-up last night; but her expression made it clear that she, Stephanie, and Aunt Leanne were all in on that little matchmaking moment. Yes, I've occasionally been complicit in other matchmaking efforts, but not with any eleven-year olds; and though Violet was set-up with Dillon for that March Break dance; I had nothing to do with that at all. The 'shoe on the other foot' argument does not apply here.

I started with that to get it out of my system, but also because that's about where my day started and ended. The only difference between this morning and tonight is that I was dry this morning – at least I was when talking about it with Violet when she, Rowen, and I were getting ready for the day between Tai Chi and breakfast.

The rain did come off and on today, but there were a few times when it was coming down hard – once this morning; again late in the afternoon; and one last blast of extreme wetness tonight. We were still at home when the first little storm rolled through this morning, but we got a bit wet before we could take cover this afternoon; and those of us who did not get a ride with Ethan and Ehlana in the van when we left the dance got soaked during our walk home. Rowen and I were in that second group, but I'm jumping ahead again, so let's wander back to this morning.

The morning rain storm made for a later-than-planned start to our day at the fall festival, but that worked out better for everyone except the people actually working there. When we did get to the park, with the 'we' including Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and Dillon; we started out with a tour of all of the exhibit and event pavilions. Ethan and Ehlana especially loved the puppet and kid's music shows; the talent contest; and the displays of everything from prize-winning giant pumpkins to baking and crafts of all kinds. By the time we made it to the midway, the rides were mostly dried off, and we were able to play for nearly an hour before the next round of rain showers moved through.

That was pretty much how the rest of the day went for us – switching between playing outside and hiding in pavilions whenever it rained. Rowen and I spent the morning with Ethan, Ehlana, and our favorite grown-ups, but were on our own from after lunch until dinnertime. The twins took Mom and Dad home for an afternoon nap so they'd all be ready for another evening at the festival, but we had a big group together for dinner that included Naomi and her parents; Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah; and the Drapers.

More festival food, shows, rides, and games kept us busy until the dance started, and it was then that the weirdness resumed for Rowen and me. The top news stories for Grade Seven students were that Tim and Nora were officially a couple, while word among the girls was that Vanessa had given up on Michael, and was now in search of a brighter, more mature guy. Since Michael was currently the only unattached boy in our grade at our school; that meant looking in the direction of visiting guys of appropriate age, or the few single boys in Rebecca and Jenny's class. Since we saw her dance with several boys tonight, I'd say that Vanessa is well on the way to being over her disappointment with Michael not being all she wanted him to be.

This is the point where I'll mention that I really wish she'd waited a bit longer before giving up on him. You probably don't need more than one guess to know why. That's right, my dear Aunt Leanne orchestrated a second set-up at the dance tonight, and even worse; she recruited Miranda for her co-conspirator. I'll give Dad the benefit of the doubt, since he looked as surprised as I was when Miranda smoothly made the partner switch. So there we were, dancing again for the second time in two nights, and I'm stuck playing my usual cheery self so I don't hurt Michael; when what I'd like to do is find anywhere else to be so my favorite matchmakers can't continue to put me in these situations.

At least it was more than half-way through the dance by then, though it had been shortly after the Stones got to the dance after closing the Inn for the night. I'm sure Aunt Leanne continued to look for other opportunities, but I was a lot more careful after that, and Rowen helped keep me out of any matchmaking trouble for the rest of the dance too. That pretty much brings us back around to the wet walk home. Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam were with Rowen and me; and we had Stephanie, Jake, and the rest of his family with us as far as the Stone's house. Violet and Dillon got the last two spots in the minivan, according to Aunt Leanne, because she didn't want to be responsible for ruining their cuddle time because of being too wet.

It was because Aunt Leanne was there that I included Michael in my part of the quick round of goodnight hugs we shared before they all went into their house, but my attempt to keep her from teasing me if I hadn't hugged him too didn't work out. She instead teased me about not kissing him goodnight too until Rowen and I were able to escape at my house while Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam continued on to their place. I'll pretend that I don't know what they've been doing to get warmed up and dry.

Rowen and I both wanted to get warmed up too, but we took turns doing that in my Jacuzzi, so we weren't dry until after our baths. Mandy kept me company while Rowen took her turn in the bathroom first, and then she cuddled with Rowen while I was in the tub. We thought about watching a movie once I was ready for bed too, but decided to just cuddle in bed with Mandy and do a little repeat of last night's telepathic chat and computing. We spent a little time talking about the kid and teen news of the day, and about whether there was anything I could do short of using a little Magi power to keep Aunt Leanne from continuing her matchmaking efforts, but mostly we just talked about the best parts of our day – which had turned out to be a lot of fun despite the rain and occasional weird moments.

There's still one more day of festival to go, and we're going to call it a night now so we'll be ready for another blast of fun before we need to get back to the real world again on Monday.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, October 14, 2012

There is absolutely no weirdness to report for today!

That doesn't mean there wasn't any – after all, where there are tweens and teens; there will be weird. It does mean that Rowen and I had a weird-free day. I haven't gotten to spend much time with Violet this weekend, since she's mostly wanted to hang out with Dillon; but we have at least had fun in the mornings; and yesterday while she and Dillon played with us at the festival. Dillon was working a full shift at the Inn today, so Violet went home early; though she stayed and did a long Magi lesson with Mom after lunch before heading out for Woodvale.

Rowen and I did our goodbyes with her after lunch, and then we went to the park with Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana for one more afternoon of rides and games. Dad was mostly there to keep the twins entertained while Mom was busy with Violet, and he took them home again at around two-thirty so they could have a nap and he could get back to the work he needed to get done for his week in Crystal Springs. Rowen and I had played with them until they left, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon going on most of the thrill rides, and other favorites like the bumper cars and funhouse. We both needed to be home in time to get ready for family dinners, but by then, we'd both pretty much hit our weekend fun limit anyway.

I didn't really think about it at all until dinnertime tonight, but Grandma and Grandpa are leaving for Arizona in the morning; and our early buffet at the Inn family meal was mostly for Grandpa's benefit. He tried to assure us that buffets at the Inn and Olde Bakery treats were now second and third on the list of things he missed most about home while they were away, with grandchildren now being number one; but Ethan, Ehlana, and I aren't sure about that, since he was trying to convince us of that while finishing a second helping from the buffet table followed by two plates of desserts. Since we did get extra hugs, kisses, and an early bedtime story from him before he and Grandma needed to go home and finish getting ready for their trip; we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

After dinner, we went for a walk to the park on our way home, mostly so Ethan, Ehlana, and I could watch a bit of the post-festival tear-down action. We didn't stay long, and did the early story time at our house, along with a little visit, before Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, Aunt Deborah, and Uncle Nick all went home. Dad still had more work to do, so Mom did a Magi lesson with Ethan, Ehlana, and me after that; I helped her do the bath and bedtime routine with the twins; and then I came up to my room for another Jacuzzi session.

I've been multi-tasking again, and have my usual nightly computing finished. Violet got home safely; I confirmed that Aunt Grace and Mark are getting together next weekend; I'm caught up on news, entertainment, and sports; and once I wrap this up, it'll be time to get out of the tub and finish getting ready for bed. It's funny that three days of fall festival fun has me more ready for an early bedtime than weeks of work, but I'll take the extra sleep time anyway – especially since I'll need to do more work this week while Dad's in the city.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, October 15, 2012

We started out today with a very busy morning. First up was seeing Dad off on his week in Crystal Springs, and while we were doing that, Grandma and Grandpa stopped in to say one last goodbye to us before heading for the airport and the first month or so of their vacation in Arizona. Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I had a little nap together after that; and then got on with our normal Monday morning routine.

The talk around school was mostly about the fall festival and our football team's road win on Friday night that probably had the lowest fan attendance of the year thanks to the festival and teen dance. Since they'd missed all of that fun at the park, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Kyle Landry and the rest of our players took that out on the Varney team. They only gave up seven field goals in the sixty-six to twenty-one win.

If there were any doubts after this weekend that Michael had blown things with Vanessa; it was clear today that she was done chasing him. Michael probably should have at least attempted to be crushed, but he didn't; and that just made Vanessa mad at him too. You'll never see me defending how tween and teen guys act, but I'll also never understand why some girls seem to need to see boys pining over them or suffering when they're in trouble or break up. Anyway, at the other end of the dating game scale, Tim and Nora were very happy today, and joined the 'couples club' for the walks between classes and during lunch. That likely made things a bit weird for Michael too, but at least for today, he just seemed to be happy about not being in Vanessa's crosshairs anymore.

The actual work part of our school day was uneventful, but seemed a bit longer than a usual Monday because of the contrast to a three-day power play weekend. After being set free, Rowen and I went to my house; did our homework; and then took Ethan and Ehlana to the park. After five days with the field off-limits to the kid and tween football fanatics, we weren't surprised to see a big turnout for the pick-up game today. There were more girls there spectating too, and we ended up spending nearly a half hour there while Ehlana was happily passed around, and Ethan got to play for two downs instead of just one like usual. We went for a walk along the river after that, and then wrapped up our after-school play time with some swing and slide action before going home again – or to the computer store in Rowen's case.

Tonight's easy-dinner and Magi Healing lesson were fun, but the big surprise for Ethan, Ehlana, and me came after Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne went home; and Mom advised us that she and Uncle Adam would be taking Aunt Leanne to Crystal Springs for a five-star dinner and hotel sleepover after work tomorrow to celebrate her thirty-first birthday there with Dad. It's still going to be a surprise for Aunt Leanne, but Rowen's parents are in on it because I'm booked to stay with them; and Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick will have Ethan and Ehlana. They're apparently joking about this being a test run for their impending parenthood, but they have had Naomi overnight before; so I'm sure they can handle the twins without any problems – especially since Ethan and Ehlana won't have to act their age around them at night.

We were given the heads up mostly because Aunt Leanne is going to find out about it at her birthday breakfast at our house; and so I could pack an overnight bag to leave with Rowen's parents; since they'll be coming for the breakfast too. I took care of that after helping Mom with Ethan and Ehlana's bedtime routine, and I've been working on my computer since doing that and getting ready for bed. I've got extra studying to do tonight too, but took a break to do this after finishing the archive reading that Mom assigned to me after our healing lesson. I'll move on to my language studies next, and since I've nearly mastered Portuguese; I'll combine that with my nightly news, sports, and entertainment checks while doing a live chat. It's already after midnight, so I'd better get to that.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Happy Birthday, Aunt Leanne!

I'll guess that by now she's having a happier birthday than I need to know about, but hopefully she liked her birthday breakfast and our gifts too.

Mom had help for making Aunt Leanne's big birthday breakfast, and my contribution was taking care of Ethan and Ehlana while she was busy. Aunt Deborah and Patricia were both over early to help out with the cooking, and the rest of our guests were here by the time Uncle Adam brought Aunt Leanne over. That was a blast of fun, but we didn't really have all that long to get through eating, having Aunt Leanne open her presents, and getting everything cleaned up again before most of us either needed to get to school or work.

That was an awesome start to the day, and Rowen and I had fun all day. Halloween is still a bit more than two weeks away, but with the festival behind us; Halloween was becoming the top news story around school. We were happy to talk about that too, except for when it came to who was doing what with whom for the upcoming school dance or the Haunted Halloween Walk. That wasn't the main reason why Rowen and I were practicing in the music room for most of our lunch hour, but it was an added bonus.

Yes, Rowen, I'm getting to it right now; and I'm sure that Aunt Leanne will have lots to say about it when she finds out tomorrow.

We had company in the music room today, and he was definitely looking for a place to hide from the weird. For Michael, the weird was his best friend having a girlfriend – which wouldn't have been a problem if he'd just gotten with the program that Vanessa and Nora had set up for him and Tim. Having Michael spend that time with us wasn't without a bit of weird for me, but we practice during class two or three times a week, and once we started playing music; all three of us had fun. I think Rowen had a bit too much fun, and may need to cut back on the time she spends around Aunt Leanne – especially now that she's crossed over. Because of that, until this archive is open for them to read some day; neither of them are going to know that part of the weird for me included sensing that Michael had picked hiding in the music room specifically because he knew that's where I usually was on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime.

Big sigh; move along.

The travel plans included getting out of work early, and that actually worked out, since Mom, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne were on the way to Crystal Springs before we were out of school following an uneventful afternoon; and Ethan and Ehlana were with Aunt Deborah. Rowen and I went to the computer store from school; did our homework; and then I helped Rowen out with her usual Tuesday night work. We helped out with making dinner too after getting home, and after dinner; we went to Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah's house for a little play time with Ethan and Ehlana.

The twins were having a blast, and Rowen and I are having a good night too except for two little problems – Patrick and Scott. We weren't surprised that Patrick had invited Scott to stay overnight too, but we were both wishing that we were old enough to stay at my house on our own by about two hours ago – and they've just gotten more annoying since then. If this was a practice run for their Halloween monster act; they'll win the scariest costume prizes at school for sure – and they won't even need to dress up!

After getting back from our visit with the twins, we watched a bit of television with Rowen's parents until a manly gaming session broke out; and then we decided that hanging out in Rowen's room would be more fun. That's been true whenever we didn't need to deal with the spying, pranks, and regular intrusions from the boys. We practiced our sax and flute for a while; played on our computers; and listened to music. I haven't really done any work, except for dealing with a couple of family business email, and once I get this done; we're going to shut down, get into bed, and hope that Patrick and Scott will leave us alone for the rest of the night.

I haven't heard from anyone in Crystal Springs tonight, but didn't expect to; and really don't want to know what my parents or aunt and uncle are doing now anyway. At least Dad knew that Mom was going to be there tonight, so maybe he got extra sleep last night. That's not anything I want to be thinking about before going to sleep, so I'm going to wrap this up now, and hope that Rowen and I are off on some other train of thought by then.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

This sure hasn't felt like a normal Wednesday; starting from this morning; when I had a pair of hecklers trying to distract me while I was practicing my Tai Chi.

That was only fun because Patrick and Scott got frustrated when nothing they tried worked; though that minor defeat didn't keep them from doing their very best to annoy Rowen and me until we left for school and they needed to play it cool while in public. Getting away from that was good, but then we traded that for observing the ongoing Grade Seven dating game that, now that I think about it, is about as new, clumsy, and disharmonic for my participating classmates as playing musical instruments is for most of us. I'll just keep that little insight to myself; since I'm sure at least some of my friends would just decide that they need to put in extra practice time – and I'm not talking about improving their music skills.

The best part of my day started after school. Rowen and I did a long snack and story time with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; getting the kid-rated version of Mom's night in Crystal Springs. Our favorite stories were about Aunt Leanne's birthday dinner – including hearing all about how Angela and Terry's first few weeks of parenthood were going. It may have been Aunt Leanne's birthday party, but Valerie was apparently the most popular girl at their table last night. I'm glad that they all had a fun night, and still really don't want or need to know the details; but Mom was not that happy because of a good meal with some of her favorite people and an evening spent with her and Dad each working in his hotel room.

Moving on, since our after-school break took longer than usual, Rowen and I didn't have as much time to play as usual, but we still took Ethan and Ehlana to the park for nearly an hour. Since Wednesday is a work night for Michael, he wasn't playing football, but Tim Landry stepped up and helped Ethan with playing one down; but Ethan had everyone laughing when he fumbled the football – or basically dropped it – to one of the boys playing defense; and then giggled the whole time while Tim unsuccessfully attempted to stop the ensuing touchdown while still carrying Ethan. Since that earned him some bonus points with Nora, I don't think that Tim minded giving up the points or the razzing from the guys.

Mom had Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, Aunt Deborah, and Uncle Nick over for dinner, so after walking Rowen over to the computer store, I took Ethan and Ehlana home; and then helped with the cooking until Aunt Leanne came over after work. Story time at dinner was more about the night in Crystal Springs and how Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah had done with their first overnight adventure with the twins. By then, Aunt Leanne had heard about Michael's lunchtime music practice with Rowen and me from somebody; and spent some time teasing me about that too. After that, I'm seriously thinking about being sick for game night.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah needed to get to the clinic right after dinner, but Aunt Leanne and Uncle Nick stayed long enough to help Mom and me with the cleanup before heading out too. Mom did a long Magi lesson with Ethan, Ehlana, and me that I was actually the one teaching to the twins while Mom supervised, and then we did the full bath and bedtime routine. Mom and I both needed some Jacuzzi time once Ethan and Ehlana were in bed; and I've been working on my computer too since climbing into the hot, swirling water.

I've finished my archive reading and the usual nightly computer check, but need to get out of the tub now before moving on to my language studies; so I'm going to wrap this up now.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, October 18, 2012

We're mostly back to normal today, though from my perspective, that's not necessarily a good thing when it comes to life as a tween.

Mom and I exercised before Ethan and Ehlana were awake, and we had a fun, quiet morning together before I headed out to meet up with Rowen and get to school. There isn't much to report from our Grade Seven class, though Rowen will tease me if I don't mention that Michael practiced with us in the music room at lunch again. We had fun, and though I'm sure that Aunt Leanne won't be the only person teasing us about it if Michael starts practicing with us regularly, I like playing music with Michael; and wish everyone could just let us be friends without attaching any compounds like 'boy' or 'girl'.

Since that wish probably won't happen, let's move on.

Since Alicia was working with Mom after school, I was free to concentrate on my family business work, and except for a quick break before getting started, I kept busy in the office straight through until dinner was ready. Ethan and Ehlana entertained Mom and I while we ate, and got to help out with the clean-up when Mom combined that with a short telekinesis lesson for them. We'd had a late meal, so by the time we were finished with that, it was time to head over to the Inn.

Mom was partnered with Miranda for the night, as usual when Dad was away, but that didn't earn them a championship this week. Rowen and I did about as well as usual, though that doesn't really mean anything, since we play to end up in the pack with the rest of the kids our age. Sometimes it would be nice to play as well as we could, but I'm used to that not being an option. We weren't surprised when Vanessa didn't come to game night with Nora, but her absence just made things a bit weirder – at least for Michael and me. For him, it was because Tim had a new partner to play the games with; and for me, it was because Aunt Leanne regularly teased me about arranging to find a new partner for Rowen so I could help Michael out in his time of need. Add to that a couple of sax jokes after she found out about our lunchtime practice; and she was on a roll tonight.

Yes, she was scaring the niece; but didn't seem to have a problem with that.

It's going to be a yard and house work weekend, so after getting home; helping to get Ethan and Ehlana off to bed; and coming up to my room; I've been putting in a few more hours of work on my computer. Only part of that was family business, and the rest of the time I've been working in the archives and studying languages. I'm enough ahead to skip working this weekend if needed, but it's nearly two-thirty; and it's been a long day, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, October 19, 2012

In the grand scheme of things, choosing Halloween costumes isn't particularly important, but it's a big deal for kids and teens. Rowen and I found out today that nearly everyone else in our class has picked their costumes already, and with the school dance now just a week away; we needed to decide what we were going to do too.

We worked on that during our dinner and a movie night, but let's go over the rest of the day to that point first. Friday is always popular, but Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I all especially love them more on the weeks when Dad's in the city. I had the added bonus of a Day One schedule, plus Rowen and I decided to have a sleepover to go with dinner and a movie night. As I already mentioned, Halloween costumes were high on the chat list today, and tonight's football game on the road in Meadowvale was a top story too. Other than making sure that we knew enough about the game to be able to talk about it if asked; Rowen and I ignored most of the football conversations, but that wasn't always possible when it came to costumes; and there was a fair bit of weird to go with that.

Think about it – what other time of year do guys talk to each other about what they're going to wear to school, a dance, or a night out? Exactly, and this year, we're contending with couples costumes too. That made for more than enough weird, though I can't deny that it was both weird and fun to watch – especially since girls and guys have very different ideas for what 'cool' costumes are. I wouldn't want to suggest that the girls made all of those couples' costume decisions, but then there won't be any goy-girl two-headed aliens or monsters; hairy beast couples; or other equally gross or horrific options.

There weren't really any education highlights today, though Rowen and I don't mind having two tests in one day – especially when one is a combo written-playing music test that we both aced. That's probably a good thing, since it might be hard to live down straight-A's in everything except subjects like music or phys-ed. It wasn't a particularly warm day, but Rowen and I still spent part of our lunch break outdoors, and we took Ethan and Ehlana for a walk after school. We made a stop at Rowen's house so she could pack an overnight bag while we were out with the twins; and then Rowen and I helped Mom with the cooking until Aunt Leanne came over once she was finished work.

Uncle Nick, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Deborah all eventually joined us; and by the time we sat down to eat; the conversation had turned from work and school reports to Halloween costumes. Making a long story short, Rowen and I are going to be Hogwarts Prefect Witches, and for the school party and Halloween night, we're going to have Ethan and Ehlana as our snowy owls. Aunt Leanne was disappointed at first, since she tried talking us into something more daring – like a pair of vampires in little black dresses – but she was at least happy to talk us into going to the dance dressed up as the Hogwarts witches were for the Yule Ball. Little black dresses will not be involved in those alternate outfits. It would have been more fun to take Ethan and Ehlana to the dance too, but Mom vetoed that idea.

We had a really good night – especially once Dad got home from Crystal Springs. Spooky Buddies was the Halloween movie choice, and we followed that up with a long cuddle and visit in the living room before our guests headed home and the rest of us went up to bed at around eleven o'clock. Rowen and I have been watching Halloween movies in the lounge since getting changed; playing on our computers; and having a long telepathic chat. Our second movie has only been playing for about fifteen minutes, but I'm getting tired, so I'm going to wrap this up; snuggle under my throw blanket; and probably end up missing the rest of the show and falling asleep on the sofa for the rest of the night. Since it's another work weekend; that's okay with me.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, October 20, 2012

The highlights from today were Tai Chi with Mom and Dad; a big country breakfast that was a lot of fun to have Rowen with me for; and helping to decorate the front porch and yard for Halloween. Everything else between breakfast and a late dinner was work except for a short break at lunchtime.

I've been in my Jacuzzi since shortly after we finished the post-dinner clean-up; and I'm going straight to sleep as soon as I'm out of the tub and ready for bed, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, October 21, 2012

It was another yard work day, except we spent most of the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Yes, most of the work was already done before they left for Arizona, but we'll still need to clean up leaves, cut the grass, and do other little jobs at least until Thanksgiving; and we didn't have time to do that at both houses yesterday.

Between going to church and the yard work, there wasn't much play time – especially since Dad needed to work in the office too. I helped Mom with taking care of Ethan and Ehlana; making dinner; and cleaning up after we ate. She did a Magi lesson with us before doing the bath and bedtime thing with the twins; and I've been working in my room since Ethan and Ehlana went to sleep.

The top news tonight is about Aunt Grace and Mark. They're both home safely from their weekend getaway; and I'll guess from the tone of the email I got from each of them that they had fun. They're also both coming to Witch Falls for Thanksgiving with the rest of our family, and Aunt Grace is going to be spending Christmas with his family. I'd say that's all looking very good for us and our future plans; though I suppose that taking their relationship to the next level doesn't necessarily mean they've decided to do that here in Witch Falls.

I had a little messaging chat with Dawn, and she and Jillian are getting excited about spending next weekend with us; and the Haunted Halloween walk we'll be doing next Saturday night. They won't be able to go to the dance with us, but I'm sure Ethan and Ehlana will be able to keep them entertained while Rowen and I are at the school; and Rowen's doing another sleepover with us after the dance. The email from Jaimie and Kaitlyn had come in earlier today, so I only read and answered it; but they're both fired up about Halloween; have their costumes already; and wrote all about their upcoming parties, including one that Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison are doing for their combined families and friends next Saturday night. It sounds like they'll be having a rocking Halloween in Granite Park!

While I didn't really need to do any archive or language studying tonight, I've put in an hour and a half anyway to keep ahead; working on our Magi project archive, and reading a novel in Portuguese. I want to shoot for a bit more sleep every night this week, so I'm going to wrap this up and get to that now.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, October 22, 2012

Halloween fever has kicked up another notch today, and that's being helped out by themed lessons in nearly every class. For instance, in music class, Mrs. Robinson started teaching us simple versions of songs like the theme from the Addams' family movies.

I know that I mention it occasionally, but Tai Chi is always more fun with Mom and Dad; and the Mondays after he's back from his week in the city always seem a bit more special to me. That made for a great start to the day, and the themed lessons helped keep the fun going all day. We had rain off and on all morning, but it actually felt hot and muggy by comparison to the cooler weather we've been having; and Mother Nature gave us a break from the rain in time for our after-school play time.

For Rowen and I, that included taking Ethan and Ehlana to the park, and I'd say we can call doing that part of our routine by now – just as Ethan's football moment with Michael and Ehlana's 'girl chat' with our friends have become part of our regular Monday afternoons. Our time at the football field isn't always easy for Rowen right now, and she definitely wasn't having fun today, so we kept our visit as short as possible and then moved on to take a walk along the river to the falls; had the twins entertain us at the playground for a half hour; and then headed for our homes when it started to look like it could start raining again soon.

While our Magi Healing lesson is usually the Monday night highlight; today it was Ehlana's announcement that she'd like to start working with Uncle Adam on developing drought-resistant crops that was the most fun – and important. She told us about that while we were having a family business and future plans meeting after the healing lesson, and though the drought this year hasn't been in the news lately; it's obviously been something that Ehlana has been thinking about a lot. The research she wants to start now is part of the work we're building the lab for, but Ethan and Ehlana are currently working on Grade Nine studies, and Uncle Adam thought that it was too soon for Ehlana to start working on genetics and bio-engineering until she and Ethan showed him that they'd been doing a little studying on the side; and she'd also come up with some very exciting ideas about how to engineer those crops. Since I've had a couple of those moments with our parents, aunt, and uncle; I know exactly how Ehlana felt when she floored us with that little piece of brilliance.

Monday, October twenty-second, twenty-twelve is now one of those days that only a few will ever know was the start of a bio-engineering project that is going to change the world. Trust me on that, since not only was I there; Ethan, Ehlana, and I have a pretty good idea about what's going to be accomplished at our new lab.

There isn't anything else to write about that could possible top that, but after Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne went home and the twins went to bed, I've been doing my usual nightly computing while in bed with Mandy; including getting my healing lesson archive studying done, and reading two foreign-language books. I'm going to stick with getting a bit more sleep this week, though, so it's time to pack it up and get to that.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

It's been summer-like hot today with a bit of rain here and there to help pump up the humidity. We were able to exercise by the river this morning before the rain started, but it was a damp walk to school, and except for the walk home again this afternoon; I've been indoors all day.

There isn't anything new to report from school. We had two tests today; the Halloween themed lessons continued; and Rowen, Michael, and I spent most of our lunch time practicing in the music room. I stopped in at the computer store with Rowen after school and had a little visit with her parents and brother before heading home and getting started on my own part-time job. Nearly everything I worked on for the family business tonight had something to do with Christmas, which still seems strange when the house and yard are decorated for Halloween; and that's pretty much all that's talked about at school. Weird or not, though, one of the fun parts of my job is the charity side of the business; and I'm also working on new programs that will hopefully help a lot more kids and families have a happier Christmas this year. The charity work we can do always feels great, but the problems in the world always seem to be getting worse and growing faster too. It's a good thing there are more of us to help out with all of that now!

I worked until dinnertime; Mom did a long Magi lesson with me tonight; and I helped her with Ethan and Ehlana until they went to bed for the night. My regular nightly computing and studying is done, and it'll be lights out for me as soon as I finish this journal entry and shut down the computer.

I could really get to like these pre-midnight bedtimes!

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Happy 13th birthday, Jenny!

There's a good chance that Jenny is the happiest girl this year to officially be a teenager, while her parents would be among the most reluctant – or worried – to have their little girl reach that milestone.

Rowen and I walked to school with Rebecca mostly so we could give Jenny her birthday presents this morning. She was having a boy-girl party tonight, but Rowen and I weren't invited; which was probably a good thing for all involved. We were still with Jenny when she met up with Shane at school, and I got the feeling from Rebecca as we watched Jenny share a happy birthday kiss with her boyfriend that she'd rather be doing something else tonight too. Shane's arrival gave Rowen and me our cue to move along; and we returned to our normal place in the order of the school universe.

It was another hot, summer-like day, and Rowen and I took advantage of that after school. We got our homework out of the way, and then grabbed our bikes and went for a long ride before picking up drinks and treats at the Emporium and going to the park to play until dinnertime. Rowen stayed for a meal and Magi lesson before going home, and the rest of my night has pretty much been a repeat of last night. If I wrap this up now, I'll be sleeping before midnight again too, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, October 25, 2012

It was apparent this morning at school that I am not paying as much attention to the world of sports as I should. Yes, I knew that the World Series started last night, and that the Giants beat the Tigers, but either every other kid in town watched the game; or I was the only one willing to admit that I didn't. I've mentioned before that while I love playing baseball, or cheering for Mom and Dad's team, I don't really like just sitting around and watching it on television; so I don't plan on watching the rest of the games either.

Ditto that for tomorrow night's home football game. Our nice warm weather moved away this morning, and by game time tomorrow; it's going to be downright chilly. Football talk around school was about tied with the World Series for top stories, but in this case, I wasn't the only girl to decide that sitting on bleachers in the cold for two or three hours before going to the dance didn't sound like fun. Since Rowen and I were going to be having Dawn and Jillian with us for the weekend, that gave us an extra excuse – I mean good reason – to miss the game.

Other than sports news, there isn't much to report from school. We had one test; more Halloween-themed fun; and Rowen, Michael, and I spent most of our lunch practicing in the music room. The only change from our regular Thursday for Rowen and I was the after-school Halloween costume session with our Moms while Alicia took care of the twins.

I haven't written about the ongoing progress for our Halloween costumes yet, but since the dance is tomorrow night; Rowen and I needed to get our gowns and costume accessories finished tonight. It would be more accurate to say that our Moms got them finished for us, with a little help here and there from Aunt Leanne and Grandma Emerson earlier this week. I'll take a wild guess that Aunt Leanne's contribution to the effort is directly responsible for why Dad suggested that we should wear some kind of jacket or wrap with the gowns after he saw Rowen and me wearing them when he got home from work. That was a great compliment, while at the same time, at least a little bit, I agreed with him. Maybe we shouldn't have given in to Aunt Leanne on this and just gone with the Hogwarts robes we'll be wearing for the school party and Halloween night.

Oh well, it's done now, and the gowns do look great even if there's a bit less of them here and there than either Dad or I would like. Rowen doesn't share that opinion; and really loves her costume.

Since we already had half of the Emerson family at our house, we had Rowen's Dad and brother come over after closing the store for the day; and we had dinner together. Though Rowen's parents don't go to game night all that often, they decided to join us tonight; so after eating and cleaning up, we all walked over to the Inn. Miranda had the dining room decorated for the holiday; there were some game changes for this week only; and at least two dozen Halloween treat options from the Olde Bakery.

That couple of hours of fun more than offset the extra work I needed to do after getting home. The only thing that kept my get-to-sleep early plans for this week on-track was that I used more than a little Magi power to do that extra work at hyper-speed. It's amazing how much work you can get done while in a time-phase, but the down side is that it still feels like you worked hard for six or eight hours in real time when you're done. I'm back in real time now, but finished my family business work; and the equivalent of an hour or so each of archive and language studies.

Since that six or eight hours worth of work came at the end of an already long day, even though it isn't midnight yet; I'm exhausted. It just wouldn't be good if I needed to go home early from the dance because I was falling asleep, so that's going to be all for tonight.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, October 26, 2012

Dawn and Jillian are passed out on the sectional sofa, so I can get started on today's journal entry while Rowen and I watch the rest of the Halloween movie the four of us started to watch together about a half hour ago.

It's been another awesome day, and while there was definitely some Halloween-scary going on tonight; Rowen and I have decided that we really love school dances.

Before I get to that, though, let's cover the rest of the day. We're all the way back to fall temperatures, so Tai Chi was indoors; followed by a hot shower; hot breakfast cereal and drinks; and a cold walk to school with Rowen for me while Dad got a ride to work with Aunt Leanne. All of the teachers did their best to keep us focused on our lessons today, but that wasn't easy when every kid and teen was more interested in the weekend plans; with the dance, Haunted Halloween Walk, and parties at the top of the fun list.

There isn't anything particularly exciting to report on from our classes today, though Rowen and I had fun – especially since we were among the few kids in our class that were able to concentrate on what we were supposed to be doing while also being entertained by classmates who were more interested in goofing around and chatting about the impending extra-curricular activities. Some of that, especially from the girls, was a bit scary, but scary can sometimes be funny too; and usually was today.

When we were free from school for the weekend, Rowen and I stopped in at the computer store for a visit; went to Rowen's place to pack everything she'd need for the weekend; get her costume gown; and then moved on to my house. Mom was already working on dinner by then, so we took Ethan and Ehlana along with us and went up to my room to hang out with them while she was busy. Since we were going to have company all weekend; that worked out great for the twins too; since we could do a nice long telepathic chat with them before they needed to play normal toddlers while Dawn and Jillian were here.

Mom and Dad weren't doing a dinner and a movie night this week, so Rowen was our only dinner guest; and Mom went with an easy-meal menu so that we could sit down and eat shortly after Dad got home from work; and have everything cleaned up by the time Violet pulled into the driveway with Dawn and Jillian. They'd left Woodvale within a half hour of getting out of school, but had hit traffic snarls getting through Crystal Springs, and it had been nearly seven o'clock by the time they made it to town. I'd expected Dillon to be over right away too, but Violet advised us that he was at the football game with Jake, Stephanie, and some of their friends – mostly because they were usually working at the Inn on Friday nights. She was going to meet up with them there, but went upstairs to grab a shower and get ready for the dance first. Rowen and I helped Dawn and Jillian get their bags up to the third floor bedroom that they'd likely only be using for a change room, and then we went back downstairs to hang out with Mom, Dad, and the twins for a while before Rowen and I would need to get ready for the dance too.

Violet was dressed for watching football on a cold night when she was ready to go, but had a bag with her costume with her. Since I now know what she and Stephanie wore to the dance, I can assure you that there were several very good reasons why they didn't wear their costumes to the game; and I'll guess that Uncle Rick would have wanted Violet to wear more than the jacket or shawl that Dad wanted me to wear with my gown. I'm absolutely positive that Aunt Leanne will be impressed when she finds out; and Dillon and Jake both looked like they were very happy campers tonight.

Every member of our football team, and all of their biggest fans, were happy tonight too. They won their game against Mount Pleasant twenty-seven to zero. Apparently the game was a lot closer than the score implied, and it was Kyle Landry and our defense that kept Mount Pleasant from even getting a decent field goal attempt, and nothing even remotely close to a touchdown opportunity. Rowen and I found that out at the dance, but we were at the school shortly before the game ended – right on time for the start of the dance.

Yes, that did mean that were there too early, but we were saved any reputation hit by a pair of teens who drafted us to help out with a few set-up errands that kept us busy until the action really got going.

I don't know if it happens for every school dance, since this was my first, but we had quite a few visiting teens from other schools. Since the Mount Pleasant football team and their fans were already in town for the game, I wasn't really surprised to see that nearly all of the teens stayed for the party, and all together, we had around two hundred tweens and teens in the gym. That added some extra weird to the night, from my perspective, but since our visiting partiers were almost all high school students; Rowen and I didn't have to worry about being targets of the weird and hormonal. I'd say that Jake and Dillon both had to keep close to their seriously hot girlfriends, but then Violet and Stephanie had nearly as much to worry about from the girls that were eyeing their boyfriends all night.

Of course, I got teased for asking both Dillon and Jake to dance with me; and then got teased some more for turning Jake down later when I smelled a set-up coming – and spotted Stephanie pulling Michael out onto the dance floor. My little plan to ask them each to dance had been specifically to avoid any traps, and for what seemed like the first time in a long while; it worked, and I didn't end up with any personal weird or scary moments. I don't know if Michael did or not, since I kept my distance on purpose; but I'll guess that his night was mostly fun with just a small chance of some weird. Now that Vanessa had given up on him, tonight he had another of our classmates, Lisa, inviting him to dance with her at least a half-dozen times. Since Tim was busy with Nora all night, I think that worked out just fine for Michael; and Lisa looked thrilled every time they were together.

Rowen had some commentary for me about Michael and Lisa, and I'll guess she perfectly predicted what Aunt Leanne will have to say to me when she finds out about that part of the dance news. Since teasing me kept her from brooding about a certain other guy; I was glad to provide her with the distraction. We also danced our butts off. Other school dances might do more slow dances, but tonight it was mostly up-tempo songs, and it seemed like nearly every other song was Halloween-themed.

While we had a blast tonight, Rowen and I also had an eleven-thirty ride home from Dad that wasn't optional. Since there were a lot of couples getting very cozy by then, that worked out just fine for us – especially since there was some specific action going on that Rowen did not want to hang around to witness. Aunt Leanne may be disappointed in me again, but Dad sure seemed happy to see us meet him outside without any guys escorting us to his truck like we saw happening with some of the other kids being picked up early by their parents.

Ethan and Ehlana hadn't been in bed all that long after staying up to watch a movie with Mom, Dad, Dawn, and Jillian, and while Dad had picked us up; Mom had sent Dawn and Jillian upstairs to get ready for bed while she put a bedtime snack together for all of us. Rowen and I did the dance recap for them while we had our snack and drinks, and then Mom and Dad went up to bed; Rowen and I got changed too; and then we met up with Dawn and Jillian in the lounge for the late movie.

There isn't much else to report. Violet was going over to Dillon's after the dance, and I honestly won't be all that surprised if she's either really late getting home – or sometime after breakfast if she and Dillon fall asleep in the living room while they're getting some alone time. Rowen and I are going to finish watching the movie while we do a little more surfing; and then we'll head to bed. She's working at the store in the morning, and I have yard work; but sleeping in a bit later than usual is an option; so we're not in all that big of a hurry to call it a night – plus we're both still winding down after a couple of fairly high-octane hours of fun. It may take a while to do that, but this little part of my nightly computing is done, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, October 27, 2012

It was freezing this morning – and I do mean water turns solid kind of cold outside. That probably wouldn't feel quite so bad if it hadn't been summertime hot here just three days ago; and it didn't exactly warm up much while Dad and I spent nearly three hours doing yard work. Since that wasn't much fin, let's just skip the details and move on.

Sleeping in only meant about an hour later than usual for a Saturday, and even with waiting until after Tai Chi to wake them up; it was about normal time for Dawn and Jillian. Violet had made it home sometime before Ethan and Ehlana gave Mom and Dad their wake-up calls, but we let her sleep until breakfast was nearly ready while Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I took turns in the bathrooms getting ready for the day. While Dad and I were working, Dawn and Jillian played with Ethan and Ehlana, and Violet helped Mom around the house. Alicia had the morning off because she and Erin have been babysitting us since we got back from the Haunted Halloween walk while Mom and Dad are out playing with their friends at Sheldon's Pub.

Before I get to our perspective on their adventures in babysitting, there's still a lot to cover. I'm sure that Violet would have rather spent the day with Dillon, but he, Jake, and Stephanie were all working at the Inn; so we got to play with her this afternoon instead. Since Mom had booked a trail ride for us, and then did a long Magi lesson with her while Rowen and I took Dawn and Jillian out to play at the park for an hour; I think that Violet managed to have fun while her boyfriend was hard at work.

Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I had fun too even though it was a very chilly trail ride, and there wasn't much action going on at the park while we were there either. The hot chocolate and warm pie snack break at home after the trail ride was great, and we wrapped up the afternoon with some Halloween television action in the lounge that we had Ethan and Ehlana with us for while Mom and Dad worked on making dinner with a little help from Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne.

We were having quite a gang over for dinner tonight, including Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah; Rowen's parents, brother, and Scott Faulkner; the Seagers; and the Drapers. Most of our guests didn't come over until after most of the stores closed for the day, and Mom timed dinner to be ready for then so we could sit down and eat as soon as everyone was there. It always feels awesome when we can all get together for a few hours of fun together, especially when everyone is so busy; and we don't get to have evenings like this very often. That's probably why these moments are so special to me too – that, and the fact that Mom and I didn't really have any experiences like this during the first nine years of my life.

Mom and Aunt Leanne had pumpkin carving planned for after dinner; and only half-joked about doing that to get the Moms and Aunts out of kitchen clean-up duty so they could do that with all of the kids while the guys did the dishes. Since Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden were the only kids that actually needed help; it was really just chat and play time for all of us while we made a dozen jack-o-lanterns in the hour we had between dinner and needing to head out to the Haunted Halloween Walk.

Everyone in our group, except Violet, was going on one of the first guided walks; mostly so that the twins, Naomi, and Aiden wouldn't be out late, or waiting around in the cold. The narration and scary skits didn't change much from year-to-year, but I loved it just as much this year as I had my first time. Actually, since I know all of the guides and actors now, I think I love it even more every year. For instance, I know now that 'the witch' is always played by a Palmer descendant, and they try to do the same with all of the other characters when possible; except, obviously, for the dark wizard. That's not a problem, since there are always lots of guys willing to volunteer for one of the coolest parts in the whole production with the bonus of getting to play with lasers and the rest of the gadgets and tricks.

While going on the walk was the most fun, we also spent nearly another three-quarters of an hour wandering around the booths that were set-up to do a little fundraising while keeping everyone entertained before or after getting a turn at going on the walk. We played some games, bought a few treats, and had hot drinks before heading home again. All of the kids were spending the night at our house, and once Alicia and Erin came over; the adults were free to split up and get ready for their night out at the pub. Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I had until Mom and Dad left the house again before Patrick and Scott transformed into little monsters; and began their campaign of terror against us.

Okay, it wasn't quite that bad, but they did do their very best to bug us for the next few hours – especially while Alicia and Erin were busy with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden until the four younger kids were tucked into bed for the night at around ten o'clock. Patrick and Scott were hanging out in the lounge with us, but found their entertainment in heckling the movies we watched; trying to gross us out, scare us, or pull off lame pranks. The only thing that was really scary about all of that was finding out that Dawn and Jillian actually thought all of that goofiness was more fun than annoying; instead of the other way around.

Even with the boys' continual attempts to disrupt our movie watching, we managed to catch most of Girl vs. Monster and The Great Ghost Rescue. They didn't go quietly, but Patrick and Scott are in their second-floor bedroom now; and haven't snuck up here to pull any pranks on us in nearly twenty minutes. That might be because Dawn and Jillian were both asleep during their last visit, and it just wasn't as much fun for them without the two girls giggling at their antics.

Rowen's talking about getting to bed now too, so I'm going to wrap this up so we can do that.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, October 28, 2012

It was a crazy morning at our house today.

Mom, Dad, and I skipped Tai Chi, but more than made up for that missed exercise while keeping up with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden. Actually, it was all of the girls in the house taking care of the toddlers while Dad tried to keep the comedic duo of Patrick and Scott under control while making breakfast for all of us.

He got some help from Uncle Adam when he and Aunt Leanne joined us while she helped Mom with getting all of us girls ready for church – though that was mostly getting to play with hair and make-up; picking out clothes; and choosing accessories. I don't need to know what my parents, aunt, and uncle were up to last night to be smiling like they were all morning, but I doubt that keeping up with ten kids was more than a small part of the reason why they were all talking about having afternoon naps by the time we had lunch together after getting home from church again.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne might have been able to fit a nap time into their afternoon plans after Violet, Dawn, and Jillian left for home, but Mom and Dad had work to do in the office. Rowen and I had some homework to do too, and we practiced our music for a while; but we also took care of Ethan and Ehlana for a few hours too. We went to the park for a little play time, and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the lounge until Rowen needed to go home and get re-acquainted with her family after spending most of the weekend with us.

We were on our own for the rest of the day; went with a light dinner; and had some Magi play time before starting the bedtime routine for all of us. That's all of the news from home, but I added a full check on the Hathornes to my nightly computing; and they've been very busy this weekend too.

There was a party at the estate on Saturday night, and while we obviously can't know about everything that happens with the Hathornes, there is quite a bit of information that gets plugged into their computer systems. For instance, the VIP guest list can tell us a lot about who's hot and not with Gawain and Kellie; and also who might be worth keeping an eye on. Gwyneth continues her child prodigy journey; and must be impressing everyone around her if some of the email and text messages I scanned were any indication.

I wish I could report that Hathorne Industries is going downhill since Corwyn's death, but the company is doing better than ever with Kellie in charge. Unfortunately, they're doing that at the expense of even more people than ever too; though we've been seeing some differences too. It seems as if making money and gaining power is what drives Gawain and Kellie, and though that motivation is very different from the intentional suffering and worse that Corwyn enjoyed and nurtured; the results aren't that much different, and the motivation behind their actions don't matter at all to their victims.

We're going to be able to change that, though I don't mind admitting that it would be nice if that could happen a lot sooner than Ethan, Ehlana, and I know it will. What we do manage to accomplish now is only significant for the few Hathorne survivors we've helped through our charities.

I should also mention that Gawain is still keeping an eye on Mom and me; though there really isn't much for him to learn other than how I'm doing in school, or the occasional picture or news clip that makes the town intranet. There's no way for them to ever find out about anything important – like our family business. For now, I'm just glad that he's leaving us alone.

Let's change the subject; and not go to sleep thinking about Dark Magi.

The San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in the World Series; wrapping up their fourth win tonight four-three. Hopefully, knowing the details will be enough for tomorrow morning; since I didn't even watch game highlights. Ditto that for this weekend's college and pro football games.

Is changing the subject to sports from Dark Magi an improvement?

No. Moving on.

Talking language or archive studies wouldn't be any better, so I'll wrap up with a look at the week ahead. While most kids and teens in town will have Halloween on the brain for the next three or four days; Ethan and Ehlana are most excited about Aiden Draper's first birthday tomorrow. That's mostly because the Magi council is going to let him find out about them, and Naomi; and start doing lessons with them. School parties and trick-or-treating will be the big story for Wednesday, and then for our family; Dad's thirty-fourth birthday on Sunday will be the highlight of the weekend.

That reminds me that I need to do some shopping soon – not for Dad's birthday; but for some upcoming friend birthdays. It's hard to believe that my only trip to the city since August was that flying trip to see Angela, Terry, and their new baby. We're definitely due for a shopping trip soon!

Now that's a nice thought to drop off to sleep with!

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, October 29, 2012

Happy 1st birthday, Aiden! Welcome to Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi's exclusive little Magi club.

Here we go with another moment that will only ever be known about by a very few people, but is way more important than the top news around town – or even in the country. Since nearly everyone is watching Hurricane Sandy hitting the east coast tonight; that's a fairly audacious claim; but if you're reading this far enough into the future, you know for sure that I'm right.

Before I get on with the rest of the recap, Hurricane Sandy is something that Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Miranda are keeping a close eye on; and they'll be ready to help out where they can through our charities. I don't really have anything to handle for that with my end of the family business, but if this storm ends up being as bad as it could be; that might change. The timing this close to Halloween has earned Sandy the nickname 'Frankenstorm'. If it lives up to that name, I just hope everyone in its path will be safe over the next few days.

Now that I think about that, the Hathornes are right in the middle of the storm. If things get too bad for them, I'm sure they'll just put up a shield around their estate or something. If Corwyn was still in charge, he'd probably have tried to nudge the storm up a notch or two and cause as much havoc as possible.

Compared to Frankenstorms, my day has been fairly quiet. We mostly just played at school, though there were some actual lessons baked into the fun. It's no surprise that Halloween and sports were the two top topics among the kids and teens; though a Hurricane hitting New York City was exciting enough to earn some attention. Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi had a more entertaining day while I was at school. Naomi was still hanging out at our house when Rowen and I got home, so after doing the snack and recap with Mom, and our homework; we took all three kids to the park. Watching my friends going temporarily insane around boys may be weird, but it was cute watching Naomi while Ethan was having his weekly football moment with Michael. She and Ehlana also managed to charm every girl hanging out around the bleachers before we moved on to the playground for some slide and swing action.

Naomi's Dad was already at the house to pick her up when we got back; and he ended up giving Rowen a lift over to the computer store on his way home. I helped Mom with making dinner after that while Ethan and Ehlana supervised and played on their iPads. Now that would make for a cool YouTube video; but wouldn't be a good idea – especially if the camera caught the kind of things they were doing on them.

It's been a standard Monday night since then. Dinner; clean-up; Magi Healing lesson with Mom and Uncle Adam; family business time for Mom and Aunt Leanne; and my usual nightly computing and studies. I don't plan on staying up late tomorrow night, and Halloween night is a write-off; so I worked a bit later tonight. I've had enough now, and don't have anything else to add to tonight's report, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The top news around town today has been Frankenstorm Sandy, though with the kids and teens; Halloween was still about a tie for the most talked about topic.

Since Mom was keeping up with all of the storm news so that she could direct some of our charity resources to where they were needed most, I've been more informed about what's been happening along the east coast than most kids at school; and I helped out a bit while working on the family business after school. Sandy really has been a weird monster; with everything from storm surge, hurricane-force winds, and rain along the coast; to blizzard conditions and two or three feet or snow in the Appalachian Mountains.

Compared to that work, writing about something like our Halloween costumes seems trivial, but for Rowen, Ethan, Ehlana, and me; getting them finished tonight was fairly important. The twins look adorable in their fluffy, white snowy owl costumes, and Rowen and I could fit right in to any Hogwarts school scene – though there wouldn't actually be any eleven-year old Prefects in the books or movies. That would have worked out better in a few years, but by then, Ethan and Ehlana probably wouldn't want to dress up as our snowy owls anymore.

The costume fitting really was something we just sort of fit into the evening after dinner, and it was mostly a work night in the office for Mom, Dad, and me. Ethan and Ehlana were with us for most of that time; and they happily did some studying on their iPads while we were busy. I wrapped up my family business work when it was time to get them ready for bed, and have been taking care of my usual nightly computing while relaxing in my Jacuzzi. It's time to get out of the tub and get off to bed, so I'm going to wrap this up.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Rowen and I didn't win any costume prizes today, but our twin snowy owls were a hit with everyone who saw them at school – and again when we were out trick-or-treating tonight.

The highlight of the day at school was the haunted house in the gym; and the show that the teens put on this year was better than ever – even with having our trip through it toned down a bit for Ethan and Ehlana's benefit. Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Claire Norton were all helping out at lunchtime with costumes and make-up for the girls again this year, so Ethan and Ehlana were with us all afternoon for the haunted house and class party.

We've had a beautiful, warm fall day for all of the fun, though it started out chilly; and is going to cool off again overnight. While the high school students spent the morning setting up the haunted house in the gym, everyone else in the school had to at least pretend to be having regular lessons. For our class, that meant playing our way through Math and English, and then going outside for Phys-Ed; since the gym was in use. That was fun too, but we actually exercised fairly hard too; so Rowen and I weren't the only kids in our class running a bit behind at lunchtime after grabbing showers before moving on to the girls' costume and make-up room.

The Grade Seven and Eight classes didn't do the haunted house until two-thirty, so the main part of our parties was between lunchtime and then; and we mostly just cleaned up again after getting back from the gym until it was time to go home. Ethan and Ehlana loved hanging out with us all afternoon; joining in as much as they could for the games and entertainment; and helping out with making the munchies and drinks disappear. We were all on sugar overload by the time we headed home.

Ethan and Ehlana had also spent the morning with Naomi and Aiden, splitting their time between doing a Halloween Magi lesson at our house and going to the KidZone Halloween party. Rowen and I had to wait until after school to hear about their morning adventures, and that was part of our daily re-cap and snack time with Mom. We had time after that to go to the park for a little play time, and then were home again for an early, quick dinner before getting into our costumes again.

Dad needed to take a bunch of pictures, and then we were set free to go trick-or-treating while he and Mom stayed home to hand out treats to the three hundred or so kids they expected to get tonight thanks to the extra-nice weather and town reputation for being the best place to be on Halloween night. We hit every house on our street, just as every kid in town would, and then worked our way south. Rowen and I took the stroller with us, but we still needed to carry Ethan and Ehlana a lot; and covering the entire town wasn't going to be an option for us – especially since my brother and sister attracted a lot of extra attention at every stop. That meant skipping streets or blocks of houses, but we made sure that we stopped in to see all of our favorite people – like Rowen's grandparents; Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah; and Grandpa Grant and Grandma Eleanor.

Even with skipping half the town or more, I'd say we're set for sugar and snack fixes at least until Thanksgiving.

We were home by eight-thirty, and though Rowen and I did have the option of going back out again for a bit longer, we'd had enough; and I really wanted to spend some quality time with my Jacuzzi. I walked Rowen home first and we gave her parents the trick-or-treating recap for a few minutes before I went back to my place and helped Mom with getting Ethan and Ehlana changed and into bed while Dad continued to handle the incoming ghouls, goblins, and other creatures and characters. I've been in my Jacuzzi since then, and multi-tasking so I can go straight to bed and sleep after I'm done in the tub. I'm actually doing this journal entry first; mostly because I didn't feel like dealing with email, work, or studying yet. I do need to get on with all of that, though, and have pretty much covered the news for today, so I'll wrap this up and move on.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

November 2012

Thursday, November 1, 2012

The orange afterglow from Halloween still kept us hyped up today at school – or more likely it was the sugar overload.

While chatting about our Halloween adventures was fun, we also got back to work in our classes too. That meant more homework, and the assignment of new projects that would keep us busy through to the Thanksgiving holiday. Rowen and I pretty much had a normal, uneventful day with the only break in the academic action our musical lunch break. We were on our own for that today, so Michael must have been hanging out with Tim and the rest of their friends. Maybe he was getting razzed too much about hanging out with two girls in the music room so often.

Rowen and I were both working after school, so other than stopping at the store long enough to say hello to her parents; I went straight home and got to work in the office. Alicia watched Ethan and Ehlana while I was doing that, and Mom went out to do some running around town while she had the kid support. I took care of my homework first, and then worked on the family business until dinner was ready. Mom had gone with an easy-meal, so we had time to enjoy a little quiet chat time while we ate before cleaning up and heading to the Inn for game night.

Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam won tonight's senior championship; and Aunt Leanne was particularly fired up tonight. Maybe she's just happy to be starting a new month, since that usually gives her a week or two of comparative quiet at work, but I didn't hear any specific reasons for her happy mood, and trust me; sometimes a kid really doesn't want to know the answers to questions like that about their parents or aunts and uncles.

Moving along, the only news from my usual nightly computing is that I started learning my next language tonight – Punjabi. It's one of the Indo-Aryan languages, and while I'll learn all of the dialects; I'm starting with the Majhi dialect. As always, I'll continue to keep practiced with the other languages I've learned so far, but thanks to having the photographic memory; that really isn't hard for me to do.

It does still take extra work to start a new language, though, and I've stayed up way past what should have been my bedtime tonight; so I'd better wrap this up and get a few hours of unconscious time in before I'll need to meet Mom and Dad for Tai Chi across the hall.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, November 2, 2012

Today's journal entry is being written for you live from Arizona!

Ethan and Ehlana seemed to be suspiciously unsurprised this morning when Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over for breakfast to spring the early birthday surprise on Dad, but then they were probably there whenever Mom and Aunt Leanne worked on their plans for the four-day weekend away gift. I loved finding out about the surprise as much as Dad did, so I was good with not knowing about it early.

I seriously doubt that I want to know about all of the presents Dad got for his birthday today, but thankfully, Aunt Leanne made sure that he didn't open those gifts around the twins and me. Dad actually had quite a few gifts that had been left with Mom or Aunt Leanne from Violet, and some of his friends, so we all needed to rush around a bit by the time we'd finished eating; and he'd opened most of those presents.

We weren't leaving for the airport until after Dad was finished work, so I had all day at school to try not to spend all of my time thinking about my first trip to see Grandma and Grandpa at one of their winter homes-away-from-home. The tough part of the day was dealing with the fact that I wasn't going to be sharing this adventure with Rowen. It's strange to think about it, but this will be the longest time Rowen and I have been apart since becoming best friends when I first started school in Witch Falls. I'll definitely need to do some special shopping for her while we're here.

It wasn't all daydreaming about Arizona sun and fun for me, since Mrs. Warren had been in on the secret; and not only made sure that I had the extra homework for the two school days I'd be missing, but had me write the two pop quizzes she'd be springing on my class next week too. I had to pick up extra work from the rest of my teachers too, and had something to work on from every subject except music and Phys-Ed. The good news there is that I had time between school and Dad getting home from work to get everything done thanks to a little high-powered Magi study time while I got my weekend bag packed and chatted with Rowen and Mandy. Speaking of Mandy, she didn't get to come with us either, and Rowen's taking care of her while we're away. That was a last-minute change; and I think that Rowen and Mandy will both have fun hanging out together while I'm gone.

We had the van loaded and ready to go by the time that Dad pulled into the driveway. He had Aunt Leanne with him, but we only had time for a quick round of good-bye hugs before it was time to hit the road for the airport. That part of the trip wasn't particularly exciting, but I haven't been on an airplane in years, and this was the first time for the twins; so we all had a lot of fun with the whole airports and flight adventure. Ethan and Ehlana charmed and entertained everyone around them; including Mom, Dad, and me. The twin thing had a lot to do with that, but then so did the fact that they played with their iPads too while we waited at the airport, and when they could during our flight. I practically felt invisible by comparison, but then that actually felt normal; since that's exactly what Mom and I always tried to do whenever we travelled before moving to Witch Falls.

We split up at the airport in Phoenix so that Mom could get the car rental while Dad and I waited for the luggage. We kept Ehlana with us while Ethan went with Mom; and it still took quite a while before we met up again and could load up the minivan. More driving followed, with the only change being the warmer weather; and then, finally, we were at Grandma and Grandpa's condo resort. I'm sure there will be a lot more to see in the morning, but I was good with catching a glimpse of the beautiful pools, gardens, and paths that we passed on our way to our weekend home away from home. Even with the time change, it was still after midnight, but Grandma and Grandpa were awake and welcomed us enthusiastically. I know it hasn't quite been three weeks since they left for Arizona, but we're all happy to be together again for a few days. It isn't something I've really thought about, but Grandma and Grandpa probably haven't spent many of Dad's birthdays with him since he was eighteen – between him being away for college and work, and then their travels after retiring. Hopefully we can help all of them make some memories this weekend to make up for all of those missed birthday moments.

We apparently have a lot of play plans for tomorrow, and though we stayed up and visited for nearly an hour before going to bed, I still wanted to take care of my usual nightly computing, including sending out a few email; so I've been doing that – and this – in Magi mode so I can wrap it up and get some sleep. I'm sure I'll have more to write about tomorrow, but not if I'm too tired to do more than have naps all day, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, November 3, 2012

When Aunt Leanne was single and visited Grandma and Grandpa in Arizona, I know that she had a different perspective about the mostly-senior people that live in their condo community – particularly the single, older men; but having hundreds of grandparents around can be very cool for kids!

The first thing to love about Arizona is getting to do our Tai Chi outdoors. That made for an awesome start to the day, and we also had the bonus of what felt like sleeping in to us was still barely after dawn here. Mom, Dad, and I had a lot of spectators watching our workout while they sat out on lanais or balconies; and our bonus morning entertainment earned a small round of applause when we finished. One of these days I am going to put a hat out just to see how much we'd make when this happens.

Grandma and Grandpa had breakfast ready by the time we got back to their place, and we ate outdoors too – just as it seemed nearly everyone else did. I was on the clean-up crew while Mom and Dad took turns getting ready for the day, and then it was my turn to hit the shower. We were starting our mini-holiday adventure out with a morning shopping trip, which was more exciting for the girls than the boys; but Grandpa, Dad, and Ethan love us a lot, and we appreciate their sacrifice. I had a sundress, swimsuit, top, and shorts pick me to go home with; but I mostly shopped for upcoming birthday presents, and even a couple of early Christmas gifts. My only real limit was luggage space for the trip home, or I might have picked up a few more things.

We had lunch out, and then headed back to the condo for an afternoon of lazy sun and fun. That included lots of pool time; some games; and lying around, soaking up the sun. Grandma and Grandpa put on a barbeque dinner that they had some of their friends come over to join us for; and then Mom and Dad were set free to get dressed up and go out for a date night while Ethan, Ehlana, and I stayed home and entertained Grandma, Grandpa, and their friends.

Since Ethan and Ehlana had to play normal toddlers for the crowd, they were in bed by nine. I stayed up and played cards for a while; went for a swim; and sat outside and talked with Grandma and Grandpa for nearly an hour after their friends had gone home for the night. We decided to go to bed shortly before midnight; and I'm only doing this journal entry and an email check before calling it a night. I actually thought I'd have more to write about tonight, but sometimes the best days are when nothing really exciting happened at all. Ethan, Ehlana, and I don't know what's up for tomorrow yet; but we were given enough hints tonight to be sure that there will definitely be actual adventure in store for us.

I really should make sure I'm ready for that, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Happy 34th Birthday, Dad!

His best birthday gift – at least for Ethan, Ehlana, and me – was the day-trip air and ground tour to the Grand Canyon that we all went on today. Mom and I visited the Grand Canyon once back when we were hiding in the west, but we didn't see it from the air; and it was a lot more fun to spend the day sightseeing with our family.

Spending the day flying and at the Grand Canyon meant that we needed to start the day early. Mom and Dad skipped Tai Chi, and I don't need to know why they needed the extra nap time; but I went outside to enjoy the sunrise and exercise. I helped Grandpa with making breakfast after that while Grandma took care of Ethan and Ehlana; and then we ate quickly; Dad opened his gifts; and those of us who weren't ready to go out yet hit the showers while Mom and Grandma took care of the clean-up.

The flight to the Grand Canyon was awesome, and Ethan, Ehlana, and I loved learning about the Tonto National Forest, Navajo Reservation, Sedona desert, and everything else our guide told us about to keep us entertained for the hour or so it took to reach the Grand Canyon. For the next half-hour, I was pretty much lost to the moment; taking in the amazing view below us; and listening to our guide tell us about our little contribution to the seven natural wonders of the world.

Spending a few hours at the Grand Canyon leaves you wishing that you could just stay and spend a couple of months exploring – or at least that's how I felt today when we were back on the plane for the trip back. Our first stop on the ground tour was a scenic overlook, and Ethan and Ehlana helped make that particularly entertaining for everyone in our group. They'd have likely forgotten all about the Grand Canyon if they'd heard some of the comments the twins whispered to us now and then – or been with us for the question and answer time back at Grandma and Grandpa's tonight!

The Grand Canyon Village was our next stop, and while we had fun picking up a few souvenirs and gifts for friends, by comparison; shopping was actually pretty low on the highlight list today. Our last stop was at one of the canyon lodges, where the view of the canyon was definitely more interesting than the food we had for lunch – at least for Ethan, Ehlana, and me.

It was time to head back to the airport after leaving the lodge, and the flight back was a bit of a wind down time – Ethan, Ehlana, and Grandpa even had a little nap. We still had a drive back to Grandma and Grandpa's condo from the airport, but then had time to go for a swim before getting ready to go out for Dad's birthday dinner. I love Sunday night buffets at the Inn, and Grandpa likes to tell us about how much he misses those meals while he and Grandma are travelling; but I now know that he's not being totally honest about that. The restaurant they took us to for dinner is one of their favorites; the food was awesome; and I'm sure that the Stone family would probably get along great with the family that owned the place.

We spent about an hour and a half at the restaurant, and then headed home again for a quiet evening in – or at least close to home. I went for another long swim, and we all went for a walk around the neighborhood before doing the question and answer time with Ethan and Ehlana in the living room. Since some of us – Mom and Dad – didn't get much sleep last night, we all turned in comparatively early; but I've been working on my computer since climbing into bed.

Catching up on email took a while, and I had a short chat with Rowen. I'm not doing any extra studying this weekend, but there was a bit of family business work that needed to be dealt with; so I spent a half hour or so doing that too. Once I finish this, I'm going to find something mindless to watch until I'm ready to sleep, and since that pretty much covers the news for today; I'm going to move on and do that.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, November 5, 2012

It's hard to believe that we'll be going home tomorrow already. We've mostly spent our last full day here playing and enjoying the beautiful weather.

For Grandpa and Dad, their fun started with an escape from another shopping trip while they went golfing instead. Ethan wasn't so lucky, but didn't seem to mind hanging out with some of his favorite girls for a few hours; since golfing too wasn't an option for him. Okay, technically it is an option, Ethan; just not one that you can choose in public – though it'd be cool to watch you hit a golf ball two hundred and fifty or three hundred yards!

Part of our shopping trip was for supplies for Grandma and Grandpa, but we did a bit more gift and souvenir shopping too. I didn't buy any more clothes; mostly because I didn't expect to still fit any summer clothes I bought now by next summer at home. That wasn't a problem for Mom, and I'll guess that Dad will have an outfit or two in his suitcase for the trip home that he'll appreciate a lot, but won't be in his size or style. We had time to go home and put the supplies and groceries away before heading out again to meet Grandpa and Dad at the golf course clubhouse for lunch.

The afternoon was all fun and sun around the pool, with a few games thrown in here and there that Grandma and Grandpa did with Ethan, Ehlana, and me while Mom and Dad relaxed in lounge chairs and soaked up the sun. We had another dinner at home with some of Grandma and Grandpa's friends; did an evening walk; I went swimming again; and then we went to bed early again. No, Grandma and Grandpa's community here isn't exactly party central for Arizona at night, but then I'm fairly sure that Ethan, Ehlana, and I will never be into the all-night party scene anyway; so this kind of fun is just our speed.

It's going to be a long day tomorrow, so I'm going to wrap this up and get some extra sleep. Our flight isn't until the afternoon, and we'll have the time change going back home, so Mom and Dad expect it'll be midnight or later by the time we get to Witch Falls. Sleeping on the plane and drive from the airport is an option, but we still have all morning to play before packing up and heading back to the airport in Phoenix. I'm going to love being home again, but it would be okay with me if some of this hot weather would come back with us.

Just to be safe, in case that does happen, no, even four Magi Masters couldn't move an entire weather front like that – or at least we couldn't do it with any kind of control over it; and there could be some bad unintended consequences. You really don't want to mess with Mother Nature!

Anyway, that's it for Day Three in Arizona.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

There's no place like home; there's no place like home; there's no place like home!

Okay, that'd work better if we'd been leaving Kansas instead of Arizona – and not returning to what most people would think of as Ozian if they knew about the Magi in Witch Falls. I am really glad to be home; in my bed; and snuggling with Mandy now while doing a short version of my usual nightly computing.

I do miss the warm already. Somewhere between Phoenix and here we lost about fifty-five degrees of it; though to be fair, I'm sure it's not still in the nineties there right now either.

Backing up a bit, Mom, Dad, and I started out our last day in Arizona with what could be our last outdoor Tai Chi workout until spring. We followed that up with a light breakfast, and then we went out to play for the morning. For me, that included getting as much swimming out of my system as possible; including one last splash while Mom and Grandma were making lunch. After that, it was time to pack up; do a long round of goodbyes with Grandma, Grandpa, and some of their friends; and then hit the road for the airport.

I won't bore you with the details of rental returns and luggage checks. We jumped through all of the usual airport hurdles and annoyances; caught our flight; and I mostly played on my computer while we were in the air. We reversed the process at our 'home' airport, though that was a bit easier without needing to rent a car or stand in security lines. Our only slowdown was with picking up our checked luggage. Maybe UPS or FedEx should consider an airport luggage service to help out with that. If the price was right, and you could still get your bags delivered next-day; I think it'd be a hit!

The drive home wasn't exciting, and though Ethan and Ehlana had a little nap after a short telepathic question and answer chat; I stayed awake and watched a movie from the back seat. It was after midnight when we pulled into the driveway. Dad and I did most of the unloading while Mom helped Ethan and Ehlana get changed and into their beds. All of the luggage made it upstairs, but unpacking can mostly wait until tomorrow. Mom, Dad, and I had bedtime drinks in the office while Dad took care of a few things he wanted to have ready for work in the morning; but we were in our rooms by one o'clock.

I've promised Mandy that we'll be lights-out by one-thirty, and I still need to do an email check; so I'm going to wrap this up now and move on.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Happy twelfth birthday, Marcie!

I wasn't thinking about having a birthday party to go to on my first day back when we got home last night, but thanks to our shopping trips; I did have a cool gift for Marcie.

We started the day out with Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam joining us for Tai Chi and breakfast. I was really glad that we got to spend that time with them – especially since I was going to be busy with Marcie's party after school. Rowen got bonus hugs when I met up with her for the walk to school; and she loved the souvenirs I brought back for her. There wasn't much time to talk with her about my trip before school, and I made a point of not talking much about it with anyone in our class today; mostly because I didn't want to let that get in the way of Marcie's big day.

The election yesterday was probably the most talked about topic at school today. I missed the mock elections they had in most of the grades, but then those results were about as irrelevant as the real election was. Yes, that's fairly cynical, but this election cost something like six billion dollars; virtually nothing changed; wouldn't have changed even if the results had been different; and I could have put that money to much better use with our charities. I'm really glad that our family and friends will be able to insulate our little town from the mistakes that our politicians are going to keep making; though I'd be even happier if what's going on in politics around the world would stop making our charity work harder and harder to do.

That's enough of that subject. Let's move along.

I was really glad to be back at school, and found out that I missed my friends even more than I realized. It felt great to get back to playing saxophone too. I would have signed one out tonight, but with Marcie's party; I knew there wouldn't be time to practice anyway. Music was the best class, but I had fun all day; and this was probably the fastest Wednesday I've had so far this school year.

Marcie's party was starting after school, so Rowen and I split up to get ready for it; and then we met up at my house so she could spend a few minutes with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana before we moved on to Marcie's home. I'm hoping that today was a case of 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' for me. If that isn't the case, then I'm starting to like boy-girl parties; and that kind of scary shouldn't happen now that Halloween is over for another year.

While Marcie had invited boys to her party, she wasn't having a dance, and the guys spent most of the time before dinner in the back yard tossing a football around while the girls mostly sat around on the back porch and talked while watching them goof around. I was asked more questions about my trip while we were doing that, but I'm pretty sure that most of the girls lost interest when I didn't have any stories about cute boys to report; though finding out about current shopping fashions at the Malls in Arizona was popular.

I know it was only four days of hot weather for me in Arizona, and we had a decent fall day here; but I was freezing the entire time we were outside; and was glad when we went indoors to have dinner. That was a crazy hour and a half, and there was more scary from watching most of the guys as they demolished an astonishing amount of food and drinks. Contrast that to the half-dozen girls in our class who eat like butterflies; and it's even weirder. My perspective on that might be different if I didn't have a hyper-active metabolism – and the ability to control it; so I'll just be glad that I can eat what I want and leave it at that.

Marcie liked the silver Navajo earrings I picked out for her in Arizona; though a new iPod from her parents topped her favorite gift list; and a bracelet from her boyfriend was a close second. A bag of gummy worms was a gag gift from a couple of the guys, but they assured us that it wasn't very long ago that all of the guys would have thought that gummy worms was an awesome birthday present. A couple of the guys actually looked embarrassed about that; so they probably weren't making it up. I'll ask Hannah sometime about whether gummy worm cakes are a big seller with the younger boys, though. That part of their claim seems to be too gross to be true.

After we finished dinner, Marcie opened her gifts, and we demolished the cake and a tub of ice cream; we moved into the rec room to hang out, listen to music, and play video games. Rowen ordered me to include the news that Michael and Lisa spent most of the evening hanging out together; which put both of them into the couples club. I'm sure that Tim and Michael were both happy about that, but Lisa and Nora aren't close friends, and while Vanessa may have moved on from Michael; she and Nora are still annoyed with him for messing up their original boyfriend plans.

While Rowen and I are not, thankfully, in the couples club too, there were still some other single girls at the party to hang out with, and we had a lot of fun through until the party started wrapping up at nine.

Rowen and I had homework to do after that, so I picked up my computer from home on the way; we did a quick party re-cap with Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and the twins; and then continued on to Rowen's house to do our work there. That was a good plan for me, since Aunt Leanne wasn't able to grill or tease me about the party and my continuing lack of interest in a personal love life. It's been such a great day, though, let's just not go there.

Studying at my house would have been faster, since we could have kicked things up a Magi notch or two, but Rowen and I were ready for some alone time to chat about my trip and what she'd been doing while I was away. For her, that really wasn't much except work, hanging out with Mandy, and a lot of boredom. We both think that we should do all future trips together, but convincing the parents of that might not be that simple. We dragged out our work until shortly before eleven, and then I had to get home; where I didn't end up totally escaping Aunt Leanne before Uncle Adam took her home and I headed upstairs for some Jacuzzi and computing multi-tasking.

I finished my language studies while in the tub, and left the usual nightly computing and this journal entry for once I was in bed with Mandy. It's getting late, but I expect to have quite a few late nights again for a while. Thanksgiving is just two weeks away now; Dad will be in the city next week; and we are all going to have a lot of work to do to keep up with the usual work and get ready for incoming family. I foresee a lot of yard work, cleaning, baking, and cooking in my future; and don't need to use the Sight to know that.

There isn't anything else to write about tonight, and I'm ready to crash, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, November 8, 2012

The weather is getting warmer as we head into the weekend, and Mom, Dad, and I are already hearing some jokes about drawing the change with us from Arizona. I checked the forecast tonight, and we'll probably hear more of that by Saturday; since it's supposed to be warmer here than in Phoenix – if only for a day or two. I didn't actually get to enjoy much of the nice weather today, since it was time to get back to reality and my part-time job.

I don't have much to report from school, except that Rowen and I didn't have Michael join us for our lunchtime music practice today. He and Lisa spent that time outside with the rest of the 'couples club'. They don't seem to officially be a couple yet, but that's probably just a matter of time. Aunt Leanne will have something to say to me about that, but honestly, I hope Michael and Lisa do get together; and I get a break from Aunt Leanne's matchmaking attempts for a while – or forever if I can swing that kind of miracle.

It was all work for me after getting home from school through until dinnertime. Basically taking a week off meant that I had some catching up to do. Except for last-minute issues; I should be done with Christmas now; and I'll start working on my macro plans for next year. The seasons will keep changing early for me too, but I don't want to think about Valentine's Day, Spring fashion lines, or even Easter tonight even if I will need to work on things like that before we even get to Thanksgiving.

We had an easy-dinner night; cleaned up; and walked to the Inn with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne for game night. Tonight was the first time since getting home that I saw Miranda and Jacob, so I had extra hugs for them; and spent more time talking with Miranda about what we'd each been doing since I saw her last Thursday. Miranda helped motivate Dad by teasing him about keeping up with the other gamers now that he was a year older than the last time he played; and he and Mom won the senior championship this week.

Mom wanted to get back to my Magi lessons tonight, so we spent an hour doing that after putting Ethan and Ehlana to bed; and Dad worked in the office. I've been working on my computer since getting changed and into bed with Mandy; but that meant that it was after eleven-thirty before I even got started on my archive and language studies. It's heading toward two now, and I still have a couple of things to get done after I finish this; so I'm going to finish up and move on. One more day to the weekend, and though it will only be a three-day school week for me; I'll be ready for the chance to spend some extra time with Rowen. I was going to say 'the break', but there's going to be lots of work to do around here after being away last weekend, plus Dad will need to get ready for his week in the city.

With that in mind, it's definitely time to say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, November 9, 2012

Congratulations, Amy and Jared!

They don't know what I'm congratulating them for yet, but they will soon enough; and I think that they are going to be awesome parents!

That was the top story for Witch Falls today; though Mom was the only person I passed the news on to; and she's only given the heads up for this to Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah. I would have done that too, but Rowen and I are doing a sleepover at her house tonight; so I was only home for the after-school snack before packing a bag and heading out for the night.

Other than finding out that Amy's pregnant, there isn't much to report for school today. Oh wait, that's coming from the perspective of a non-football fanatic. For the football players and their fans, today was all about the final regular season game tonight. This will be shocking, but Rowen and I actually wandered over to the school for a while to watch part of the game; mostly because Owen took Patrick and Scott there while Patricia stayed at the store until closing time.

Our team played against division rivals, Pinehurst; and needed the win to earn first place in our division. It was probably one of the toughest matches of the season so far, but Kyle Landry was again the difference-maker; and it was the points off of defense that helped our team win by a score of fifty-eight to thirty. The Ridge River Raiders ended the regular season with an eight and two record, and won all five of their division matches.

The good news is that they're headed for the playoffs! Bad news is that high school football is not done for the year yet in Witch Falls.

For tonight, Rowen and I should thank our school team. Their win has Patrick and Scott fired up; and the two boys have been so focused on football that they've pretty much forgotten to bug us all night. They stayed at the game until it was over, while Rowen and I left the game at half-time and eventually went to hang out with her Mom at the store after going for a long walk first. Patrick and Scott have been having a video football competition since getting home, and Rowen and I have been hanging out in her room and playing on our computers mostly in peace.

Rowen's not exactly peaceful tonight, and while that isn't because of little brother and sidekick trouble; it is boy-related. Leaving the game and going for that long walk was boy-related too, and while his identity still won't be revealed anytime soon in these journals, I did help cheer Rowen up by giving him a pseudonym.

Tommy Walker.

Yes, the classic rock opera was way before my time, but that little tidbit ended up in my photographic memory; and Rowen thought that it was hilarious when I explained to her that Tommy was the 'deaf, dumb, and blind kid' character that eventually found enlightenment. We both thought that the YouTube clips were weird, and while this will end up being an inside joke that we'll keep between us; I think Rowen liked the suggestion that her 'Tommy' would eventually come to his senses too.

By the time I open this journal up for you, and other Magi, to read it, Rowen; you'll know the answer to that!

That's about it for today. Rowen and I are going to get some sleep now, partly because we'll both be busy tomorrow, and mostly because it sounds like Patrick and Scott are being ordered to shut down the football competition and go to bed. We should probably a least be pretending to be asleep before they decide that there's still some pranking opportunities tonight. This has been such a good day; we really shouldn't end it like that, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, November 10, 2012

We mostly ended up with an awesome weather day, and while I spent most of the day doing yard work; it was nice to do that in a short-sleeved top and shorts instead of being wet and cold.

I started my day with Tai Chi for one and breakfast with Rowen and her family; and then headed home to get started on the long list of yard work that Dad and I needed to get through today. For me, that included raking and bagging leaves; cutting the grass; cleaning the paths, porches, and driveway; and what felt like a hundred other little jobs. It was after-dark before we finished up and went inside to have dinner with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; and I was ready for a nap by then.

That wasn't an option, but having a Magi play night was worth staying awake for. We followed that up with a lengthy bath and bedtime routine for Ethan and Ehlana, and then I was set free to spend some quality time with my Jacuzzi. That part of my night started nearly three hours ago, and I've been getting quite a bit of work done on my computer since then. I had a long archive assignment to go along with tonight's lessons; started reading books in Punjabi; had a little online chat with Rowen before she went to sleep; and worked through my usual nightly email, news, entertainment, and sports checks.

Now I'm totally baked.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, November 11, 2012

The little warm weather break is passing through already, and we've had rain off and on today helping to drop the temperature back down to normal fall levels.

That made for a mostly stay-indoors kind of day, and we only went outside to go to church; when Rowen and I went for an afternoon walk with the twins in between rain showers, and when we all went to the late buffet dinner at the Inn. Rowen and I had a play afternoon that included the walk and a couple hours of fun in the lounge with Ethan and Ehlana; a long music practice with our sax and flute; and a little video gaming mostly because we hadn't done much of that in quite a while.

Dad spent the afternoon and evening working in the office to get ready for his week in the city, so Ethan, Ehlana, and I didn't actually get to spend much time with him except for at meals. Mom worked in the office too while Ethan and Ehlana were hanging out with Rowen and me, and I'm sure that they're spending some quality time together right now as I write this; but let's pretend that I don't know that and move along.

There isn't anything else to report from around town today, but I do have some family news via the email network. Aunt Grace is bringing Mark here with her for the Thanksgiving weekend; and then it looks like she'll be spending Christmas with his family. You know it's serious when they're starting to juggle holiday time with the families! Violet sent me a long email with a report about her date day in Crystal Springs with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie, and it sounds like they all had fun with an afternoon of shopping; dinner at what sounded like a really cool, old-style pizzeria; and a movie night. It's funny, but while I do really like going to movie theaters, and can relate when other kids at school that wish they could do things like that more often than we can living so far away from Crystal Springs; but I still don't miss being able to do things like that like Mom and I could back when we lived in or near cities. It has been a long time since my last movie night out, though, so maybe Rowen and I should think about working on setting up a night in the city sometime soon.

Anyway, I started doing this before my archive and language studies tonight, and need to keep working, so it's time to wrap this up and move on.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, November 12, 2012

The top news story today is only known by a few people, but it's something that will be very important to everyone and Witch Falls; and will be a big deal for our family business too.

Mom offered Sharon Palmer the same job that Miranda does for our family business, except that if Sharon accepts the offer; she'll be handling our investments in banks, financials, and insurance companies; along with some related businesses. That's a pretty big move up the corporate ladder from managing our little community bank, but then Miranda still jokes with us about being an Innkeeper by day while having her secret identity as a super investment manager. Ethan, Ehlana, and I are sure that Sharon will take the job; and it's going to be fun getting to see her more often; and work with her now and then too.

Compared to that, there hasn't been anything particularly exciting to report from school or around town. With a week and a half left to Thanksgiving, most of our lessons are related to the holiday; and that's kicking up the fun level a bit. Our football team's first playoff match on Friday is a bigger deal than Thanksgiving among the boys right now, but that only affects the girl-chat in our class when some of the other girls talk about who's going to the game with whom; what they're going to wear; or which boys on the team are hot or not in their team uniforms. Let's leave that whole line of thought alone and move on.

With Dad in Crystal Springs, Mom's even busier than usual, so Rowen and I took care of Ethan and Ehlana after school. They hung out with us in the lounge while we did our homework; we went to the park to play; and then we watched television in the lounge until dinner was ready. Rowen needed to go home then, so it was just the four of us for dinner, and then I helped Mom with the cleanup while the twins supervised. We had that done by the time Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over for our Magi Healing lesson and a family business meeting; so we moved into the office where Mom did the Healing lesson with Uncle Adam and me while Aunt Leanne did an elements lesson with Ethan and Ehlana.

Mom and Aunt Leanne had quite a bit of work to discuss for the family business, with my favorite part of that being the progress on the new part of town. That will be winding down as we get into winter, but the project is ahead of schedule, and Aunt Leanne is sure that everything will be ready for spring when construction on the first houses will need to start. I can hardly wait to see what Uncle Blaine comes up with for those designs. I have a feeling that the homes, townhouses, and even the apartment buildings are going to be very popular around town once Aunt Leanne starts advertising them next year.

We all worked or played in the office until after ten, and then Uncle Adam and I took care of the bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana while Mom and Aunt Leanne finished up what they were working on. I came up to my room after that, and it was nearly eleven before I got started on my archive and language studying. It's one-thirty now, and I've had enough fun for one day; so I'm going to wrap this up and pass out for a few hours.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

I am really tired, so let's keep this short.

School – No news; though Rowen will want me to report that Michael did not join us for our lunchtime music practice again today.

Work night – Worked on plans for next year. Everything with that is going great, but I won't bore you into unconsciousness with the details.

Ethan and Ehlana bedtime routine – Magi powered baths for them was the entertainment highlight of the day.

Nightly computing and studies – exhausting and about an hour too long tonight, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

It's been another busy day, but I don't have much news to write about.

We had a couple of tests today at school that Rowen and I both breezed through; gym class was outside, which was both cool and chilly; and music is still my favorite part of the school day. Rowen and I took care of Ethan and Ehlana after school again, and pretty much repeated Monday; including getting Ethan some football time with the guys at the park thanks to some help from Tim Landry.

Rowen stayed for dinner, and then Mom did a lesson with all four of us after we'd eaten and cleaned up. We all went for a walk after that, though we didn't really get much of a walk in after spending nearly a half hour talking with Rowen's parents when we were dropping her off. I helped Mom with Ethan and Ehlana's bedtime routine once we were home again, and then we both opted for some Jacuzzi time before getting to bed.

I finished my archive studies while in the tub; worked on languages after snuggling in bed with Mandy; and finished my usual nightly computing before starting this journal entry. It's only going on twelve-thirty, but I've gotten enough done tonight; and a little extra sleep will be good for me, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, November 15, 2012

I've decided to skip the extra studying tonight and get a couple of extra hours of sleep tonight. With Thanksgiving now less than a week away, I should keep working, but after getting the schedule from Mom during dinner tonight; getting much sleep from tomorrow night until after the holiday weekend is going to be tough.

Since this was a work day for Rowen and me, and game night at the Inn, I've been busy and on the go pretty much since getting out of bed this morning. With one day left until the big playoff game, football ruled the school. That gave Rowen and I even more incentive than usual to spend our lunch break in the music room. Football fever might be a bit worse in our class than others because Tim Landry is both very proud of his older cousin, Kyle, and a minor celebrity with the other guys because of the relation to our team's best player. Playoff glory is apparently fairly rare in Witch Falls, so I do hope our team does well; but I wouldn't miss it either if football season ended tomorrow night.

After school, I got my homework out of the way first; spent the rest of the time until dinner immersed in the family business; and then, after we ate, I helped Mom with the dishes before we headed over to the Inn with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne. Mom's a two-peat champion now after she and Miranda won the coveted senior prize tonight; and I'm pretty sure that made Miranda's week. We had a comparatively small group of kids and teens playing for the junior championship, and a minor surprise when Rebecca and Jenny managed the win instead of one of the teen teams.

Mom did a short Magi lesson with Ethan, Ehlana, and I after we were home again; followed that up with quick baths before we tucked the twins in for the night. Mandy and I were in bed fifteen minutes later, and it only took me twenty minutes to get through the rest of my nightly computer checks before starting this. There isn't anything else to report for today; and it's actually still today instead of yesterday like it has been most days by the time I got around to writing my archive journal. It won't still be today for much longer, though, so I'm going to wrap this up and shut down for the night in more ways than one.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, November 16, 2012

We won, we won, we won!

Okay, I'm not really that enthusiastic about our team's big victory, but a lot of people in town are; so I'll just go with the flow.

Before I get to the game recap, let's back up and start from this morning. Mom and I exercised while Ethan and Ehlana played with Mandy; we tag-teamed getting ready for the day, taking care of the twins, and getting through breakfast and the clean-up; and then I headed for school when Rowen stopped in to pick me up on her way there.

I always like Day One schedule Fridays, and with football fever running rampant; just about every kid and teen at school was fired up and having fun. The Thanksgiving-themed lessons continued in most classes, including some of the questions on the two tests we had to write today. That had some of our classmates a bit stressed, but most of the teachers were doing extra testing this week so we don't have to do any of that next week.

Rowen and I spent as much time outside as we could during lunch, and after school we took Ethan and Ehlana out to play at the park. We weren't surprised to find a pick-up football game in progress by the time we got there; and Michael, Tim, and the other boys all let Ethan play with them for nearly twenty minutes before returning him to me. Ehlana spent most of that time with Rebecca; and entertaining all of us as she bounced around and babbled in her 'public' toddler-speak. After leaving the football field, we went for a walk along the river; played on the swings and slides; and made a stop at the Emporium for a little snack before heading home again.

Dinner and a movie night was dinner and Thanksgiving pre-cooking night instead; but Rowen and I found out that we had the option of helping out in the kitchen or going to the football game with Uncle Adam, Uncle Nick, and the twins. I might have picked staying with Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Aunt Deborah, but I could tell that Rowen wanted to go to the game; and Ehlana wanted us to go with her too. While I'm thinking about Aunt Deborah, it's been a while since I included an update in my journal for how she and the baby are doing; so let's do that now.

Aunt Deborah is a couple of weeks into her second trimester now, and pretty much done with morning sickness; though that was a lot milder for her than it was for Mom, and she only had a couple of bad mornings. She and the baby are both perfectly healthy, and if you're interested in all of the details, check out our Magi project; since Uncle Adam is keeping a record of Aunt Deborah's pregnancy as part of our studies. There is a lot of information going into that part of our project, but we're hoping to learn a lot about the similarities and differences in prenatal development between Magi, Latent, and Normal babies.

Getting back to Aunt Deborah and the baby again, an early-May due date seems to be a time that a lot of the women in town are envious of her for getting – Mom included. She's past the morning sickness going into the best holiday food season of the year; her baby will be here before it really starts getting hot next year; and, with a little Magi Healing help from Mom and me, she'll be ready for all kinds of summer hot by the memorial Day weekend. I guess that doesn't matter much if you live someplace where it's warm year-round; but it's a big bonus here.

Speaking of bonuses, it started getting cool fast after dark, but at least it was clear and dry for the football game; and we dressed warm enough to be comfortable. We had dinner early enough so that we had time to get to the game with fifteen minutes to spare. The bleachers were all nearly full by then, but we managed to meet up with Rowen's Dad, Patrick, and Scott; and find a spot where we could all sit together before the opening kick-off. Our team was playing against Ridgeway, and though they'd been one of the two teams to beat ours during the regular season; it was clear from the start of the game that they were in trouble tonight.

That was mostly because Kyle Landry sacked their quarterback on the first down and got a fumble recovery that our team turned into three points. While Ridgeway's defense played hard to keep their team in the game, their quarterback wasn't the same after Kyle's first big hit, and he never really recovered. Kyle, on the other hand, caused three more takeaways; scoring defensive touchdowns on one interception and one fumble recovery. Ridgeway's defense should be proud of holding our team to just two offensive touchdowns and that early field goal, but since Kyle and our defense held their team to just two field goals; it wasn't good enough tonight.

Dad made it to the game in time to catch the end of the third quarter, and his arrival kicked up the fun level for Ethan, Ehlana, and me. I still love these first moments when we're back together again after a week apart as much as I did the first few times we went through it after Mom and I moved here. It seems that I don't really write very much personal stuff in my journals about Mom and Dad, mostly because they write their stories in their own archives; but it's moments like tonight that remind me of just how lucky Mom and I are to have found our way to Witch Falls.

Our team was nice enough to save one more touchdown for the fourth quarter, and some really good defensive plays, but while the game wasn't a blowout by any stretch; there also wasn't really any worries about end-of-game come-back heroics either. The final score was thirty-one to six; and though this was probably the only home game our team will have in the playoffs; they left their fans very excited for our chances this year when they headed for the locker rooms after the usual post-game action.

Before I wrap up with the home action once we got back there again, I'll be in trouble if I don't report some of the off-field action and antics. Let's start with advising Aunt Leanne that she might as well stop trying to push Michael and me together. He and Lisa aren't officially a couple yet, but they went to the game with Tim, Nora, and the rest of our class's couples club; and I expect they'll be official in the not too distant future. While she won't be able to read this for at least a few years, I gave her that news tonight. After expressing her disappointment in me, she at least pretended to agree that her matchmaking plans for me were out for now. I have more than a few doubts about whether she actually intends to back off or not, though.

I'll also take a moment to mention Rowen's ongoing boy trouble. Tommy, as he'll now be referred to here, was taking full advantage of the cold evening to get close to his girlfriend, but I'll guess that Rowen was more heated up because of that than either of our classmates. There's a very good chance that Rowen was spending as much time fantasizing about a little Magi-powered venting as she was watching the game or talking with Ehlana, me, Ethan, and the rest of the guys. Yes, if you've been reading all of my journals from the past few months, you'll know that tonight wasn't the first time for thinking or talking about things like that, but we've been trained well enough; and won't make any mistakes like that – no matter how satisfying or fun it might be to try!

Okay, let's not go any closer to that edge. Rowen and I aren't doing a sleepover this weekend; so after the game, she went home with her father and brother while I went home with Ehlana and the guys. Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Aunt Deborah had the cooking done for the night, and were having drinks and a snack in the living room. It took nearly forty-five minutes for the bedtime chat and evening re-caps, and then my aunts and uncles headed home while Mom, Dad, and I took Ethan and Ehlana upstairs and got them ready for bed.

I've been working on my computer since coming up to my room, and I won't comment on what Mom and Dad are doing now; but maybe we should have insisted that Mom spend a night with Dad in Crystal Springs again this month. We're going to have a lot of work to get done this weekend, but I still wanted to get some language and archive study time in tonight. There were also some notes I needed to make for the Magi Project that were about some observations I made during the game tonight.

It's not exactly possible for me to go out on the field and wander around checking out the guys – not that I'd be doing that anyway, Aunt Leanne – but there is still a lot of information that I do take in around me; and sports events always leave me with a lot to think and write about. It also helps that I know who the Magi, Latent, and Normal players are; and can filter my observations through an ever-growing wealth of information. Tonight, I was most interested in high adrenaline effects on the Magi and Latent players on our team. While we don't have any players running faster than the speed of light or anything else, but there is some evidence that leads me to believe that Latents can and do exceed their 'normal' abilities. I was also able to get close enough to a couple of the players after the game to learn that there are temporary physiological changes that differ slightly from normal people too. There apparently are no records of a latent flashover to Magi during a football game or other sports matches; but I think it might be as possible as during a crisis – or like with Violet – while making out with someone.

Let's not think about the last part of that sentence. I should wrap this up anyway, and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another very long day.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, November 17, 2012

I love my Jacuzzi!

Tonight, I really need it too. If we're lucky, this will be the last monster cleanup day, since there aren't really all that many leaves left on the trees to fall. Raking and bagging leaves is one of the few things that I don't like about having a big yard; though there were still some fun moments – like when Dad dropped Ethan and Ehlana into a pile of leaves that was taller than they are and let them play around for a while.

My to-do list was long and kept me busy from shortly after breakfast until six-thirty when Dad and I had to concede that we weren't going to quite get everything done and go inside for dinner. The kitchen was back to normal by then, but it had been cooking central all day; with Aunt Leanne and Aunt Deborah working with her at our house, and only using Aunt Leanne's oven to help keep up with the baking end of the process. I'm sure they had more fun than Dad and I did, but they did a lot of work too; and Mom expects to have the cooking and baking done by tomorrow – except for the Thanksgiving dinner work that will start on Wednesday.

We're all taking the evening off, but Ethan and Ehlana were the only two members of our family with any energy left, but they took pity on Mom, Dad, and me; and let us put them to bed after a little cuddle and television time in the living room.

I'm only doing my basic nightly computing while soaking in the tub, but even doing that telekinetically is tough tonight, so I'm going to finish this up so I can drop my wards; relax; and finish winding down before getting out of the Jacuzzi and going to bed.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, November 18, 2012

It's been a kid play and adult work day around our house today. That's been good for Rowen, Ethan, Ehlana, and me; and not so much fun for Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam.

The work included finishing the holiday weekend pre-cooking, and Dad spent most of the afternoon, and part of the evening, taking care of his usual post-court-week work. Since none of that was particularly exciting, there isn't much else to add. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had lunch with us after church, but were busy for dinner with his family, so all was fairly quiet here from dinnertime on.

I wouldn't say that quiet was the word to use for our play afternoon. Rowen and I had Ethan and Ehlana with us from lunchtime until she needed to be home at five o'clock. We started out with a quick homework session in the lounge; followed that up with sax and flute practice; and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the park. It might be a tough choice for the guys in town to pick between playing outside on a beautiful fall afternoon and watching NFL football with their buddies, but that wasn't a problem for us; and having fewer boys around the park was a bonus for Rowen and me.

There were still footballs being tossed around out on the field, but there weren't enough guys to have a pick-up game, and there weren't any spectators watching the action from the bleachers. We stayed away from that side of the park, and split our time between the playground and some exploring along the path and river. We always have fun with playing on the swings and slides with Ethan and Ehlana, but I really love watching them when we're exploring.

While my brother and sister are blasting their way through Grade Nine in their home education, one thing that they can't do is have the years of life experience that most high school freshman have. There are always new things for them to experience around the park, and it's fascinating to see them in action as they match what they know with full-sensory reality. I haven't even thought about that for a long time, but I've been through all of this; and it adds a new perspective for me to watch Ethan and Ehlana now.

Of course that does still apply to me, though there are some big differences – like real life Grade Seven compared to when I first hit that education milestone. I'm sure if I talked with Aunt Leanne, she'd tell me that this has a lot to do with my disinterest in crossing over; so it's probably a good thing that I have no intention of talking to her about it. The added perspective might help me look at my own experiences a bit differently; so I do plan on spending some time thinking about and studying this – the education-experience gap, not the crossing over issue.

I don't have much more to report. We had a quiet dinner; Mom did a Magi lesson with Ethan, Ehlana, and me while Dad finished his work; we had a little play time after that until it was time to get the twins tucked in for the night; and I've been in bed with Mandy and working on my computer since then.

It's nearly midnight, and I've had enough fun; so I'm going to wrap this up and get some rest.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, November 19, 2012

We must be getting more experienced and organized getting ready for holiday weekends; since there really wasn't any extra work to do today.

That meant that Rowen and I could go ahead with our normal Monday after-school routine, and we had a nice enough day to really enjoy our play time at the park with Ethan and Ehlana. I don't really have anything to report from school. Classes are winding down into the holiday; talk around school is mostly about Thanksgiving plans with a healthy dose of football on the side.

Rowen and I only had a little homework tonight, so that didn't take long to get through; and we were on our way to the park with the twins fairly quickly. There were a lot of kids and teens at the park, and there were actually guys waiting to join in on the usual football game. Ethan quickly toddled over to join the other boys, but went to the front of the substitution line when Michael spotted him and helped Ethan have his Monday night football moment during the next two plays. I'm sure that Michael plays with Ethan for my brother; but he definitely earns some bonus points with the girls too.

Yes, that includes me, but don't read any more into that admission than there is – and that includes both Aunt Leanne and Rowen. My best friend was grinning way too suspiciously when Michael returned Ethan to us after helping him score a touchdown on the second play.

I don't want to go there tonight, so let's not. We spent most of our time at the playground after leaving the football field; Ethan, Ehlana, and I walked Rowen to the computer store; and then we were home in time for me to help Mom and Dad with making dinner. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne spent the evening with us for the usual weekly Magi Healing lesson and family business meeting; and it ended up being after ten by the time Ethan and Ehlana were tucked in for the night and I got around to my nightly computing and studies. Since there won't be time to do any of that work this weekend, I've stayed up late tonight, and will probably do that again tomorrow night. My archive research from our lesson tonight is done; I put in an hour of language study; caught up on my email; took care of a few quick jobs for my end of the family business; and went through all of my nightly entertainment, news, and sports checks. It's nearly two o'clock, and I've had enough, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Everyone at school was fired up today when news broke that Amy and Jared Spencer were expecting their first baby; and I'm sure that was the top story around town too. I'm sure that the Spencer and White families are going to have an especially happy Thanksgiving holiday this year!

We didn't get an impromptu play day like we did the day that Mr. Seager found out that Liz was pregnant with Naomi; but there were more fun moments, and Amy – Mrs. Spencer – had a steady stream of well-wishers keeping her busy all day. Since I had the advance notice, Rowen and I were able to leave an anonymous baby snack gift on her desk during lunch, and that must have been a hit; since we heard about it through the grapevine news network before last class.

I don't have much to report for the rest of the day. It's been all work for me since getting home except for breaks while we had dinner and when Ethan and Ehlana went to bed. The Jacuzzi time only half counts because I worked on my computer the entire time I was soaking in the tub. Skipping that was an option, but with a house full of guests for the next four nights, there probably won't be much time for long, hot soaks – at least for me. I fully expect Violet and Dawn to borrow the Jacuzzi once or twice each while they're here.

Since that – their arrival – will be in about eighteen hours or so, depending on traffic and when they get away from Woodvale; I need to wrap this up and get some sleep. The next five days are going to be crazy-busy!

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Top family news story for the holiday weekend is that Aunt Grace and Mark got engaged today, and will be coming to live and work in Witch Falls.

Congratulations!

I love it when a plan comes together!

I'll get to that part of today's story in a bit, but it's been a crazy day, and there's a lot to write about.

We mostly had a play day at school, including a short Thanksgiving show in the gym that was mostly put on by the younger kids with some teacher and teen support. By the time Rowen and I got home after school, Grandma and Grandpa had been in town for hours, and had come over to help Mom with some of the Thanksgiving dinner work she was getting out of the way before it would be time to stop and welcome incoming family. Our house was also going to be dinner central tonight, so the cooking for that was already on the go too.

The next few hours were a blur of action and fun. After doing story and snack time with Grandma and Grandpa, Rowen and I took the twins for a short trip to the park; mostly to just get out of the way for a while. There weren't any teens there this afternoon, and most of them were probably either busy with jobs or helping out at home. There were quite a few younger kids at the playground; and most of them were likely sent off to play and stay out of the way too.

We had Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, Aunt Deborah, and Uncle Nick all join us for dinner, and I got to keep Rowen with me while her parents were busy at the store. That's when we got to hear about all of the action we'd missed while at school today, and Mom won the prize for the busiest day. Somehow, she managed to juggle taking care of Ethan and Ehlana; keep up with the work around the house; do a massive holiday weekend grocery, bakery, and supply run; add Naomi and Aiden to the mix for a while; and fit in a bit of family business work when the twins had a little afternoon nap before wrapping up with the kitchen work that Grandma and Grandpa joined her for.

With all of that to look forward to, exactly why should I be in a hurry to grow up?

Next up, after our dinner guests headed home, was welcoming our incoming family. The Rice family made it home first; leaving Woodvale right after Violet, Dawn, Chris, and Martin were set free from school. They still ended up with a four-hour long trip, but it probably would have been more like five or five and a half if they'd waited until five-thirty or six to get on the road. This time, Violet drove a 'girls' car with her mother, grandmother, and sister; with Uncle Rick's SUV was guy central. They'd all stopped at my Grandparents' house first to drop off Grandpa Richard and Grandma Carrie; so that had taken an extra twenty minutes or so before they moved on to our place.

Rowen and I helped Violet and Dawn get settled in, and we had nearly an hour to hang out together before Uncle Blaine, Aunt Alison, and their kids pulled into the driveway and we all joined in to help with another round of luggage transportation and welcome home hugs and kisses. Grandma Mercy and Grandpa Duncan were staying with Grandma and Grandpa too, so we had all of our work done for the night and could relax and have fun. Most of Uncle Adam's family was going to be getting to town later, but Aunt Grace and Mark were home from the airport by ten; and our house was the second stop for them.

The fun factor definitely jumped a few notches with their engagement and relocation plan announcement; and watching that news totally floor Uncle Blaine was high on my favorite moments of the night. They needed to go share the news with the grandparents too, so they couldn't stay long; but after they'd been sent off with a lot of hugs, kisses, and congratulations; they were the top chat subject for the rest of the night – at least for the grown-ups.

Violet was more interested in getting reacquainted with Dillon once he joined the party after finishing work at the Inn for the night. Chris and Martin were soon bored and went up to the lounge to play video games, and after Rowen's Mom picked her up on the way home from the store; Dawn and I went up to my room to hang out. We spent a little time in the lounge too, but then we closed the doors between the rooms and watched videos on my computer while catching up on what we'd each been doing over the past few weeks since Dawn had been here for the Haunted Halloween walk weekend.

Dawn decided on having some Jacuzzi time, so I'm doing this while she's in the bathroom. Getting back to Aunt Grace and Mark's engagement, we didn't get any time to talk about their move here yet, but Aunt Grace told us most of the proposal details; and I'd say that Mark did a good job with that if the general approval of the girls in the room was any indication. It's probably a good thing that he proposed at the restaurant they stopped at for dinner. From what Aunt Grace told us, I think if he'd tried it while she was driving; they'd have crashed the car.

I won't say that I was worried about this part of our future plans working out, but it feels awesome to know for sure that it is going to happen for sure. They haven't set a date for the wedding yet, but it will be here in Witch Falls; and sometime next summer. I can hardly wait!

This is scary ground, but I should mention that one of the updates Aunt Melissa, Violet, and Dawn passed on tonight was that Chris and Martin both have girlfriends. That news had me thinking about Rebecca; and wondering how she would be handling having Jonathan here in town for the first time since summer. Jenny and Martin may have both moved on from their little vacation romance, but I'm sure that Jonathan is the main reason why Rebecca hasn't been interested in any other boys since last summer. If she was holding out hope for a Violet and Dillon kind of story ending with Jonathan, then this might not end up being a very happy Thanksgiving weekend for her.

Dawn doesn't have any boyfriends, but I have a feeling that she's closer to crossing over than I am despite being about ten months younger. It's definitely going to be weird next summer if she starts attracting as much attention from the boys around here as Chris and Martin have been getting from the girls for the past two years – especially since some of those boys could be my classmates.

Let's not end the night on that train of thought. Tomorrow is going to be another wild day, and most of our family action will center around our house and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's place. Guy gaming will be at their place; and my lounge will be where the girls and younger kids will hang out. We're supposed to get some rain, but we'll mostly be indoors all day anyway. There isn't enough room at one house for everyone to have Thanksgiving dinner together, so we'll have our family here, and Uncle Adam's family will be at his house; with a couple of crossovers like Aunt Grace and Mark, and possibly some of the kids.

It sounds like Dawn's getting out of the tub now, so I'd better wrap this up. We're going to cuddle with Mandy and watch a movie next; and probably fall asleep long before Chris and Martin wrap up their gaming for the night. Hopefully they won't leave me with an hour worth of cleaning to do in the morning, but I won't hold my breath on that; and I'm sure that re-stocking the drinks and snacks will be required for sure. Maybe when they're here for Christmas I'll start storing extra cases of drinks and chips in my closet instead of hauling them up from the pantry.

That's not a particularly exciting way to end a journal entry for a day that's been so awesome, but I'm out of time, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'd say that happy pretty much sums up what our day has been like too. Mom, Dad, and I ended up skipping Tai Chi this morning when Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden started a chain reaction that soon had Jaimie and Kaitlyn, and then all of the parents, up and busy. Only Chris and Martin managed to sleep through that action, and they didn't come to life until breakfast was nearly ready.

Dawn and I were put in charge of Jaimie and Kaitlyn while the parents juggled getting ready for the day and taking care of the three toddlers. Dad and Violet led the cooking crew, though they had a little help here and there, and Dawn and I set the dining room table with some help from our junior assistants. We did the full country breakfast because Mom's plan for food today included a light, get-it-when-you-want lunch instead of three sit-down meals. After breakfast, anyone not on the kitchen clean-up crew were set free, so Dawn and I took Jaimie and Kaitlyn over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house so we could visit with everyone there; and then see if any of the girls wanted to come back to our house and hang out in the lounge with us.

Only Kara and Nicole were interested in doing that, while Eddie opted to stay and hang out with Jonathan; and the other teens were still juggling bathroom time and hadn't decided what they were going to do for the rest of the morning.

Aunt Grace and Mark's engagement was the top story there too, but there was other news too. Aunt Elaine is now heading into the last trimester of her pregnancy with her second child. Mom and baby are both doing great, and she and Uncle Kevin are both really excited; but Nicole advised us that she's not sure whether she wants to have a new baby in her family – especially if it's a boy. Since Eddie was happily bugging her before we headed back to my house, and Kara, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn were all offering their advice on the downside of baby brothers, that all likely had a lot to do with Nicole's baby worries. I assured her that I love having a baby brother, but the other girls told her it's different for me because I have a matching baby sister too.

Kara and Kaitlyn are both five now, and get along great together. At three, Nicole cant' quite keep up with the older girls, but she was happy to hang out in my room and play with Ehlana. Jaimie was with Dawn and me pretty much all day; though she played with all of the younger girls whenever we did. We spent a lot of time in my room and the lounge, and there was a steady stream of visitors stopping by to check in on us, or join in for little cameo play moments. Ethan and Jayden were the only boys hanging out regularly with us, though they were taken over to guy play central for a couple of hours too when Dad, Uncle Blaine, and Uncle Rick all went there for a visit.

Violet and Dillon were splitting their time between our house, Aunt Leanne's, and his place; and they were going to try and juggle two Thanksgiving dinners this year. Just as an aside, since I'm thinking about too much food; could the entire clothing industry have come up with a dumber time to have 'Black Friday' than hours after one of the biggest food days of the year? I'm sure that nothing says big sales more than having women attempting to buy clothes when nothing in their normal size will fit them properly. No, that isn't a problem for me with my hyper-metabolism, but I have heard that lament often enough when shopping at Palmer's to know it's true for a lot of girls.

Violet and Dillon weren't the only people in town juggling family time around town, but we didn't really have much of that, other than the usual holiday weekend drop in visits from cousins and friends; and a steady intermingling between Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's and our place. While Aunt Grace and Mark were staying with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne, they were having Thanksgiving dinner with us so they could share the meal with Aunt Grace's parents, brother, and his family. I wish Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne could have had dinner with us too, but that just doesn't work out when both families are home for the holidays.

Before I get to the main food report, I should finish the play day recap. My bedroom was where the younger kids played with their toys and games, and we had a steady stream of cartoons and chick flicks playing in the lounge. The Moms, Aunts, and Grandmothers came upstairs for regular visits, and sometimes stayed to watch a show with us. Dawn and I were able to have a few breaks from our younger cousin supervising; including when the twins, Jayden, and Nicole all had afternoon naps. Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Kara didn't nap too, but they watched a movie with the Moms while Dawn and I went to Aunt Leanne's for another visit.

I miss out on a lot of the 'grown-up' action, and may have to wait until Sunday night to get a lot of those details, but Dawn and I still manage to pick up a few nuggets of news here and there. Aunt Grace and Uncle Mark may not have had time to set a date for the wedding, or do any other plans yet; but they'd asked Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne to be their Best Man and Matron of Honor. Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison will be in their wedding party too, along with Mark's brother, sister, and their spouses; though I think Mark's going to do those last four invitations after he gets home. Mark has also reported that his father and brother in particular think he's nuts, so it's probably going to be a lot of fun for him when he gets back home again.

We didn't get to spend much time with the teen contingent of Uncle Adam's family, but everything is going great for the college and high school students. Most of the guys were watching football while we were there – just as they were in the living room at our house. Chris, Martin, and Jonathan were doing that in the game room while playing video games too, and they had some drop in competition from Rob, Kyle, and the occasion Dad; but the main action was in the living room and kitchen. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had a lot more help getting dinner ready than they did that first Christmas after Uncle Adam moved home again, and the kitchen was where most of the girl chat was happening. That's where Dawn and I picked up most of the news from around Uncle Adam's family, including too much information about newlyweds Rob and Trish; co-habitating collegians Tory and Kyle; and Michelle's most recent – and past-tense – 'Mr. Right Now'.

I knew we'd stayed to long when I was asked about whether there were any boys in my life, but by then it was too late; and Aunt Leanne was quickly on a roll that everyone except me thought was very entertaining. As if Aunt Leanne's matchmaking wasn't already bad enough, now Aunt Grace has promised to help her out once she and Mark move here next summer. Maybe Rowen and I should see about getting sent off to camp for the summer!

We eventually escaped, went home again, and had some more play time with our cousins until dinnertime. There was some more last-minute dinner guest juggling between the houses, with Chris and Martin staying at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's with Jonathan; and Kara staying with Kaitlyn while Nicole opted to be with her parents. All of the food was as amazing as always, but it was getting to spend that couple of hours with most of the people I love the most that was so wonderful. The conversation ranged through everything from weddings and Christmas to travel, school, and sports.

Talking about our future plans with everyone isn't an option, but I loved it when Aunt Grace suggested that Violet could come work for her at the new lab too after Dillon told her about his plan to take bio-engineering in college; and his interest in working with Uncle Adam after he graduated. Sometimes we don't need to do anything at all to help our future plan come together. When we have days like this, I can't help but get even more fired up that usual about everything that's going to be happening over the next few years; and there are going to be a lot of awesome days ahead for all of us!

While we'd managed to miss out on most of the work today, that didn't happen when it came time for the dinner clean-up; and Dawn and I were among the draftees for that hour-and-a-half long adventure. The rain that had been falling off and on all day seemed to have passed by then, so Mom, Dad, and some of the other exempted members of our family went for a walk and a visit to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's; taking the younger kids with them.

The guys on the crew needed to take frequent detours to the living room to check on the evening football game, but that didn't slow us down too much; and by the time we were finished in the kitchen; we had time for some movie and cuddle action in my lounge before Mom and Aunt Alison decided that Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Jayden, and the twins were all wound down enough to go to bed. Dawn and I helped out with that, and then moved downstairs to hang out with everyone in the living room. The younger kids weren't the only members of our family that were ready to get some sleep by then, so it wasn't really that much longer before the grandparents headed out, and a few visitor exchanges between our place and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's reversed. Chris and Martin weren't among the returnees to our house then, so Dawn and I were able to watch another movie in the lounge before deciding to get ready for bed.

She and Mandy are both sleeping now, so I've been doing my usual nightly computing since then. With one of my very favorite shopping days of the year just hours away, I need to wrap this up and get some sleep too. We're supposed to have a bright sunny day for that, except the warm weather moved out with the rain; and it's going to be cold and sunny. That'll just give us more incentive to stay inside the stores and shop, so I can work with that; but it could put a damper on the usual football games for the guys tomorrow afternoon. Whether they're playing pick-up games, watching college football on television, or having video football competitions; I'm sure that most of the guys will be immersed in the game; and all of the girls will be glad to be out shopping or watching chick flicks instead.

That makes for another weird end for today's journal entry, but that's all I have to report; and there is a big shopping day to rest up for, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, November 23, 2012

You have to love any day that starts out with Tai Chi and a breakfast buffet at the Inn!

Part two of that was a surprise that the parents dropped on us this morning, and even Chris and Martin managed to get fired up about that news when it came during the wake-up calls that Aunt Melissa had Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Ehlana deliver to them.

There were hot drinks and snacks available in the kitchen while everyone took turns getting ready for the day, but with a big shopping and play day to look forward to; it didn't take long for us to be ready to head over to the Inn. It was an all hands on deck morning there, and while Miranda wasn't our server, she did stop by a few times; mostly to have fun with Aunt Grace and Mark in a way that reminded me a lot of when Mom and I first moved here. It also reminded me that I need to stop in and visit more often – something that I haven't done nearly as much as I used to do when hanging out all the time with Rebecca and Jenny.

I wasn't really thinking about just how big Aunt Grace and Mark's news would be around town; and that it was the fact that Witch Falls would be getting a second young doctor so soon after Uncle Adam took over from his grandfather. Aunt Grace probably got as many congratulations for that as she did for their engagement. Dawn and I weren't particularly close to that action, since we were sitting several tables away from them; but we were having fun with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and the other kids. We had some parental help getting plates filled, and then we were pretty much left to entertain ourselves while we ate.

The dining room was full, and seeing a bunch of my friends had me wishing that I could spend more time with Rowen; but she was busy with her family too, and she was spending at least part of the morning today helping her parents at the store. We crossed paths a couple of times today while we were shopping, and it sounded like she'd been having a fun holiday weekend so far too. I'm sure I'll get more of the details tomorrow when she comes on the trail ride with us – or on Sunday afternoon at the latest after our guests all head home again.

We all had a blast shopping, but for the second big event in a row; I didn't personally buy very much. There was a dress and one dress pants and sweater set that needed to come home with me from Palmer's that I'll wear at Christmas, and a pair of shoes to go with the dress that I picked up at Taylor's Shoes; but that was it for clothes. I picked up a couple of Christmas gifts too, but will be saving most of that shopping for the kids' Christmas trip to Crystal Springs in a couple of weeks.

Fortunately for my favorite store owners, the rest of the girls in my family were being much more active shoppers. Mom and Aunt Leanne especially had fun, including playing dress-up with Ethan and Ehlana. For Ethan, that meant meeting up with Dad and some of the other guys at Ayres' Haberdashery, and matching clothes for him with some of Ehlana's new outfits from Palmer's. So far, Ethan accepts that inevitability graciously; but we'll see how many years that lasts once he's old enough to care about what he's wearing.

The guys were shopping for most of the morning too, but after meeting up for lunch with us back at home; they went to the park for the annual holiday football action. Mom wasn't going to let Ethan go along for that, but he really wanted to go; and I think that Dad was hoping that having him along would give him an early out from a cold afternoon outdoors. I'd say that worked out for both of them; since we found them having a nap in Mom and Dad's room when we got home from our post-lunch shopping.

We didn't have much going on after finishing our shopping. Dad and Ethan weren't the only people taking afternoon naps, but Dawn and I weren't interested in doing that, so we wandered over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's place to see what was going on there. Catching Aunt Grace and Mark making out wasn't part of the fun we were looking for, and honestly; I'm not sure where to file that little file in my photographic memory storage. They were in a second-floor bedroom at the time, but the door was open when Dawn and I were passing by on our way up to the third floor. I'm not sure how much Dawn saw beyond the lip-lock, but I'll guess it wasn't as much as I caught. Her giggles definitely broke the mood for our aunt and future uncle, though I'm sure they had no problem getting back to what they were doing after we hurriedly moved on up to the third floor game room with the sound of laughter – and a door closing – following us up the stairs.

Chris, Martin, and Jonathan were playing video games and watching football, and there wasn't much else going on in the game room; so our visit there was fairly short. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were working in the kitchen, so we stopped for a little visit there; had a little chat in the living room with Michelle and Christina; and then headed home again to hang out in the lounge until dinnertime. That meal was a combination of leftovers and one of Mom's pre-cooked entrees. We mostly had the same guest list as we did at dinner yesterday, except Violet invited Christina to eat with us before they were going to get together with Dillon, Jake, Stephanie, and some of their friends after the Inn was closed for the night.

Dawn and I were on the kitchen clean-up crew again tonight, and after doing that for an hour, we escaped to the lounge for some chick flick movie time with the girls while the guys returned to their ongoing football and gaming action. We had a rotating group of Moms, Aunts, Grandmothers, and cousins with us in the lounge, and Jaimie and Kaitlyn started out watching the first movie; but were taken to bed when they fell asleep about half-way through.

The grandparents all headed home by ten o'clock, and Dawn and I were on our own by eleven when Mom, Aunt Melissa, and Aunt Alison decided that hanging out and cuddling with their boys in the living room would be more fun than watching another movie with us. Since Dawn and Mandy are both passed out now, and I'm watching the movie by myself; we probably should have skipped the last movie too.

While I've managed to avoid most of the football action so far this weekend, I did still check the town intranet to find out how our high school team did in their playoff game tonight. They were playing against Grand Summit, and though there weren't many details posted yet; they won the game by a score of forty-seven to fifteen. Next week, our team will be on the road again against Hillcrest; and they'll be trying to get past the team that beat them in their season opener to get to the Championship game.

That's enough football for tonight. Tomorrow's going to be another play day, with the trail ride tomorrow afternoon being at the top of my fun list – along with getting to spend the afternoon with Rowen. There's also going to be some future plan action going on; but I won't be directly involved in any of that. At the top of that list will be a meeting with Uncle Blaine to talk about his ongoing architectural work for the lab, and for the first phase of houses for the new section of town. Aunt Grace and Mark will get a few more details about their new jobs too; and a few, smaller details will get taken care of while other certain people are in town for the holiday weekend. All of that will mean a bit less play time for Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam; but it will all be fun for them too.

I'm ready to wrap this up for the night and get some sleep. It's been another really great day, and just in case I don't mention it enough; I really love my adopted family, and every holiday is better than I ever expected or even dreamed that they could be before Mom and I moved here.

That's a great thought to drift off to sleep with, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, November 24, 2012

I didn't really think about the fact that Mom, Dad, and I really haven't spent much time together so far this weekend until Dad pointed it out to me this afternoon while we were on our trail ride. Other than morning Tai Chi, and some cameo moments here and there on Thursday and Friday; we've all been too busy with everything else that's been going on. Even when the girls were shopping yesterday, I didn't actually spend much time with Mom. Dawn and I were mostly doing our own thing; and she was busy with the other women and shopping for the younger kids. That didn't actually change a whole lot today, but we were able to do the trail ride together, along with Dawn and Rowen; while Grandma and Grandpa took care of Ethan and Ehlana back at home.

It was another chilly fall day, but that didn't keep us from spending a lot of time outside. There were two play trips to the park – one this morning; and the other after the trail ride and follow-up snack and story time. Dawn and I spent most of the day keeping our younger cousins entertained; and Rowen helped us with that once she was finished helping out at the computer store for most of the morning. She was with us for lunch, but back with her family and guests for dinner.

While I was busy playing all day, Mom somehow managed to do all of the usual work around the house; have several quiet meetings in the office; do a Magi lesson with Violet; and still fit in some play time too. Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam were at least as busy as Mom was; and I'll report more on all of that when I get the details sometime in the next couple of days.

We – Dawn and I – are going to bed early tonight. She's in the Jacuzzi now, and it'll be my turn once she's finished. I still want to get a few things done on my computer after finishing this, and I don't really have much else to report; so I'm going to end here and move on to the stack of email I have waiting for me. There's still one more blast of holiday weekend fun ahead for tomorrow, and then we'll have a few hours to wind down and get ready to return to normal life – at least until we start gearing up for the Christmas season in a week or so.

Right now, I'm just going to get my nightly computing done; spend some quality time with my Jacuzzi; and then get a solid night of sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, November 25, 2012

I am so ready for a long winter's nap!

Mom and I just finished doing my first Magi lesson since last Tuesday; and we hadn't gotten around to that until Ethan and Ehlana were in bed. There's a lot to write about, so let's get to it.

Our morning Tai Chi was the only quiet time from the moment I woke up until the travelling members of our family headed for their homes after the noon buffet at the Inn. Dawn and I were in charge of Jaimie and Kaitlyn this morning, and managed to get them fed, ready for church, and their bags packed and downstairs by the time we all needed to load up the younger kids into vehicles for the short drive to the church while the rest of us made the chilly walk there.

As always, the teens led the holiday weekend service with a little help here and there from the Pastors. That hour and a half-long blast of fun included lots of music; themed skits; and a heart-warming message from Pastor Lewis. The action kicked up a few notches again after church, but for Dawn, Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and me; that was mostly because we were running around trying to spend a few minutes with everyone while parents and teens mostly finished loading up cars, vans, and SUV's before we all went to the Inn.

Holiday weekend buffets are just that little bit more extra special than the usual Sunday night events; and that's only partly because of having all of our family there with us. The food was amazing, and it seems that the Olde Bakery always finds a way to impress everyone with their desserts – which featured a mouth-watering assortment of pies today. Dawn and I were at one of the kids' tables again, but this time, we had Violet and Christina with us to help out with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Kara, and Nicole. Violet wasn't happy about heading home after lunch, but since Dillon was working all afternoon anyway; there wasn't really any reason for her to stay and then fight the worst of the holiday weekend traffic all the way to Woodvale.

Though Miranda and Jacob were now doing two-hour long buffet sittings, keeping the younger cousins entertained that long wasn't an option; so our little group went for a quick walk to the falls and back while waiting for everyone else to finish their meals. The goodbye hugs and kisses started outside the Inn by one-thirty, and by two o'clock; Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were at home and on our own for the first time in four days.

For me, that lasted until Rowen came over after helping her grandparents with their family goodbyes while her parents were busy at the computer store. My Mom and Dad had a lot of work to get done this afternoon too, so Rowen and I kept Ethan and Ehlana with us for the rest of the afternoon. We had a long telepathic chat in the lounge to catch up on the weekend news; played at the park for an hour or so; Rowen and I did our holiday weekend homework assignments; and we still managed to have enough time for a short sax and flute practice before she needed to meet up with her parents again at six o'clock.

After doing a big breakfast, and the lunch buffet; we went with a light, leftovers dinner that also made for an easy clean-up. Ethan, Ehlana, and I were on our own again for a while after we ate; though we did help Mom out with a little telekinetic laundry carrying, folding, and putting away that was mostly loads of towels. I don't really write much about stuff like that, but when we have a house full of guests, the washer and dryer run almost constantly; and there always seems to be another basket or two needing to be taken upstairs and put away. Too bad we can't keep up with that using a little Magi power when everyone's here, but I doubt that most members of our family are ready to see baskets of clean laundry floating past them with giggling toddlers sitting on top of the towels or clothes.

Since there was some fairly significant future plans news this weekend, the twins and I also took another look into the future tonight. We didn't see any major changes, but Aunt Grace and Mark's engagement did help to bring some clarity to what we see. For those of you reading this who don't have the Sight, there's a difference between looking at individual events or choices and 'seeing' the bigger picture. You can focus on one event and see the possible outcomes fairly easily. The same could be done on a bigger scale, but that would mean sifting through a mind-boggling and meaningless number of possible outcomes. What my brother, sister, and I seem to be quite good at doing together is seeing – or being allowed to see – certain things about our future with varying degrees of clarity; while other parts range from hazy and less certain to foggy and unknown. Knowing that Aunt Grace and Mark will be here in Witch Falls makes several things quite clear for us now, and that includes quite a bit more than how they will help with the lab and clinic.

Mom and Dad updated us on everything they did this weekend for our future plans, but I'll cover that tomorrow night after we have our meeting with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne. Right now, all I want to do is shut down my computer, snuggle with Mandy, and get some rest.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, November 26, 2012

The Thanksgiving holiday really felt like it was over by the time I headed to school this morning; mostly because we'd started the day with an early goodbye breakfast for Grandma and Grandpa before they left for Arizona again.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne joined us for that – and for morning Tai Chi. Grandma and Grandpa had the van loaded, and were ready to go, before driving over to our place. Getting to spend that time with them was great, but reminded me that I didn't get to spend nearly enough of the weekend with them while they were home. I guess that won't change as I get older, and we all get busier, so I'll just try to enjoy these little moments whenever we can share them.

There were lots of fun moments at school today. The football team players – and Kyle Landry in particular – were heroes with all of their fans. Rowen and I weren't the only friends that didn't get to spend much time together during the holiday, so weekend recap chats were at least tied with football for top topics of the day. Christmas wasn't being talked about yet, but we started learning to play Christmas songs in music class; and that had me thinking about it – and the fact that we're exactly four weeks away from Christmas Eve Day.

That's put me into an especially happy mood, and after school, Rowen and kept the fun going. Our homework didn't take long to finish, and then, though it was fairly cold today; we bundled Ethan and Ehlana up and took them to the park for a while. The usual group of guys was there playing football, but only a few girls braved the chilly temperature to watch their attempts at sporting heroics. Ethan didn't let the cold keep him from his Monday afternoon football moment either, but Ehlana, Rowen, and I were soon ready to move on; spend a little time at the playground; and then head home again for some hot chocolate and warm, indoor play time.

Rowen stayed for dinner, but then needed to head home after that, while Dad and I cleaned up before Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over for our Monday night healing lesson and family business meeting. Mom, Uncle Adam, and I always have fun with our lessons, but it was the business and future plans part of the night that was the most fun for Ethan, Ehlana, and me.

We started that part of the evening out by getting hot drinks and snacks before moving into the office; and then the first order of business was to talk about Aunt Grace and Mark. They'd both been given more details about their jobs over the weekend, and while I would have loved to be in on those little chats; it's enough to know that they're both even more excited than ever to be moving here. Mark probably thinks that he's taking a cut in pay for his new job, and joked about Aunt Grace needing to support them; but he'll eventually find out that his new partnership will pay better than he could ever imagine; thanks to our family business.

Uncle Blaine's end of our future plans was up next, and he expects to have the plans for the lab finished by the New Year's Day long weekend when we'll be doing our family Christmas. He's also going to have the first batch of housing plans ready – including the home that he just found out that he'll be designing for his sister and brother-in-law-to-be. That little gift should end up somewhere right at the top of Aunt Grace's best-ever Christmas present list!

The rest of the updates from Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne included telling us about the little nudges that were helping Violet, Dillon, and several other teens along toward making decisions for their futures. For some, that meant thinking about different career options; or about new opportunities here at home instead of elsewhere. Aunt Grace may be the first member of a Witch Falls family to be drawn back to her hometown; but there are going to be many more; and that's going to be one of the most exciting things about our collective future.

Ethan, Ehlana, and I had a few new future details to pass on to our parents, aunt, and uncle too; though there is still a lot more that they're not meant to know about yet. We know that frustrates them, but it's also a burden for us – one that we accept and deal with as best we can. We're heading into a bit of a future plans quiet time for most of the winter; though there will be a lot of behind-the-scenes work to get ready for next spring and summer. Not everything that's meant to happen will require our direct involvement, but we will need to keep an eye out to make sure those little side-events still happen.

Anyway, moving along, our meeting lasted until nearly eleven o'clock; so I got a late start on my usual studying and nightly computing. My archive homework took more than an hour; I studied languages for another hour; and finished my email, entertainment, news, and sports checks before wrapping up with this. It's heading toward two o'clock, and I need to get some sleep, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

It's been a very long day, so I'm going to keep this short and crash for a few hours.

We had a busy day at school that included two quizzes and a new major group project that will have cross-over work in three of our classes. Rowen and I had our usual Tuesday lunchtime music practice, and we did our homework at the computer store after school before she started working there with her Dad, and I headed home. That change in the usual after-school work routine slowed me down a bit, so except for the dinner break, I worked on the family business until eight o'clock. Mom did a Transmutation lesson with me after we finished putting Ethan and Ehlana to bed, and I've been in bed with Mandy and working on my computer since then. My archive assignment; language studies; and e-mail, news, sports, and entertainment checks are done, and there isn't anything particularly exciting to report there.

That's it for me – I've hit the wall.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

I've had another long, busy work day, and though there wasn't really much play time; I did still manage to have fun.

Rowen and I were both working after school again because we're taking tomorrow off to celebrate her birthday. Mom didn't have Alicia to help her today, so while I was busy working too; I had Ethan and Ehlana in the office with me part of the time while Mom was busy making dinner and getting some other work done. They mostly did some of their school work, and loved getting to do that with a little Magi power since I was there to put up my wards to do my own work – and to chat with them telepathically. They expect to finish Grade Nine by Christmas, and will move on to Grade Ten after the holidays.

I haven't written an update about Ethan and Ehlana's education in a while, and the most exciting part of that for them is their ongoing lessons with Naomi and Aiden. While Aiden hasn't been working with Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi for very long, and is the youngest, he's got as much potential as Naomi; and they all work together very well – probably even better than Rowen and I do. Mom thinks that's because they're starting out so young, and don't have the same trust issues that people develop as they get older. I'll guess that having Mom there to jump in to keep them from getting burned while literally playing with fire helps too; though my brother and sister seem to have fewer problems with that kind of thing than I did at their age.

Going through all of this training with me probably helps Mom avoid some of the stranger moments we had during my early training, but working with four toddlers is still new, interesting, and exciting. While Naomi and Aiden are both strong Magi, they're progressing far faster than expected; and that, at least so far, seems to be validating Mom's training methods and her expectations that having the Magi kids train together in groups will help them to reach their full Magi potential. I think she's right about that, but from a kid's perspective, even if that wasn't the case; it'd still be worth it just for the fun factor!

Getting back to the recap, I worked in the office until dinnertime; Mom did another Magi lesson with me after Dad and I had cleaned up; we all had some family play time before Ethan and Ehlana went to bed; and then I came up to my room for some quality Jacuzzi time. I worked on my archive assignment and language studies while soaking in the tub, and only had my regular nightly computing and this journal entry left to do after getting into bed with Mandy. Somehow, I've managed to get all of that done before midnight, and if I wrap this up now; I'll actually manage to miss being awake for the start of the new day, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Happy twelfth birthday, Rowen!

Most of the kids at school – including Rowen's brother – think that she's blown her big annual chance to score a bunch of gifts by skipping the whole birthday party thing and just doing a dinner, movie, and sleepover night with me instead. I suppose that's true, but Rowen didn't want to have a boy-girl party; so she decided not to have one at all. I can relate to wanting to avoid having a party; though Rowen's main reason for that is a bit different than mine.

She was thinking about that a lot today, and finally came out and admitted to me that she's crossed over. We're still talking about that, and the boy primarily responsible for that change; but let's back up a bit and cover the rest of her big day before getting to that.

I had a little birthday gift for her this morning; and she wore the new earrings to school. While she wasn't doing a party, there were still a few cards and a couple of presents from friends and a cousin at school. There was a large box of Olde Bakery cupcakes at lunch with enough for everyone in our class and the next-fastest two-dozen kids and teens. We skipped our usual lunchtime music practice today, and instead went outside to enjoy the warmer weather and hang out with some of our friends.

Birthdays may rate get-out-of-work cards at home, but that doesn't happen at school. Rowen at least has the advantage of being able to get perfect marks when tests fall on her birthday like one did today. I'm sure that all of the work today seemed more fun for both of us, and we continued to stay entertained after being set free for the day. We stopped in at the computer store and my house for visits; and so that Ethan and Ehlana could give Rowen the gift they'd picked out for her while we were in Arizona; but then we were on our own until Rowen's mother came home early to start cooking her birthday dinner.

We went for a short bike ride, but then decided to just hang out in Rowen's room and enjoy the quiet time while we could. It was just the five of us for dinner, and while Rowen loved all of the gifts from her parents, grandparents, brother, and me; one of her favorites was the gift card advising her that our sleepover was going to be brother-free. I'm fairly sure that Patrick would have rather stayed, and had Scott spend the night here instead of him staying with the Faulkners; but he managed to hide the disappointment, and even gave Rowen a rare night off from any teasing or little brother annoyances – something that Rowen and I both really appreciated.

After dinner, Rowen and I were sent off to the living room to get started on our movie night while her parents cleaned up, and Patrick got ready to head over to Scott's place. We were on our own again for a little while when Patricia and Owen took Patrick over to the Faulkners, and then went on to game night at the Inn. Doing that too had been an option for us, but I wasn't surprised when Rowen didn't want to hang out there tonight – or get the birthday attention that always comes with being at game night on your birthday. The other reason she didn't want to go was because there was also a good chance that a certain boy and his current girlfriend could be there too; and Rowen didn't want to mess up a perfectly good birthday by having to deal with that tonight.

Not that we didn't talk about it – him – a fair bit anyway; but Rowen waited for that part of our girl chat until we went up to bed after watching two movies and doing a bedtime, leftover birthday cake bedtime snack with her parents.

We're almost back to the present again, and the last little while has drawn Rowen and I closer together while also being more than a little weird for us too. The weird strictly comes from only having one of us crossed over, but I'm not sure that isn't actually better for both of us. Rowen may be too shy to do anything about how she feels about the guy she likes, but if I was in her position; I'd probably just go and get him.

Yes, Aunt Leanne, that does sound a lot like you, and no, I'm not interested in crossing over too, or doing that with anyone; so don't go there!

Getting back to Rowen and her first public, if confidential, admission; she's feeling better about the whole thing now, so that probably means that I didn't screw up my end of dealing with this too much despite my admitted inability to relate to why any girl would be even remotely attracted to guys around our age. It's not that they're total freaks all of the time, but there is definitely way more weird and gross than I'm interested in being in close contact with. I will concede that Rowen does at least like one of the least-weird boys; but that is still relative.

You may be wondering if we worked out a plan to help Rowen catch her guy, and the short answer is that we didn't; but I did promise to be there to help out when and if any opportunities came up to give my best friend a chance to do more than admire her favorite boy from afar. I have no idea right now as to how I'll manage to keep that promise, but hopefully it won't still be as scary a thought as it is for me right now.

I don't want to go to sleep and end up dreaming about things like going shopping with Rowen to help her find date-hot clothes or other similar scenarios; so let's move on. We're watching random YouTube vids while chatting, and I've already wrapped up my usual nightly computing. I've skipped the archive and language studies, and I'm going to wrap this up and get back to concentrating on having fun with Rowen until whatever time we run out of steam and crash for the night.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, November 30, 2012

The morning started out great with Tai Chi for one and breakfast for four with Rowen and her parents. She and I also made a stop at my house on our way to school to drop off my overnight bag and see Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana. We only had time for a condensed recap of our sleepover and a round of hugs and kisses before needing to continue on to school; and then it was time to get to work again.

I guess it all works out by the end of the school year, but we had another Day One schedule Friday this week despite having last Friday off for the holiday weekend. Since that's my favorite way to end the school week – especially our Phys-Ed, Music, and Spanish classes – I was a happy camper all day. Rowen and I had a short after-school study session, but then continued the fun by taking Ethan and Ehlana to the park until dinnertime. With the big high school football game the top story of the day for most of the guys, we weren't surprised to see a pick-up game going on at the park by the time we got there; and it wasn't long before Ethan was getting a bonus football moment with Michael and Tim while Rowen, Ehlana, and I watched with the rest of the girls from the sidelines.

While I'm thinking about football anyway, let's get the rest of that news out of the way now too. Our team beat Hillcrest, and from what was reported on the town intranet; it sounds like it was again Kyle Landry and our defense that was the big difference in what was apparently a close, tough match. Final score: fifty-two to forty-two. That puts our team in the Championship game next weekend for their small-school classification; so I expect that there will be wide-spread football fever at school next week – and probably all over town. I'll check with Uncle Adam to see if he has a vaccine that Rowen and I can take for that.

Moving along, Rowen's parents are going to have the computer store open extra hours between now and Christmas, so she stayed with me for our dinner and a movie night. It's beginning to feel like Christmas too after watching a Christmas cartoon that was mostly for the twins; and a total chick flick Christmas movie tonight. Having Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Aunt Deborah working on the Christmas shopping trips to the city during and after dinner was exciting too. Since the Moms' trip is on Monday, they were mostly finalizing the groups and drivers for that, and with a week to go until the kids' shopping adventure; recruiting more adult help was the top priority. Dad, Uncle Adam, and Uncle Nick will need to put a little pressure on some of their friends, but it only seems fair to me that the Dads should help out next weekend so that more of the Moms only have to do one trip next week instead of two.

Rowen's parents and brother stopped in to get her after closing the store, and stayed for the end of the movie and an Olde Bakery bedtime snack with us before all of our guests headed out; and Mom, Dad, and I had a little play time with Ethan and Ehlana while putting them to bed for the night. I needed some Jacuzzi time after that; have been working on my computer while in the tub; and continued to do that after getting in bed with Mandy. It's going to be a long, busy day tomorrow, but I'm just getting to the point where I'll be able to sleep soon; so I've gotten a fair bit of studying and a bit of family business work done while waiting to wind down.

Part of the reason for that is because I've been thinking about Rebecca's birthday party and sleepover tomorrow night. Her birthday is on Sunday, but with the Sunday buffets to deal with; her family can't exactly spend much time celebrating with her, so they're doing her party on Saturday night instead. Why am I thinking about that a lot? Because it's going to be a boy-girl party. Rowen and I will be the only younger girls there, and though we are getting taller too; that year or so difference between us and Rebecca, Jenny, and the rest of their friends means that we're still six or more inches shorter than they are. That, and our lack of development by comparison, makes things more than a little awkward; and adding guys into the mix is bound to get weird. At least the guys won't be there for the sleepover – even if a few of the girls might like that.

I will need to at least be able to stay awake with the other girls at the party, and with Mom and Dad for the yard and house work, so I'd better wrap this up and get some rest.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

December 2012

Saturday, December 1, 2012

The first day of the last month of the year started out relaxing with Tai Chi and breakfast; moved to busy hard work followed up with some fun time outdoor Christmas decorating that we finished getting put up by the time we stopped for a late lunch. We'd dodged a bit of rain here and there all morning, and Dad still had to work around that while finishing up a few things outside after we ate, but I got to stay dry and do some housework on the third floor before needing to stop and get ready for Rebecca's birthday party.

We were meeting for dinner at the Inn, but Rowen picked me up on the way through, and we stopped in at Rebecca's house to meet up with her and Jenny; and drop off our overnight bags. Some of the other girls were doing that too, and there were some boyfriends along for the detour on the way to the Inn. Hindsight is a wonderful, if useless, thing to have; but I really would have skipped that stop just to avoid seeing the look on Miranda's face when we walked into the Inn, and I happened to be walking next to Michael as we – and Rowen and Tim – were trailing along behind Rebecca and the rest of her friends. You know the look I'm talking about – one that I've seen way too often on Aunt Leanne's face. I'll probably never know if the dinner seating arrangements were changed because of that moment, or were pre-meditated, but I wasn't surprised when Rowen and I found out that we were at the same table with Michael and Tim at the table to Rebecca's back – with empty chairs available for when Jacob, Miranda, Jake, and Stephanie could take turns sitting with us to eat dinner, have cake and ice cream, or sit down while Rebecca opened gifts.

At the risk of giving Aunt Leanne future ammunition some day, Rowen and I had fun with Michael and Tim during dinner. I guess that's one change for the better since I moved here – the fact that they can now talk to girls without risking permanent reputation damage with their buddies. With the efficiency of our town grapevine, Tim might have to worry about what his girlfriend thinks about him laughing and having fun with Rowen and me, but I'm sure he'll survive. He'd be in bigger trouble with Nora if she hears about how much time he and Michael spent watching Rebecca's friends after we got back to the Stone's house during the rest of the party and at least parts of the sleepover, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Miranda had a special party menu for us to choose from, and Rowen and I both went with a really awesome chicken and pasta entree along with splitting appetizer and garlic bread with cheese orders with Michael and Tim. When Stephanie proudly advised us that the chicken and pasta was a Jake Stone original tonight, I got teased for telling her that she was so lucky – that I wasn't five years older; and even though the last half of that just sort of popped out, I didn't mind the follow-up jokes when my little faux pas was also so much fun for Stephanie and Jake.

Getting a hug and kiss on the cheek from Jake might have helped with getting over any embarrassment too, but let's not think about that too much.

I already mentioned that Rowen and I managed to have fun with Michael and Tim during dinner, and that's a bit surprising in a way; since they spent a lot of time talking about high school football; the big win last night; and our team's chances for the Championship match. It helps that I can keep up with them when they're discussing strategies, formations, and the rest; and Rowen knows a lot too even without the same advantages I have. We knew that Tim was really into football, but tonight we found out that he really wants to play on the team when we start high school; and I'll take a wild guess that Michael will be right there with his best friend even if he isn't quite as enthusiastic – or driven to follow a family tradition.

Football wasn't the only thing we talked about. The Christmas shopping trip next Saturday was a safe topic as long as Rowen and I didn't include shopping for clothes in the discussion. Gift ideas for family and friends was safe; and so was talking about the coolest new toys and games – particularly the video games. We were on the edge of the birthday action around Rebecca's table; but there were little cameo moments that we spent with Rebecca too. Everyone was in on the birthday song, candles, and cake ritual and most of us stayed close while Rebecca opened her gifts. There was lots of fun to be had with that, since most guys apparently have no clue what to get a thirteen-year old girl for a birthday, and some of the girls went with joke gifts that were meant for laughs and fun. Michael took a little heat for the soft, gorgeous sweater he gave his sister, but he was smart enough to get help with his choice, and the sweater was just part of the ensemble that Miranda and Stephanie put together for Rebecca that included two blouses, dress pants, a skirt, and a jacket.

If only Rebecca wasn't six inches taller than me; I'd be shopping in her closet next week!

We were at the Inn for about two hours, and then headed back to Rebecca's house. The main party action was in the living room; though the kitchen was popular because it was snack and drink central – and where Jake and Stephanie were staying while pretending not to chaperone the party until Miranda and Jacob finished working at the Inn. There was video gaming on the television; music on the stereo; and a small area for dancing.

Rowen and I spent extra time in the kitchen, though that revived some teasing directed my way about Jake; but we also sat in the living room with Rebecca quite a bit too – or just wandered around the house with her. She'd been having fun at the Inn, but being one of the only girls without a boyfriend when most of her best friends were busy dancing or cuddling with their guys had her feeling out of place and a bit sad. We found out that the sad was mostly because there had been absolutely nothing between her and Jonathan while he was here for Thanksgiving. I don't know how long it'll be before she's ready to play the dating game again; but it definitely wasn't something she was interested in tonight. For the second time this week, I've felt like I'm not able to do a very good job helping a friend through a tough time, but I did what I could tonight; and at least for a few hours, Rebecca, Rowen, and I were closer than we've been in quite a while.

We were helped with that thanks to some entertainment provided by our friends. Jenny and Shane disappeared a few times; and the smiles we saw when they returned strongly suggested that they weren't just taking washroom or snack breaks. They weren't the only couple to wander off now and then, so Rebecca, Rowen, and I had lots of material to work with while we talked quietly and mostly watched the action going on around us. Michael and Tim were entertaining too, though I'm sure they wouldn't find the fact that we were amused by their avid, if surreptitious, girl-watching. I'm not even sure if any of the other girls noticed that they were being admired, but considering how dismally Michael and Tim were doing playing video games; it should have been obvious.

No, the three of us were not on their radar at all; Rebecca for obvious reasons despite the fact that she's probably the most beautiful girl in her class, and Rowen and me because we're still kids by comparison to the older girls. I think that annoyed Rowen even if we both understand why our male classmates would be more interested in Stephanie, Jenny, and the other girls. Since I've so recently been caught thinking along those lines about Jake, this is probably a good time to just let this part of the evening recap drop.

Miranda and Jacob got home shortly before ten o'clock, and after making their rounds in the living room and getting the party update from Jake and Stephanie, they set the two teens free to do whatever they wanted and took over in the kitchen. Rebecca, Rowen, and I joined them there, and we ended up helping out with getting everything ready for an eleven o'clock pizza break. That was probably the scariest moment of the night, but fortunately, Jacob has a very large oven; and had the food coming fast enough to keep the boys from eating the furniture, paper plates, or anything else that wasn't nailed down.

Jake and Stephanie had only gone upstairs to hang out in his room, and joined in for the pizza; so we sat down with them – and eventually with Miranda and Jacob – in the dining room while most of the teens took their pizza to go and headed back into the living room to hang out there. That time with Miranda and Jacob was one of my favorite moments of the night – just getting to relax and chat while they wound down from a long day at the Inn and we talked about everything from the party to Christmas holiday plans.

The timing for the pizza was intentional, and marked the wind-down to the boys being sent on their way by midnight – when the party would transform magically into a mostly girls-only sleepover. Dads get an automatic exemption; none of the girls had a problem with keeping Jake at the house; and Michael and Tim mostly stayed out of the way while being appreciative and attentive observers of the slumber party ritual.

Again, let's not go there.

We were bunked two girls to a guest room, but after taking turns getting ready for bed, we met up in the living room to watch a movie or two first. With boyfriends out of the way, Rebecca spent the rest of the night hanging out with Jenny and the rest of their usual group of friends, and Rowen and I sat back; watched the movie; and let the other girls – and Michael and Tim – entertain us. Yeah, I really don't want to go there, but it's amazing how many excuses two twelve-year old boys can come up with to explain their recurring presence around a bunch of girls in pajamas and nighties. I even saw Tim manage to drop off his next excuse for coming into the living room while picking up a video game that he and Michael just absolutely needed to play since they couldn't sleep with all of the noise we were making.

Rowen and I watched the first movie, but came up to bed with about half the girls while Rebecca, Jenny, and the others stayed and started a second chick flick. I'm doing this, and finished my usual nightly computing while Rowen and I are chatting and working our way toward sleep. I've pretty much covered the highlights, and since some of us need to get up early to have any hope of everyone getting ready for church in time; it's time to...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Happy 13th birthday, Rebecca!

Yes, the party was yesterday, and you were officially thirteen by the time I wrote my journal entry for yesterday; but you'll never read this anyway, so I guess it isn't that big of a deal one way or the other.

What was a big deal was Rebecca's birthday breakfast! I love our big family breakfasts at home too, but Jacob and Jake went all out with some really amazing treats this morning that are more suited for five-star hotels than small-town kids – though not that many of us were adventurous enough to try some of everything. That's never a problem for me, and I certainly didn't meet a dish that I didn't love this morning – including Jake.

Oh, did I write that out loud? Oops. At least this time I managed to keep my thoughts from spurting out verbally.

No, Aunt Leanne, I'm not in imminent danger of crossing over; and you can't fault me for crushing at least a little on Jake Stone. You probably still have at least a bit of a little-girl crush on his father.

That didn't take long for this recap to get side-tracked. I was the first girl up this morning, and it was nice enough outside that I decided to dress warm and practice my Tai Chi by the river. Miranda had bonus hugs for me when I got back inside, and a cup of hot chocolate to warm up with before going back upstairs to grab a quick shower and get dressed for church. I woke Rowen up next, and then went back down to the kitchen to help out with setting the dining room table. Stephanie was there by then too, so I was her happy little helper; and we both got to do a little taste-testing for Jacob and Jake as they kept busy in the kitchen.

The good part of being ready for church early was getting to spend extra time with Miranda, Jacob, Jake, and Stephanie; with the slight downside of having a big cleanup to help with after everyone had finished eating. I did like getting to leave for church with the first group out, since that also let Rowen and I spend some time with our families before the service started while the last group to leave with Miranda and Jacob were about one and a half songs late by the time they found places to sit.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and the service was a bit longer than usual; though that just meant that our Sunday school class had some play time after we'd finished our lesson for the day. I'd still mostly been in birthday party mode until then, but with an afternoon trip to the Christmas tree farm ahead of us; I was getting fired up about that when Rowen and I met up with Mom, Dad, and the twins after church. By the time we got home again, I'd gotten approval to have Rebecca and Jenny come with us, and the corresponding parental approval from their end. That worked out great for them, since they had get out of work at the Inn cards for the day and no real plans; it added two more trees to our shopping list; and we ended up with more friends and neighbors, including Jenny's Mom and brother, going out to the farm too.

Since we were already taking the van and truck with us, the only change in plans we needed to make to add Rebecca and Jenny was to add a car; so Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah volunteered to drive too, and have Rebecca and Jenny go in the truck with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne. Ethan and Ehlana loved that because it also made room for Naomi to be another last-minute addition. Lunch was soup and sandwiches; quick and easy to clean up; and then we loaded up and headed out on our afternoon adventure.

With the temperature heading toward seventy this afternoon, it wasn't exactly feeling Christmassy, but there are some advantages to warm weather while going on hay rides and picking out trees; and the atmosphere around the farm and store more than made up for the absence of anything weather-related that even remotely resembling a winter wonderland. Jenny's Mom and brother were already at the farm by the time we got there, but had waited to go with us on the hay ride. We saw some other friends and neighbors out in the fields or at the store, but there weren't any other Witch Falls people on our hay ride.

While Jenny had help from her Mom and brother to pick out a tree, this was apparently Rebecca's first time being in charge of choosing the tree for her family; and she took some extra time doing that with a little help from her friends. Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi each got to help pick out trees too, and by the time we were ready for the return hay ride; we had six trees picked out that Dad, Uncle Adam, Uncle Nick, and Doug barely managed to fit into our truck and the Warren's.

Shopping in the store was fun too, and though we probably have enough decorations at home for three trees, there were still a couple of new ones that wouldn't let us go home without them. Ditto that for boxes of Christmas cookies; jugs of apple cider; and a can of specialty hot chocolate. Some of the kids in our class would likely think that spending a few hours on a Sunday afternoon with our teacher was weird, but I love Jenny's Mom; and the only weird for me while we were at the Christmas tree farm was when Jenny had an ornament made to give to Shane.

Make that two or three weird moments, including the teasing directed my way from Aunt Leanne, Rebecca, and Jenny about whom I could give special Christmas ornaments to this year. Aunt Leanne had way too much fun this afternoon after hearing about my little verbal blurt from dinnertime last night. Most of that was still fun for all of us; though I really wish that I hadn't given Aunt Leanne such an easy opening to point out that Jake does have a 'very cute younger brother of suitable age' – her words, not mine.

Again, moving on, we were on the road for home by four; had the trees delivered in houses by five-thirty; and Dad, Rowen, and I started hauling decoration boxes into the living room while Mom worked on making dinner and Ethan and Ehlana supervised all of us. Rowen needed to be home for dinner, so she left in time to meet her parents there after they closed the computer store for the day. This year, we had dinner first, and decorated the tree after we'd eaten and cleaned up. Mom and Dad multi-tasked that with a Magi lesson that was mostly for Ethan and Ehlana; and we all had a blast decorating the tree and living room telekinetically.

We all needed to get cleaned up after a long, busy day; and Ethan and Ehlana were up first for baths that Mom and I helped them with while Dad got some work done in the office. I hopped into my Jacuzzi after we had the twins tucked in for the night; and Mom joined Dad in the office so that she could do one final check for the Moms' shopping trip in the morning. I've been working on my computer since getting in the tub too; taking care of the usual nightly computing first; moving on to an hour of language studies; and saving the archive research until I was snuggled in bed with Mandy. I should have done more of that, but I'm running out of steam; it's heading toward one o'clock fast; and I'm ready to just finish this up and get some down time.

If this weekend is any indication, I'd say we're going to have another amazing Christmas season – a nice, happy thought to drift off to sleep with.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, December 3, 2012

You know it's going to be a good day when it starts with a breakfast buffet at the Inn.

Dad and Uncle Adam sprung that little surprise on Ethan, Ehlana, and I after seeing Mom and Aunt Leanne off shortly before seven. We couldn't go there until the shoppers heading for Crystal Springs left the Inn at eight; but that gave us time for Tai Chi, and to get ready for work and school. The guys must have set everything up ahead of time, because there were quite a few Dads and kids at the Inn with us – including Rowen and her father and brother.

Knowing what our mothers were doing today was exciting for quite a few of us at school, though football was still the top story today; with the kids' shopping trip on Saturday at number two. I should mention that the school is looking more Christmassy every day now as decorations are put up mostly by teen volunteers, and Christmas crafts and art projects are proudly displayed on the boards or in the display cases outside of classrooms.

There was enough fun happening to keep Rowen and I entertained today, but Mrs. Warren and the other teachers are quietly pushing all of their students harder with our lessons right now too; knowing that they'll only have this week and next to do that before Christmas fever takes over for the last week before the Christmas holiday break. The extra work isn't a problem for Rowen and me, though it did slow us down a little today because we had Alicia in charge of us – and the twins – from the time we finished school until Dad got home from work. That meant no Magi-assisted studying, and we had a detour to KidZone with Alicia to get Ethan and Ehlana on our way home.

We still had time for our Monday afternoon park play time, and Alicia came along for that too. We've had a bit of rain off and on today, but it was off while we were at the park, and Ethan got to have his football time with the guys while the temperature was still more like warm summer than early winter. The playground was a bit on the damp side, but we dried off swings for the twins to use, and went for a walk along the path to the falls and back before going home again so Alicia could put a pre-cooked casserole into the oven to warm for dinner.

Dad was a bit late getting home, but we didn't have any plans for tonight anyway; so sitting down to eat a half-hour late wasn't a big deal. I cleaned up after dinner so that Dad could get started on his homework; and Ethan went into the office with him while Ehlana supervised me in the kitchen and we had a little girl-talk time. When we were ready to join the guys in the office, we brought drinks and a snack, and I settled in to get a head start on my nightly archive studies while Ethan and Ehlana read books on their iPads. By then we were getting regular updates from Mom and Aunt Leanne, and though they were running a bit later than planned, they were on the road for home by a bit after eight o'clock; and back in town by nine-thirty.

They had some running around to do first, dropping off travel buddies and their purchases plus a few extra stops to deliver larger items that would only fit in the truck. The last stops were along our street, so when Mom and Aunt Leanne finally pulled into our driveway at nearly ten-thirty; they had Uncle Adam with them to help out with unloading the boxes and bags bound for various places in our house. I offered to help, but the only jobs Mom would let me do were to put away the supplies she'd picked up at Wal-Mart and take care of Ethan and Ehlana while she and Dad, and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne, hauled Christmas presents upstairs.

Yes, hiding gifts from Magi Master kids is actually impossible if we really wanted to know what we were getting for Christmas early, but that'd take all of the fun out of Christmas Eve and Day for all of us if we did that – not to mention that we could end up on Santa's naughty list too!

Mom and Aunt Leanne were both pretty much wiped out by the time we gathered in the kitchen for a bedtime snack, drinks, and a partial daily recap; so Dad put a half-hour time limit on our visit. Ethan and Ehlana used up about half of that time; I kept my part to under five minutes, and then Mom and Aunt Leanne told us about their day in the city – except for certain details that we won't find out about until Christmas.

Dad didn't let us sit up and talk longer; Uncle Adam backed him up and took Aunt Leanne home; and I helped get Ethan and Ehlana changed and tucked in for the night so that we were all in our rooms for the night before twelve. I still had some work to do after snuggling in bed with Mandy; and have been keeping busy for over an hour. I'll admit to wasting a little time dreaming about Christmas, and I added a few ideas to my shopping list for Saturday; but I got my studying and nightly computing finished too. Tomorrow's an after-school work day, so it's time to shut down for the night. I should be in for a few comparatively quiet days, so hopefully I'll be able to rest up a bit and get ready for the weekend fun. I'll get started on doing that right now.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

For information on tickets to our team's Championship football game, contact anyone in the Landry family; or in our Grade Seven class; just ask Tim. He was given two tickets to the game by his Uncle Lee, and today, Nora wasn't sure whether to be relieved that he invited Michael to go with him; or ticked off that he didn't invite her despite the fact that she doesn't like football at all anyway.

There are quite a few guys in our class wishing they were going to the game too, but Rowen and I don't plan on picking up tickets for the game, though we do wish our team the best.

It was a busy day for our class. We wrote two tests; worked on projects; and did some cool animation in computers. Rowen and I got back to our usual Tuesday-Thursday music practice at lunchtime; and had fun playing the Christmas songs we're learning in class – though it sometimes doesn't sound very good with only the flute and saxophone parts. The good news is that we're sounding better and better every week; so the extra practicing is paying off.

It's a good thing that we do that at lunchtime, since we don't have time to practice on work nights. Even though Alicia worked on Monday while Mom was out of town, she was still working her usual Tuesday and Thursday shifts; and she's even going to help out a bit with Ethan and Ehlana on Saturday while we're in the city. Mom was glad to have the help, and it allowed me to hide in the office; do my homework; and work on the family business until dinnertime. I was even able to kick things into high gear for a while when Alicia took the twins out for a walk to the school playground and back while Mom was busy cooking in the kitchen.

Since Mom and Aunt Leanne were busy yesterday, Uncle Adam and I had our healing lesson with Mom after dinner; and we had a little future plans meeting too before Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne headed home. Dad had work to do, so he did that while Mom and I went through the full bath and bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana. I had a long soak in my Jacuzzi after Ethan and Ehlana were in bed; have finished all of my archive and language studies; and will have my usual nightly computing done once I finish this journal entry. It still isn't midnight yet, but then I kicked things up a few notches tonight so that getting a little extra sleep was an option. There isn't anything else to report, so I'll wrap this up and get to that.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

I don't really have much to report for today. It was another busy and fun day at school, but there wasn't really anything new going on. Rowen and I had a fairly quiet after-school play time with Ethan and Ehlana after getting our homework finished; and Mom did a long Magi lesson with me before I came up to my room to get an early start on my usual nightly studies and computing.

Another night of using a little Magi power to help speed up the work is going to allow me to be sleeping by eleven-thirty if I keep this short, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Football fever continues to rage unabated at our school, and around town too. I'd suggest that we'll be in the clear by the end of the weekend, but that'll just be in time for the guys to gear up for the college bowl season; followed by the NFL playoffs. It's a good thing that girls have so much holiday fun this time of year, or the guys would probably just drive us nuts!

Segue that to the boy that unknowingly drives Rowen crazy, and it was another one of those days for her. Hiding out in the music room for our lunchtime practice helped, and working at the computer store after school kept her busy too; but there was no escape while we were at the Inn for game night. The main reason she was annoyed is because quite a few dates for the school Christmas dance became public knowledge around school; and while it wasn't a surprise; Rowen didn't like hearing about dance night plans for the guy she likes being discussed by his girlfriend and her friends.

While we're on the subject, and yes, I've already heard about it from Aunt Leanne; the top dating story for the Grade Seven class was the news that Michael and Lisa were going to the dance on a first 'official' date too. Go ahead and tease me all you want about Michael or any other guy, Aunt Leanne – sometimes it's even entertaining too while being irritating. I can take it; and won't be crossing over just to get you to stop bugging me.

Since Lisa was at game night with Michael tonight, Aunt Leanne did at least keep the teasing quiet; and didn't try to find ways to nudge Michael and me together. After missing last week for Rowen's birthday, I was happy to get the chance to spend some time with our friends and neighbors; and Rowen and I had a pretty good night playing the games too. If having Rowen annoyed with a guy helps us to a top five finish, I wonder if catching him making out would get us to a Junior Championship?

Yes, that's wrong, but I couldn't resist. :^)

Our time at the Inn was the best part of the day for me. The family business work after school was productive but a bit tedious, and with a busy weekend ahead; Mom did a long Magi lesson with me after Ethan and Ehlana were in bed that she followed up with bonus archive homework that's kept me busy and up late. I've used more than a little Magi power to get that done, along with the rest of my usual language studies and bedtime computing; so I'm pretty much ready to just crash now, but at least I have the work done and can take the weekend off from work and studying. I am so ready for the break – and some unconscious time, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, December 7, 2012

Here we go again with yet another journal entry that starts with football; and it's bad news for our team. We lost the Championship game to Clairmont by a score of twenty-seven to seventeen. I'm sure that our players, coaches, and their fans are disappointed tonight, but they did have a best-since-Lee-Landry-played season; and they'll have another good team next year for Kyle's senior year.

Now we have that out of the way, let's move on to the more interesting parts of the day. Football was still the top story at school today, but the shopping trip was number two, and for our class; Lily's birthday party was third. Rowen and I won't be at her party, since she's pretty much doing that with the 'couples club' kids, but I'm sure they'll have a blast with the dinner and a movie in Crystal Springs that they'll be doing after the shopping trip tomorrow.

While doing dinner and a movie at my house was an option tonight, Rowen and I decided to do a sleepover at her house instead; getting parental approval for that after school. Mom and Aunt Leanne were going to be spending part of the night finalizing the shopping trip anyway, and I got the feeling that Rowen didn't really feel like being around cuddling couples tonight either. We did our homework, and played with Ethan and Ehlana for an hour or so, and then I packed my bag and we went to hang out at her house until dinnertime. With only about two and a half weeks to go until Christmas, the stores in town were busy tonight; so we ended up having dinner at the computer store with Rowen's parents; and we helped out for a while too. Patrick had dinner with Scott, but the boys had suddenly felt the need to have a sleepover at the Emersons too – coincidentally deciding that about five seconds after finding out that I'd be staying there with Rowen.

That hasn't actually been much of a problem tonight, partly because the boys didn't come home until Rowen's parents did after closing the store; we all went to bed fairly early; and because Rowen and I bribed Patrick and Scott with chocolate and a half-hour video game competition in exchange for a zero-prank night. I guess you can learn a few things from watching your parents, but Patrick could also have just been taking it easy in case bugging us might endanger his Christmas wish list.

After leaving the boys to continue their gaming, Rowen and I got ready for bed and we've been surfing the web, chatting, and finishing up our shopping lists for tomorrow. That might not seem like much fun to a lot of people, but having a big family and lots of friends to get gifts for still feels brand new to me; and I love all of it more every year. We did a little Christmas wishing too, and though I'd really love to give Rowen the one gift she'd love the most, I can't; and I seriously doubt that her parents – or his – would be amused to find him tied up under the Emerson's tree Christmas morning.

I wonder why I'm suddenly picturing Aunt Leanne thinking that's an awesome idea – and getting very, very scared? Let's not get derailed with that train of thought.

It's probably time to wrap this up, and for Rowen and me to wind down and get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be another one of those best-ever kind of fun days; and we definitely don't want to be the first to drop while we shop!

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Imagine if one-tenth of the entire population of your home town or city disappeared.

No, I'm not talking about some Hollywood-version rapture scene, but it might have seemed like that for anyone who woke up late this morning in Witch Falls or the Ridge River district to find one hundred and twelve of the kids and teens gone; along with forty-two brave and slightly crazy adult chaperones. I wasn't really even thinking about how big the trip was going to be this year until we got to the Inn for the breakfast buffet and saw the dining room filling up fast with shoppers and a few extra family members that came for the food, but were being 'left behind'.

My morning started out with a short Tai Chi workout and then Rowen and I had fun getting ready for the day; including some extra time doing our hair with some help from Patricia. Owen had the tougher job getting Patrick and Scott moving, but we did manage to make it to breakfast by five to seven. Rowen's Mom was stuck working at the store today while her Dad was driving Patrick, Scott, and three of their classmates; and then spending the day trying to keep up with one of the groups of boys along with two other fathers.

Breakfast was awesome, and I probably wasn't the only person to eat a bit too much – especially since we were travelling for an hour and a half immediately after we finished up at the Inn. Mom and Dad were taking the van and truck, and this time it was girls in the van and boys in the truck. Mom and Aunt Leanne had Rebecca, Ehlana, Rowen, and me with them; and Dad and Uncle Adam had Michael, Tim, and Ethan with them. No, I'm sure that wasn't a coincidence, since Aunt Leanne did have a lot to do with putting the groups together; but at least she didn't try having Michael sit with me in the back seat – or Mom vetoed it if she did try.

I loved getting to spend the drive time each way with Rebecca today; and I think she was relieved to be with us instead of going with Jenny and Shane. She sat next to Ehlana, and we all had fun chatting and playing while also watching and listening to the Christmas music videos DVD that Aunt Leanne had brought along for us. When we got to the Mall, we needed to meet up with Jenny, Shane, and Shane's younger sister, Shannon; so we did that, and then got started on the first part of our Christmas shopping adventure.

There may be some psychological reason for letting us loose in the Mall first instead of starting with the toy store, but if tiring us out is the goal; it didn't work for the kids and teens in our group. Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne couldn't say the same, but then they were trying to keep up with us while we worked our way through the Mall; splitting up and then switching shopping buddies regularly to allow us to get gifts for other members of our group.

Rowen and I were only split up while we were shopping for each other, and spent the rest of the time at the Mall with at least two adults. Rebecca and Shannon spent a lot of time with us too, but Jenny and Shane managed to find reasons to be on their own; and only stayed with us for about an hour in total until meeting up with us for lunch in the food court. Michael and Tim had some shopping time with Dad, Uncle Adam, and Ethan, and Tim spent a half hour or so with Nora after crossing paths with her group, but even when they were 'with' us, they either wandered around the same stores we were in by themselves, or checked out nearby stores instead – especially when we were looking at clothes. We needed to make a few trips out to the van and truck to drop off bags, but that didn't slow us down much, and we took turns so that nobody was stuck with porter duty for half the day.

Violet had driven down to spend the day with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie, and we met up with them for a little visit while we all shopped around mid-morning; but they were doing their own thing at lunch; and we didn't see them again for the rest of the day. I had the Mall-shopping part of my list finished by the time we stopped to eat, but not everyone was ready to move on to the toy superstore yet, so we spent another hour after lunch before moving on down the road to our second stop of the day.

Aunt Leanne might be the most-fun adult to shop in a big toy store with; and the two and a half hours we spent having fun with her there was more than worth the too-frequent moments when she tried her not-so-subtle matchmaking with Michael and me. Whether she was trying out cool toddler toys with Ethan and Ehlana; playing with R/C cars and robotic pets; or testing out the latest in video games; she kept all of us entertained. I managed to check off everything for the toy store part of my list too in between play time, and Rowen and I were the first members of our group to check out and load our bags into the van.

Our next stop was actually a short rendezvous to drop Michael and Tim off at the restaurant where Lily was having her birthday dinner. Dad and Uncle Adam traded them for two teens, and then we moved on to Wal-Mart. Rowen, Rebecca, Shannon, and I were mostly left to finish our Christmas shopping on our own; Jenny and Shane wandered off together; and Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne had everyone else with them.

I didn't have much left to buy to finish up my list, and spent more time playing and having fun with my friends; though they might wish that I try to be a bit less fired up – especially whenever we'd get 'the look' from other kids and teens around us. You know the one I mean, and if you don't, look in the mirror for it; because you're one of the too cool people that use it on kids like me. :^)

We'd decided to finish our shopping instead of stopping to eat first, so it was nearly seven-thirty by the time we loaded up again; hit the drive-thru for food; and headed for Witch Falls. For those of us who weren't driving, that was a chance to wind down; eat; chat about our adventures; and sing along to the Christmas videos DVD. Dad and Uncle Adam needed to do some running around once we got back to town, but Mom parked in our driveway, and let Rowen, Rebecca, and I do the running around to unload the van and carry bags to the Emerson's and Stone's houses. Since Mom has these trips ultra-organized, that really wasn't as tough as it could be if every bag and box wasn't tagged before being loaded into the van or truck. We had one last load to each house again after Dad and Uncle Adam got home too, and then we all did a snack with coffee or hot chocolate that Rowen's and Rebecca's parents, and Patrick, joined us for too.

That little visit and story time was fun, but we were all getting tired by then, so it really wasn't long before Mom and Dad were on their own with Ethan, Ehlana, and me; and we all headed up to bed. I only did the basic bedtime computing tonight. There were a few emails to read and answer, but not much else going on. I haven't heard how Lily's party went, but they should be on the road for home by now; and I'm sure Rowen and I will hear all about it at church in the morning. I'm really glad to be snuggled in bed with Mandy instead of still out on the road; and not just because I got to miss out on a night of boy-girl weirdness.

Okay, that is the main reason, and I definitely am happy to not be in a vehicle full of tweenie couples cuddling and whatever for the hour and a half drive home.

I do not want to go off to sleep with that thought leading the way. Mom and Dad have a lot of work to do tomorrow, but Rowen and I are going to have a play afternoon with Ethan and Ehlana; and we're going to set up the little Christmas tree in my lounge and decorate it too.

That didn't help, since writing about the tree has me thinking about the gift mentioned earlier that Rowen won't be getting under her tree this year. Since the next big Christmassy thing is the school dance next Friday, I don't want to go there either; though it'll be nice to have Violet here for part of the weekend when she comes home to go to the dance with Dillon.

I'm too tired to bother coming up with something else, so I'll just take a chance; wrap this up; and hope for the best when I do get to dreamland.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, December 9, 2012

We've had some rain this morning, and it's felt a lot more like winter than summer today. The only change that made to our plans today, though, was taking the van to church and back instead of walking. It was kind of a lazy morning at our house. Mom, Dad, and I only worked through a Tai Chi short form; we had cereal or toast for breakfast; and had time to play a bit while getting ready for the day.

Lily's birthday dinner and a movie was the top story in our Sunday school class, and though it sounded like they all had fun; I'm still glad that I missed out on watching the guys demolish pizzas and chugging pitchers of pop. They went to see the latest Twilight movie, and it sounds like at least a few of the couples were more interested in pretending to be vampires – or just making out – than watching the show. There's also a good chance that at least one or two turtleneck fashion decisions were not made because of the cold weather; but I really, really did not want to know the details.

Since most of the stores were open again for the Christmas shopping season, Rowen had lunch with us, and then we were set free to play in the lounge with Ethan and Ehlana while Mom and Dad got to work in the office. We set up and decorated the little Christmas tree first, and Ethan and Ehlana helped out with a little telekinetic tree trimming while we chatted telepathically. Rowen and I did a bit of work on one of our school projects; we practiced our Christmas songs on the flute and saxophone; and wrapped up our afternoon with some cuddle time with the twins and Mandy while watching a Christmas movie.

Rowen had family dinner plans, so when she went home to get ready for that, Ethan, Ehlana, and I moved downstairs to the kitchen; and I started helping Mom with making dinner. We were going with an easy dinner, and it didn't really take long to eat and get the clean-up done. Dad still had some work to get done for morning, so Mom did a Magi lesson with us; Ethan and Ehlana had their baths early; and then Dad joined us for an hour of play time before we put the twins to bed for the night.

I went for a long soak in my Jacuzzi after that, and have been working on my usual studying and nightly computing. It's taken me a while to wind down tonight, and I've gotten a fair bit of work done. Since I don't plan on doing much work or studying over the holidays, I'll be trying to do a bit extra every night for the next couple of weeks – at least when we're not too busy having some holiday fun with our family and friends. There's a work and school week to get through before we get to the next major Christmas action, though, and I should really get some rest, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, December 10, 2012

The top story around town today was the news that Natalie and Derrick Taylor are going to have a baby. Jokes are flying that after finding out that Amy and Jared Spencer – Natalie's brother and sister-in-law – were expecting just before Thanksgiving; they decided to get started on having their family too. It doesn't sound like they're denying that was at least part of the equation, though they insisted that was mostly because they liked the idea of having cousins that were close in age – especially since Jared and Derrick worked the farm together.

While that news made the rounds at school through Amy and the other teachers, and was popular with the girls; football stayed the number one topic among the guys for another day. The Championship game loss didn't keep our team's players from being treated like royalty, and though everyone was still disappointed; next season was going to be 'the year' for sure. For the girls, baby news had to share chat time with shopping trip and birthday party recaps; and the Christmas dance on Friday was heading for number one with a bullet on the school grapevine network.

On the school work front, we had one test; a pop quiz; and spent half of our music class having a theory lesson. That didn't exactly make for the most exciting Monday ever, but it was still a good day. Rowen and I did our homework after school; then spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the lounge with Ethan and Ehlana. The temperature had dropped below freezing last night, and didn't really warm up much all day. Ethan was disappointed that he didn't get to play football with the guys, but Ehlana helped him get over that by playing a little telekinetic video football for a while instead.

We were back to our usual Monday night healing lesson and family business meeting after dinner tonight. It was probably a bit risky for me to go there, but when baby talk came up, I couldn't resist teasing Aunt Leanne, and asking her why she didn't join the expecting mothers club to give Ethan and Ehlana, or Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick's baby, a cousin their own age the way that the Taylors and Spencers were doing. Her non-answer included a suggestion that I go out and get a love life before trying to push hers along to the next level; and an offer to help me out with that.

Yes, she's quick; but I still won the round tonight! It has to happen once in a while.

Our healing lessons are always fun, but I think we're getting close to the point where Uncle Adam won't need to do them regularly with Mom anymore. There's always more to learn from the archives, but he'll be able to do that on his own; and even with his medical training to help, he won't be able to do everything that a Magi Master healer can. Ehlana's hoping he'll be done soon and can spend more time doing research with her instead, but since we haven't even started building their lab yet; I think we've got a bit of time to make that little transition.

The lab was on the agenda for our meeting, and the ground-breaking is tentatively set for late March – probably after March Break. Dad and Aunt Leanne will be handling most of the work between now and then to have everything ready, but our biggest problem for the next few years is going to be getting enough construction workers and the equipment here to build everything we have planned. Mom and Dad may get teased a lot about their dedication and responsibility, but that, and some serious organization skills sure come in handy for our future plans.

This was our last Monday night lesson and meeting of the year because Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam will be busy next week getting ready for his incoming family for the Christmas weekend, and Dad will be in the city; so we ended up working until nearly ten-thirty before wrapping up and doing the bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana. I came up to my room shortly after that; got changed and into bed with Mandy; and have been working on my computer since then. Two hours of archive and language studies, followed by my usual nightly computing, has kept me busy, but I'm about done for the night now; and ready to crash.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

It's been a fairly quiet, if busy, day around school and home.

The push for getting a last round of testing out of the way before the holidays continued, along with more intense lessons and project deadlines continued today, and that probably won't let up at all until Friday or next Monday. Rowen and I had our usual lunchtime music practice, and that was pretty much the only break we had all day – from the school work, and the Christmas dance night girl talk and gossip.

As an aside, it's not like I don't know that girls like to talk fairly graphically and intimately with their best friends about guys – my Mom and Aunt do that regularly – but there are things I just don't need or want to know about either the boys or girls in my class and school. Ditto that for pretty much everyone in my family too, but at least my favorite women mostly keep the not-safe-for-kids parts of their girl-talk for when Ehlana, Ethan, and I aren't around. That's not always the case at school, and makes for moments when having some of my abilities can be embarrassing and uncomfortable – moments that will always be in my photographic memory.

Let's move along, since I seriously doubt that very many Magi reading this some day will want those chat details about kids that could, in your present, be parents or grandparents. I certainly wouldn't want to know anything intimate about my grandparents, father, aunt, or uncle from when they were twelve or thirteen.

Rowen and I switched up our usual work night routine a bit so that we could work on a project together; so we did that, and the rest of our homework, at the computer store before she started working there, and I went home to spend an hour and a half in the office until dinnertime. Dad's going to be busy all week getting ready for his trip to Crystal Springs, so he went to work in the office right after we finished eating. Mom and I cleaned up; we played with Ethan and Ehlana for a couple of hours; did the bedtime routine; and followed that up with a long Magi lesson after the twins were tucked in for the night.

I've been working in bed since finishing my lesson two and a half hours ago. My archive assignment is done, but that took up most of the time, so I'm skipping the language studies. There wasn't much email to deal with tonight, since I'd caught up with most of that earlier while working on the family business; and the usual nightly entertainment, news, and sport checks didn't take long either. It's late; there isn't anything else to report; and I'm tired and ready to crash, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the weather warming up again today. It was nice for our after-school play time, but with less than two weeks to go; it's not looking very good for a white Christmas in Witch Falls. I haven't really had very many Christmases with snow, but I do really love having a winter wonderland for the holidays.

While that little wish is looking unlikely for the near future, here in the now we've had a good, if unexciting, day. There were more tests and some in-class project work time at school to keep us busy; and the dance on Friday was the top girl talk topic again. Rowen and I seem to be the only girls not worrying about what we're going to wear; potential date issues like bad dancing or fashion horrors; and stacking up in the hot and cool departments compared to the older girls.

That's one area of acting my age that I'm not very good at. I love dressing up as much as the next girl, but I do that for myself; and don't really care what anyone else thinks. Rowen thinks that's really funny anytime we've talked about that; suggesting that none of the other girls – herself included – would care about things like fashion and hair as much either if they were going to grow up to look like my mother the way I will. I can concede at least part of that point, but there must be more to it than that, since I don't have any trouble playing my age for most other things. Since continuing to write about the girl talk today will lead inevitably to more boy-girl weirdness; let's not.

Rowen and I had some homework to get done after school, so we did that first before taking Ethan and Ehlana out to play for an hour or so. The warmer weather was relative to the last couple of days of cold, so after Ethan finished checking out the football action, we only stayed at the playground for fifteen or twenty minutes; and then went for a little walk along the river to the falls before heading home again. There was time for hot chocolate after that before Rowen needed to go over to the computer store; and I helped Mom with making dinner after that until Dad got home from the office.

It ended up being a bit of a work night around here after dinner. Ethan and Ehlana are going to be finished Grade Nine by the holidays, so they studied while Mom and Dad were working in the office; and I took that time to get all of my archive and language studies done before we all stopped to do the bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana at ten o'clock. I was in my own bed by ten-thirty; blasted through the usual nightly computer checks; and if I wrap this up now, I'll be on my way to dreamland by eleven o'clock for the first time in what seems like ages, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, December 13, 2012

We've had another nice day, though I didn't spend much time outdoors enjoying yet another break from a winter that still really hasn't arrived yet.

It was another busy day of classes at school, but Mrs. Warren advised us that the pressure is off now; and tomorrow is mostly going to be free time to wrap up any unfinished projects or late assignments. For some of us, including Rowen and me, that'll mean a free day to mostly just play on our computers or help some of our classmates with their work. It's a Day One Friday too, so that's going to be even better.

Rowen and I split our lunchtime between eating, going for a little walk outside, and having our music practice; and that was mostly to stay as far away as we could from the worst of the girl chat. I seem to end up writing about this stuff way too much, but there's probably some value in documenting how I handle – or don't – real tweenie life. Hopefully Ethan and Ehlana will do better at this than I have so far since the rest of the kids in my grade all lost their minds. Right now, for me, avoidance seems the best option, and though Rowen has a different reason for going along with me; I'm just glad to have the company.

As usual, I'm ready to move on instead of trying to deal with the weird, so let's do that. Rowen and I did the after-school homework thing again at the computer store, and then I worked in the office at home until dinnertime. There isn't much to report for my end of the family business. Proposals that I'm dealing with right now are all from projects that won't even start for anywhere from three months to a year or more. I'm dealing with some end-of-year accounting too, but that's mostly too boring to bother writing about here. If I could re-write the accounting rules, my first principle of accounting would be: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Ditto that for just about anything related to government, and between the two; life would get a lot easier for everyone.

Yeah, probably not going to ever happen, but I'm still hoping for snow for Christmas this year too.

It was an easy-dinner night at our house, and then we walked over to the Inn with Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam for game night. Rowen met me there, and there was a pretty good turnout of kids and teens this week. Since I heard about it from Aunt Leanne off and on all night, I'll get it out of the way now that Lisa and Michael were paired up for the junior competition. I actually thought that was a good thing, since having Lisa there would keep Aunt Leanne from her matchmaking efforts on me, but getting teased off and on all evening wasn't all that much of an improvement.

Michael and Lisa weren't the only couple there from our class tonight, and while I was occasionally annoyed by my favorite aunt; Rowen had to deal with her favorite guy playing with his girlfriend. That had her fired up in a bad way because the happy couple was obviously more interested in having their own fun than in the gaming action. We managed to have a little fun whispering possible solutions to her little problem back and forth even if we can't actually do any of those things to him. Miranda probably wouldn't like it if we made it rain in her dining room either, or any of the other ideas we had – even if it was only on one person.

She'd think it was hilarious; but wouldn't like it.

Anyway, getting back to the recap, Rowen and I didn't do very well in the games tonight, but she did keep it together enough to make sure that we finished a few places ahead of the oblivious target of her irritation. I'll guess that we're going to be in for an interesting time at the dance tomorrow night. Rowen and I left the Inn ahead of everyone else, and I walked her home so we'd have some time to talk by ourselves; and then I did the bedtime routine with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana before coming up to my room. A long soak in the Jacuzzi was next on my to-do list, and I didn't even take my computer in with me tonight.

That meant getting a later start than usual to my archive and language studies, and I still put in two hours on that before moving on to the email, news, sports, and entertainment checks. It's going on two-thirty now, but I'm ready to mostly take the weekend off; so that was worth missing a little sleep for. I am ready to crash, and there isn't anything else to cover, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, December 14, 2012

Let's jump right into the only story of the day for every tween and teen in the Ridge River district – the big Christmas dance.

For Rowen and I, the fun started when Violet got home, and we played dress-up together for nearly an hour before she drove all of us over to the school. Mom played with us too, and Ehlana supervised; so Dad and Ethan did their own thing while we were busy. Since we had our dance, and Mom and Dad are going to the Christmas party at Sheldon's on Saturday night; they weren't doing the usual dinner and a movie this week, and it was going to be a work night in the office instead.

Violet was sure that I need to get out more often when I suggested that staying home for that might be more fun than dealing with the expected tween weirdness at the dance. She's probably right about that, but then I wasn't wrong about the weird either. I only need to give one example to prove my point – there were several comedians and comediennes armed with mistletoe; and they were not afraid to use them.

Were attempts made to set me up? Yes. Did they succeed? No – I was prepared, and stayed far away from Michael. I didn't escape from having to kiss Dillon and Jake, but that's different; and Rowen and I both had fun getting teased about kissing Violet's and Stephanie's boyfriends. They were the only boys I danced with tonight too, and I again made sure that neither of those dances happened when passing me off to Michael was an option. Fortunately for me, Lisa had him dancing with her for nearly every slow song except for one dance he had with Stephanie.

I am glad that Rowen and I went to the dance, since we did have fun hanging out with Rebecca and a few other single girls. Even the ongoing boy-girl weird was mostly entertaining for us, and we all danced our butts off during all of the up-tempo sets. Rebecca danced with a couple of boys too not including the spin Jake took her out for, but though she definitely has some guys interested in her; she still isn't looking for a next boyfriend yet.

Reverse that for Rowen, with the added issues of extreme shyness and the fact that 'her' guy seems to be happily hooked up with another girl; and the weird for her was also tough to watch and very annoying. Helping her with that was a bit tougher for me while we were hanging out with Rebecca and the other girls, but we went for a couple of walks when she needed the time away from the dance; and we just tried to stay busy the rest of the time so she wasn't just sitting around with nothing else to think about. The roving mistletoe sure didn't help her out with this – especially since our classmates were very enthusiastic with their responses every time they were caught under one of the mistletoes.

Yes, Michael and Lisa were caught under the mistletoe several times too – as were most of the couples; and even some of the teachers and chaperones. No, Aunt Leanne, that didn't bother me at all; and I've mentioned more than a few times that I appreciate the fact that nobody can realistically play matchmaker with me when he's paired up with another girl. Now that I think about it, I should really get a special little Christmas gift for Lisa to thank her!

Moving away from that, if only a bit, I'd like to mention a few nuggets of information that I picked up tonight for our Magi Project. We know the number of Magi varies each year, and the generational total has, necessarily, declined as a percentage of the total population; but I think that trend is going to change soon. Why? Because I noticed tonight that, while there aren't any more teen Magi now than there were ten or fifteen years ago; this group of teens are collectively stronger than their parents' and grandparents' generations. Ditto that for the latent group – they are almost all at the high end of the scale. That is going to make the potential for the next generation very interesting; and probably isn't a coincidence considering the approaching Ascension of the Light.

Ethan, Ehlana, and I don't attempt to see everything about the future in Witch Falls, and I'm not sure how the council will handle things if we start having more Magi children – especially if many of them are born to non-Magi parents. There really aren't that many kids like Rowen or Violet, and it's not a big deal to have them spend extra time with a grandparent or cousin; but that could be very different if there were dozens of kids and teens in that situation all at the same time. It's definitely something that we – and the council – might want to think about and be ready to handle if it happens.

The other part of Magi teen relationships that I wanted to mention is something that I've been gathering a bit of information on here and there for a while now. Without writing about anything I shouldn't in this journal, the Magi teens have a strong tendency to bond with a partner fairly early and quickly – or, like Dad and Aunt Leanne; they don't find a match until they're older. I should add 'if they find one at all'; since there are adult cases around town where the Magi either never married, or weren't really a match with the person they did marry.

Maybe that's what Aunt Leanne's worried about for me, but I'm sure that Uncle Adam is glad that she didn't find her match young, and by the time I open this archive up for others to read; she'll know that she didn't need to worry about me. Yes, I could save myself some grief by just telling her what Ethan, Ehlana, and I see of that part of our futures, but I'd rather stay in denial as long as possible; and that's just one of many things she doesn't need to know about our future.

Getting back to the dance, the only difference in the music tonight was the addition of a healthy dose of Christmas songs, and while we weren't exactly rockin' around the Christmas tree; most of that was fun too. It rained off and on all night, so Rowen's Dad picked us up at a bit after eleven, and though the dance was still going on; we'd had enough, and were ready to go. We had a bit of company leaving then too, but most of the teens would stay until the end; and Dillon, Jake, Stephanie, and Violet were all staying late to help with the clean-up.

Mom and Dad were still up when I was dropped off, and were watching a Christmas movie and snuggling in the living room. We did the dance recap there while watching the end of the movie; and then we all went up to bed by midnight. It took me a while to get ready for bed, and I've been playing on my computer and winding down since then. Violet and Dillon got home at a bit after one, and are in the living room, but since they've just got tonight together; I'm leaving them alone. They won't be sleeping anytime soon, but I've got a work day ahead, and a gang of kids here for the night while our parents are busy playing at Sheldon's; so I'd better just wrap this up and get some sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Mom and Dad have been promised that they get the night off from kids for the next big date night event, whenever that is; and I'd say they'll have earned it by the time they return our overnight guests later this morning when we go to church. Whoever does draw the short straw for that night, though, will be hoping that it's warm enough to have that future mass sleepover in tents.

Before we get to the main event, our day started out quiet with Tai Chi; picked up speed with breakfast and juggling getting ready for a work day; and then it was non-stop action around the house and yard as we did everything from house cleaning and laundry to getting the lawn mowers ready for winter storage and doing a tune-up on the emergency generator. I worked with Dad most of the day, and though the work wasn't always very exciting; we both really loved getting to spend that time together. I don't really think much about how much that's changed since Ethan and Ehlana were born, and Mom and I really don't get much time alone either, but I miss that more with Dad because I at least had a monopoly on Mom's time for more than nine years. They'll be thinking the same thing soon enough when I'm the one on the go all the time like every other teen in town.

Today it was their turn to spend most of the night playing with their friends, and that included dinner at the Inn, so we wrapped up the work by three-thirty so they could get ready for their date night while I watched Ethan and Ehlana. Rowen came over early to help me, and that gave me a chance to grab a quick shower too before the other kids and teens started arriving. Alicia had worked with Mom all morning, and with Violet before she headed back to Woodvale; but took the afternoon off when we stopped for lunch so she could have a long break before spending the major evening babysitting job that Erin Green and two other friends had been hired for by the collective parents.

Our house is currently filled to capacity with nine girls and seven boys, not including the babysitters; since they'll be going home after Mom and Dad get home from Sheldon's. That includes all of the younger Emerson, Bassett, and Faulkner kids; Rebecca, Michael, and Tim; Emma Norton; Naomi and Aiden; and Ethan, Ehlana, and me. Girls are on mostly on the third floor, except for Ehlana, Naomi, and Sophia Bassett; and the boys are on the second floor.

We didn't start the night out with everyone. Michael and Rebecca were at the Inn until the dinner rush was over; and they brought Tim with them. That still left our babysitters with thirteen kids to feed, but Mom was prepared with a stack of frozen pizzas and since Patrick and Scott were the only two food vacuums in the house; it wasn't hard to keep up with the demand cooking two pizzas at a time. We ate in the dining room, and it took an hour and a half before the boys were finally finished trying to impress the girls with their amazing feats of eats, drinks, and desserts. Rowen and I helped with the cleanup after that, but it didn't take long thanks to the use of our best disposable dinnerware.

Though the girls outnumbered the boys, the living room was video game central; my lounge was Christmas movie headquarters; and my bedroom was the main toddler play room. Patrick, Scott, and Ryan Bassett weren't all that interested in playing video games until Michael and Tim joined the party, so they spent the first part of the evening upstairs despite the overwhelming risk of girl germs. They played with Ethan and Aiden for a while; heckled our first Christmas movie choice; and had time for a couple of pranks before they were mostly Michael and Tim's problem for the rest of the night.

Rebecca hadn't planned on staying overnight with us, but Jenny made plans with Shane while their parents were out, and Jake had already decided to stay at Stephanie's house when he'd expected his parents were getting a kid-free night; so staying with us was better than messing up her Mom and Dad's rare night when they were home alone. I'm really glad that she is here, and Ehlana, Naomi, and Sophia especially loved the time she spent playing with them tonight – and some quality cuddle time later when we were all watching a movie in the lounge.

My room and the lounge were boy-free after Michael and Tim took the other five boys down to the living room, but I'd better mention that before they did that; Michael showed off his saxophone skills using the sax I'd brought home from school for the weekend. I'd been playing it, and Rowen had been playing her flute, because Jessica, Lindsay, and Emma had asked us to; so the jokes some of the girls had about me and Michael after getting him to play too just didn't seem right or fair. At least they waited until the boys were gone before starting in on the sax jokes.

I'm sure that I'll hear about having Michael and Tim in the lounge for the last movie we watched too after all of the younger kids were put to bed, but there's nothing to write about for that. Rebecca and Emma were with us; we had regular babysitter visits; Patrick and Scott were regular, if uninvited, visitors; and, in case you've forgotten (Aunt Leanne), Tim has a girlfriend, and Michael and Lisa can't be far away from officially joining the couples club too. Rowen and I also sat in the window alcove, just in case some joker attempted a mistletoe intervention, but that didn't happen anyway.

We wrapped up that last movie by one, and by then, Emma was sleeping; so we tucked her in and left her on the sectional sofa. Michael and Tim went down to the second floor at the same time that Rebecca went to her room – the bedroom that Violet uses when she stays with us. Sorry to disappoint anyone hoping for one last opportunity to tease Rowen and me about being in my room alone and unsupervised with two boys.

There has been some unsupervised girl talk happening since we climbed into bed with Mandy, but Rowen's falling asleep, and I probably should be wrapping this up and getting some down time too. It's been a fun night, and another really good day, but we're sure to have a crazy morning trying to get everyone fed and ready for church in just a few hours, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, December 16, 2012

I cut Mom and Dad some slack this morning, and exercised alone so they could have a little extra time to sleep. My internal alarm clock went off early, and that was mostly because I knew how busy it was going to be once everyone started juggling bathroom time; and we worked through a major breakfast and clean-up. Tai Chi was just about the only quiet moment I had from the time I got out of bed until I climbed back in again tonight.

Tai Chi was followed immediately by toddler time. Ethan and Ehlana woke first; and I was second on the scene. Aunt Leanne had fun this afternoon teasing me about that, because Michael got there first; so we took care of my brother, sister, and their three friends for nearly half an hour until reinforcements woke up and took over. Yes, Aunt Leanne, he is very good with kids; Ethan and Ehlana do love him; we did have fun playing in Ehlana's room while waiting for Mom and Dad to get up; and no, none of that is going to push me into crossing over and looking at Michael or any other guy in a boyfriend kind of way.

Spending that time with Michael wasn't even the weirdest moment of the morning, but Rowen and I didn't tell anyone about seeing Tim leaving the second-floor guest bathroom after his shower - when he was only wearing a pair of shorts. I'll guess that he was as surprised as we were; so hopefully that won't be a story that gets out onto the town grapevine for years. It's not as if we've never seen Tim in shorts or a swimsuit before, but that still isn't the same as crossing paths with him like that in the hallway of my house right after he'd gotten out of the shower.

Juggling bathroom time was the toughest part of getting everyone ready to go to church. That was a bit busier before breakfast for the guys, since they were sharing one bathroom while the girls had both third-floor baths, but after breakfast; my bathroom was hair and make-up central right up until we needed to leave. Add in the kitchen clean-up and toddler supervision, and there were a few of us wishing that we could stay home and have a nap.

It was a chilly walk to church, but that was easier than dealing with car seats and extra cars and drivers; and we did have some help from Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Miranda, Jacob, and Bill and Sylvia Bassett. None of us kids want or need to know why three out of four of those couples looked so happy this morning. I am glad that they all did have a fun night out together, though – especially since they work so hard; and don't get to go play with kids their own ages very often.

With just over a week to go until Christmas, we – the kids and teens – spent most of our Sunday school time getting ready for the big show next Sunday night and the Christmas Eve service. Rowen and I aren't involved in the performing end of any of that; but we were put to work helping out with sets, props, and costumes, and had a lot of fun playing with everyone else who was working on that with us.

After getting home from church, we had another flurry of action for the kids that had needed to come back with us to pick up their overnight bags. I was put to work gathering up laundry and giving the guest bathrooms a quick clean before lunch while Rowen stayed and helped out with Ethan and Ehlana; and Mom and Dad made lunch for us. Dad was working all afternoon, so Mom had offered to help Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam with the pre-cooking they were doing today to get ready for his family's Christmas next weekend.

Rowen and I took care of Ethan and Ehlana; splitting our time between home, Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's, and a long walk that included a visit to the computer store and some random shopping at the Emporium, Olde Bakery, and Palmer's. Bringing home the bakery treats earned us hugs, kisses, and cups of hot chocolate and a mid-afternoon break that Dad joined us for; and then we were free to play again until we went home to get ready for the late buffet at the Inn.

We were doing the late dinner so that the Emersons and Carringtons could join us, and it seemed like quite a few of our neighbors and friends had the same idea tonight; since the Ayres, Palmer, Draper, Landry, and Bassett clans were almost all at the Inn too. That worked out great for setting up some kid tables, and Rowen and I ended up sitting with Carolyn Landry, Erica Bassett, Anna-Marie Palmer, Ehlana, Naomi, and Sophia. We've rarely gotten to spend much time with the older girls since we played baseball in the same division my first summer in Witch Falls; and I loved getting an hour and a half or so to hang out with them. Rowen was more interested in the boy-talk, but hearing about Christmas plans was fun; and we both thought it was cool that Carolyn wants to do what she can to get us on her baseball team again for next summer. Hopefully that isn't because they're hoping for another season of pre-game motivational hugs and kisses with my father, but then from what they told us; there are more than enough guys willing to help them out with any hugging and kissing needs they have anytime and anywhere. That might just be the only thing about playing baseball with them that scares me – all of the guys hanging around them next season.

Let's not think anymore about things like that so close to bedtime. Rowen went home with her parents and brother from the Inn, and back at our house, we ended our evening with a short Magi lesson and some play time before Ethan and Ehlana were tucked in for the night; Mom and Dad went to bed early too, but not to sleep, I'm sure; and I came up to my room to spend some quality time with my Jacuzzi. With just five days left until the holidays, I worked on my computer too, both while I was in the tub and after getting into bed with Mandy. Two hours of archive and language studies and a half-hour of email, news, sports, and entertainment checks later; and I'm past-ready to get some sleep, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, December 17, 2012

Holiday play time has arrived at school!

The tests and quizzes have ended; last projects and assignments have been handed in; and we'll mostly be spending the week having fun and doing things like crafts and games.

At home, the day started out early and not quite a cheery; since saying goodbye to Dad for a week is always tough. The cuddle time with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana after he'd left was nice, though, and with Christmas Eve just a week away now, you can't keep three fired-up Magi Master kids down for long. Mom and I exercised; we all had breakfast; and then I got ready for school before heading out to meet up with Rowen for a chilly walk to school.

Fast forward to the end of our first holiday-fun-day there, and with no homework to do; Rowen and I could get right to the after-school play time. We took Ethan and Ehlana out for a walk and visit to the park; had a music practice in the lounge; and had a nice long telepathic chat while watching Christmas music videos in the lounge until dinnertime. Rowen stayed for that, but then headed home when we needed to head over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's; where we were combining cooking with our last Magi healing lesson of the year and family business meeting.

Tonight, we had a special guest for our lesson, and though that doesn't happen all that often; it is really cool to be training with the town doctor; and be able to help heal other Magi so that they either don't need to go through long conventional medicine therapies, or extended recoveries. Tonight, we healed an infection, and while we were at it; took care of some annoying arthritis. If Uncle Adam didn't already have that job covered, I could love being a full-time Magi Healer.

The business meeting part of the night was held in the kitchen while Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam continued the pre-cooking mission. They weren't going to have a house full until Sunday night, but about half of the Johnson-McEwan family was coming for a five-day weekend; and would be getting to town either Friday night or Saturday morning. I'd love to have our family home too, but it's the other half of their collective families' turn to spend Christmas with them this year. We will have an awesome New Year's weekend though!

Getting back to business, Aunt Leanne had most of the new business news from her work, and she has some amazing projects planned for the next couple of years. She's buying up distressed property all over the world, and we're all going to get involved with helping out those economically-devastated communities with everything from low-income housing to new businesses and opportunities. Aunt Leanne's goal for some of these endeavors is to create self-sustaining communities; and then set them free. Sometimes it's hard to see the glimmers of hope with everything else going on around the world; but I love being a part of something that really is starting to make a real difference.

It's getting late, so let's move this along. We stayed and worked until nearly ten-thirty; Mom and I took Ethan and Ehlana home and had them in bed by eleven; and I've been in bed, studying and working on my computer since then. My archive homework from the healing lesson is done; I read three books in two different languages; and have the rest of my usual nightly computing finished. I was going to write about some of the grapevine news at school from the dance and weekend, and there was some sports news that the guys thought was important from pro and college football; but since this journal entry has managed to be weird-free; let's keep it that way.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Christmas fun continued at school today. With the big concert now just two days away, there was extra work going on to get ready for that; we spent some time in our class planning for the Christmas party on Friday afternoon; and there were more crafts and holiday activities to keep us entertained.

With no homework again, Rowen and I both got right to our after-school jobs; and I worked in the office until stopping to help Mom with making dinner. We were on our own tonight after Alicia went home. Mom did a Magi lesson with Ethan, Ehlana, and me; we had a little chat-link time with Dad; played for a while after that; and then we all went to bed early. For me, that's mostly just meant that I've gotten my usual bedtime computing and studies done before midnight; but that is going to let me get a couple of hours more sleep than I did last night. There isn't anything else to report, so I'm going to wrap this up; cuddle with Mandy; and get started on that extra sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Two more sleeps until the Christmas holidays!

Our impending freedom from school helped the day speed along, and so did the continuing holiday activities. I especially loved playing during Phys-Ed, Music, and Spanish – the last Day One schedule classes of the year.

There isn't much else to report from school. All of the kids and teens who are really involved in tomorrow's Christmas show were busy with that off and on today, and including getting the gym set up for that tomorrow morning; it'll be an all-day thing for them. Rowen and I aren't part of that group, but a few of our classmates are doing more than just our Grade Seven class contribution to the show. We probably should get more involved in things like this, but Rowen's always been very shy about stepping into the spotlight, and I'm so used to staying under the radar for anything that could bring too much attention to Mom and me that I've never done things like concerts or plays on purpose; even though that really isn't something I have to worry about anymore. Maybe we'll see about getting involved in a few things next year – if we can work that in around everything else we have on the go already.

Rowen and I were able to get straight to our play day after school, and we again had Ethan and Ehlana with us. The weather wasn't cooperating, so we played in my room and the lounge while Mom took care of a little work in the office. We were having dinner and doing another cooking night at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's, so we headed over to their house in time to help out with making dinner once Aunt Leanne got home from work. I got to keep Rowen with us, since her parents were busy at the store anyway; and we switched between playing with Ethan and Ehlana, and helping out with some of the cooking and cleaning. That might not sound very exciting to most kids, but we had fun; and there was some bonus taste-testing too that was fun and delicious.

Rowen went home when her parents closed the store for the night, but we kept working until ten-thirty before Mom decided it was time to take Ethan and Ehlana home and put them to bed. It's been another late night for me, but I'm nearly ready for the holiday break; and it's going to be nice to only deal with email and any can't-wait family business work that might pop up once I'm finished the work I have planned for after school tomorrow.

I've been working for more than two hours since coming up to bed, and have had enough for tonight, so it's time to wrap this up and crash for a few hours.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, December 20, 2012

I didn't want to jinx things by writing about it last night, but it snowed today!

That's the good news. The bad is that it won't stay cold enough between now and Christmas to keep what we did get around. Most everyone would probably say that the bad news was actually the fact that we had freezing rain ahead of the snow, and the roads were a mess all day; but I don't drive, and sliding around everywhere you go is a fun, awesome adventure when you're a kid. Though this snow won't last through the weekend, now that we've had some, I'll risk messing things up by hoping that the forecast is right for us getting several more inches of snow on Christmas Day.

I'm (still) dreaming of a white Christmas!

Next up, I'd like to defend myself by pointing out that Rowen and I were defending ourselves this morning – first from Michael and Patrick; and later from Michael and Tim. Yes, I did knock Michael flat into the snow, and landed on top of him, but he was about to bean Rowen with a snowball, and I had to stop him somehow. The snow down his back was just instinct kicking in; and the rest of the ongoing snowball fight we had while walking to school was just normal kid stuff – not the big deal Aunt Leanne tried to make it out to be. She should have just been happy that the girls won and left the rest of it alone.

Aunt Leanne should seriously stop dreaming of getting Michael Stone and me together for Christmas – especially since he already has Lisa hoping that he'll be her boyfriend by then!

Just in case anyone thinks I'm skipping the bad parts of the day, I actually loved shoveling and salting the porches, sidewalks, and driveway. Mom and I needed to skip Tai Chi so I'd have time for that, but getting enough exercise wasn't a problem today. The weather did slow things down a bit, though, and the school buses were delayed by up to two hours. Principal Jacobs may have considered cancelling them, but, as they say, the Christmas show must go on – and it did.

Some of the country kids were driven in by parents while others waited for the buses to make the rounds, and that made for an even easier morning for everyone at school with as little as half of the students in every class. Mrs. Warren put our class to work helping out in the gym, since so many teens weren't around to help out with setting up chairs and the rest of the work to have everything ready for the show. I know, it sounds like I did more work than anything else this morning, but setting up the gym really was fun too.

At the risk of future teasing after Aunt Leanne reads this some day; my favorite parts of the concert were when Michael was playing guitar for the songs that some of the younger classes were performing for their moments to shine during the Christmas show. He accompanied a couple of special acts too; and there's a good chance that he's the best guitarist in our school. Yeah, go ahead and tease me, Aunt Leanne, but you were there; and you know that he really was one of the stars of the show – even if he didn't do any solos; and wasn't trying to show off.

I fell in love today too.

No, not with Michael, though I do love him because he and Rebecca were my first friends in Witch Falls. I fell in love with the piano this afternoon – as much as I love the saxophone. I don't know what it was that made that happen – it's not like I haven't heard pianos and organs regularly every week of my entire life; but today I was just captivated and charmed by the music. I have no idea how I'm going to fit it into my schedule, but learning to play the piano is definitely getting added to my to-do list for the New Year.

The Christmas show was a blast, and the gymnasium was full of fired up kids and teens; proud parents and relatives; and enthusiastic friends and neighbors. Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Claire were there with Ethan and Ehlana; along with Miranda, Patricia, and one of both of the rest of the parents in their usual group of friends. Rowen and I ended up with Ethan and Ehlana for about half of the show; and they added to the entertainment for all of the kids around us.

Getting through every 'class' act and the solos, duets, groups, band, and theatre troupe performances took over two hours. That was followed by drinks and Christmas treats in the cafeteria; and then we were all set free for the day. For me, freedom meant going home and getting to work on the family business until dinnertime while Rowen was busy at the computer store.

Mom did an easy-dinner night, we had a little chat with Dad while cleaning up, and then we met up with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne and headed over to the Inn for the last game night of the year. I'm sure that you can guess that Miranda was fired up to have Mom as her partner tonight, and she did at least get the last game night championship win of the year checked off of her Christmas wish list. I was happy that she and Mom got the win, but not quite so thrilled to have her help Aunt Leanne with the teasing after finding out about the snow incident from this morning – especially since Lisa was there too; and didn't appreciate overhearing any of those jokes. Michael looked like he wasn't sure if he wanted to go home and hide until the New Year or march me outside for a snowball fight re-match. I made sure that a snowball fight on the way home wasn't an option by getting Rowen to leave early with me; and I walked her home before continuing on to my house. I had coffee and hot chocolate ready by the time Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam got back with the twins; and we did our bedtime snack and story together before Mom was on her own with us for the rest of the night.

We did the full bed and bath time with Ethan and Ehlana, and then Mom and I both headed for our Jacuzzis for some down time. I worked on my computer while in the tub too, but didn't really get much done until after climbing in bed with Mandy. I've been working for nearly two and a half hours since then, but I've finished everything I wanted to get done before the holidays plus some extra archive work; and I read one book on playing the piano just to get a head start on next year.

That's all I have to report, and I'm somewhere in the general neighborhood of exhausted, so...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, December 21, 2012

It's now officially Saturday, December twenty-second. Rowen and I stayed up to make sure of that, so apparently the end of the Mayan long calendar cycle did not mean the end of the world after all!

Since we do have access to the archives, I knew that wasn't really a worry, but it was certainly one of the top stories around the world today; and it would have really sucked to have the world end when you're only eleven or twelve – especially just a few days before Christmas.

Before getting to the last day of school recap, I guess it's safe to mention now that our archives have extensive records from the Mayans; including much of the knowledge thought to be lost when the Europeans went on their mission to wipe out all of the Mayan writings. That's how we know that the long calendar was never meant to mark the end of the world on the twenty-first any more than you'd expect a global-level disaster at the end of a lunar, solar, or millennial cycle. It's a calendar, people – buy the one for the next five thousand or so years! (Okay, the next big Mayan date is on October 13, 4772; but nobody currently alive on this planet will need to worry about that date either.)

Moving on to real current events, it didn't warm up enough today to lose all of the snow, so we had some more winter fun today. That included more snowball fights, but I made sure that there were no new moments that Aunt Leanne could use against me later; and it was all fun, all day today. We played all morning at school; had our classroom Christmas parties after lunch, and were set free early to get a head start on our Christmas holidays. Our class had the added bonus of a lunchtime birthday party to celebrate Marc's twelfth, and though his birthday is on Saturday; he's not doing a friends party when so many of us are busy with our families and Christmas all weekend. That's one thing that isn't great about having a birthday so close to Christmas, but Marc seemed happy that we did at least do something for him today.

The only other news from school is that Rowen and I handed out a bunch of our 'friends' Christmas gifts during the party; including one anonymous gift left by Rowen for a certain guy with a little look-out assistance from her best helper-elf friend. The gift was a big hit with him; not so much with his girlfriend; and Rowen was both thrilled and a total wreck for at least the couple of hours surrounding what I thought was a really awesome holiday moment.

Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana had been at KidZone for their Christmas party, and Rowen and I got home before they did even after checking in at the computer store and stopping to pack her overnight bag on our way back from school. We started out our play afternoon with a long snack and story time, and then Rowen and I took the twins out for a walk while Mom got some work done. We followed that up with some play time in the lounge; and it was just the five of us for dinner and a movie night – at least until Dad got home from Crystal Springs. We had spaghetti and garlic bread with cheese; followed that up with Olde Bakery pie and ice cream; cleaned the kitchen; and finished watching Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer by the time Dad joined us. That worked out great for a snack break and more stories, and then we watched White Christmas together; though Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana all fell asleep before the end of the movie.

Two out of three of them slept through getting tucked into bed for the night, and I'll pretend not to know how long it took Mom to tuck Dad in before he was sleeping again too. (Hint – their wards are still up right now.) Rowen was overdue for some Jacuzzi time, so she did that first after we came up to my room. Mandy and I got the lounge ready for our sleepover and movie marathon, and had everything ready by the time Rowen was finished in the bathroom. We decided to go with the Santa Baby movies tonight, and settled in to watch them while also surfing on our computers and chatting telepathically so that Mandy could talk with us – when she wasn't busy napping.

Rowen needed to talk about 'Tommy' a lot, and though he's still completely deaf, dumb, and blind to her – probably because he's having problems seeing beyond the more advanced 'scenery' that Nora provides compared to either Rowen or me; she was thrilled that he'd loved the Christmas gift she'd picked out for him. I may need to block a few key words here for a few extra years to keep certain future readers from being able to identify the guy, but in case you're wondering what gift was such a hit for a boy our age – Rowen got him an NCAA football, autographed by his current favorite college player. The way we managed to get that for him is going to be a great story for Rowen to tell him some day. Let's just say that it's amazing what a couple of small town girls can do with the internet – and some very helpful family business connections!

We loved having a few hours to just hang out together; especially since it's going to be a crazy weekend even without my family home for Christmas. There will be lots of work for both of us in the morning, but then I expect that we'll be spending the rest of the day playing with Ethan, Ehlana, Kara, Nicole, and Eddie. Nicole's already in town with her parents and grandparents; while Kara and Eddie will be here by sometime late in the morning with their parents. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne have seven guests tonight, and Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick have Rob, Trish, and Nadine staying with them until Boxing Day. The McEwan clan won't be here until late Sunday night, but in time for the Christmas Eve day adventures and the best parts of the holiday fun.

I should also mention some Christmas news from my family. While her parents, brother, sister-in-law, nieces and nephew will all be busy doing Christmas with Aunt Alison's and Grandma Mercy's families; Aunt Grace is in Seattle with Mark and his family for the next five days. She should have some very entertaining stories for us next weekend! From everything I hear, Mark's family still thinks that he's lost his mind – at least when it comes to the part about moving to Witch Falls to become a small town doctor and giving up a big city career that was just starting to take off for him. The Rice family is going to be busy too, and though I'm sure that Violet is disappointed that she won't be here for Christmas; Dillon is going to Woodvale after lunch tomorrow until he needs to be back here for the Sunday buffets. Violet and Dawn will be coming here on Boxing Day; and Violet will be here until the Sunday before we go back to school.

I think that's about it for tonight. Let's wrap this up, and I'll get on with more holiday movie and chat time with my two best friends.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, December 22, 2012

I especially love Tai Chi with Mom and Dad on the first morning after he gets home from his week in Crystal Springs. Add in exercising to the Christmas carols that Rowen, Ethan, and Ehlana were listening to in the lounge while we were busy, and a full country breakfast; and we all had a really awesome start to our morning!

The weekend chores weren't quite as much fun after Rowen headed out for her Saturday shift at the store, but at least Mom, Dad, Alicia, and I mixed in a little play time with the housework that we all did here, and that Dad and I took care of at Grandma and Grandpa's house. While we were working over there, it seemed weird to not have Grandma and Grandpa home already, but it hasn't been quite four weeks since they went back to Arizona; and they didn't really need to rush back early when our family Christmas is still a week away. They're home now, as I write this, but didn't get in until about an hour ago; so we won't see them until they come over for breakfast.

Ethan and Ehlana had fun all morning, and split their time between supervising the housework and playing with their toys and iPads. The three of us were set free when we stopped for lunch at one o'clock. We hooked up with Rowen after eating, and our first stop was Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house. The welcome home hugs and kisses, and a little visit with the grown-ups took a while, and after that, we took Kara, Eddie, and Nicole with us for some chilly afternoon play time at the park. We're losing the snow, but there are still patches of it here and there, and quite a bit in among the trees at the park; so there may still end up being a bit of white on Christmas even if the forecast changed again and isn't looking good for more next week anymore.

Hot chocolate and warm Olde Bakery cookies snack time at my house followed our park adventure, and then Kara and Nicole started working on Rowen and me – and the parents – to do a sleepover with them tonight. They've both been asleep on the sectional sofa in the lounge for the last couple of hours, so their dimples, hugs, and kisses campaign was a complete success. Since that meant Rowen and I got a bonus night too, we were good with that. We have Ehlana with us too; she's here in bed with Rowen, Mandy, and me; and was asleep before we moved her from the lounge an hour ago after our last movie ended.

Getting approval for the sleepover and helping Kara and Nicole pack overnight bags took a while, but we had a bit more play time before they needed to be back at Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam's place for dinner with their family. Rowen ate with us, and it was nice to have a little break before we were again busy with our three little sleepover buddies for the rest of the night. Mom, Dad, and Ethan watched a first movie with us in the lounge and then headed downstairs so that Ethan could have some rare Mom and Dad alone time while we moved on to Christmas chick flicks in the lounge. I guess it'd be more accurate to call them junior chick flicks, since Kara, Nicole, and Ehlana weren't interested in full-out mushy; but a couple of 'Mom for Christmas' stories do still count as chick flicks too.

Speaking of chick-related stuff, I had an email from Dawn, and it sounds like it's been fun in Woodvale with Violet, Dillon, and the family Christmas they were having today with the Rice side of Uncle Richard's family. I'm sure that everything Dawn passed on to me was fun for them, but the nugget that's important for me to add here is that Violet and Dillon were talking about their college plans at the Christmas party. Though some of Uncle Richard's family may be skeptical of Dillon's dream of a cutting-edge bio-tech career in his little home town even after being assured that a lab actually was going to be built here; I'm glad that he and Violet are getting confident and serious enough about all of this to talk about it with everyone instead of just with their closest friends and family.

Dawn's email also reminded me that I'm really lucky to just have one big family. Her 'home' Christmas weekend is non-stop action. Today's party was just the first of four. Tomorrow they have Christmas with her Grandma Rice's side of the family, and then they have two more on Monday and Tuesday with each side of Aunt Melissa's family. I have no idea how Violet and Dillon will ever manage to keep up with both of their families in the future, other than it could take several Christmases to make the rounds. The good news for me is that whatever they do with the rest of their families; Witch Falls will always be home for them – just as it will be for me.

Anyway, getting back to the recap, Rowen and I finished watching our movies; moved Ehlana into my bed; and we've been surfing and chatting since getting into bed too. Tonight's computing included watching some random YouTube Christmas music videos that ranged from awesome to fairly dreadful. I had a couple of family business email to deal with, but stayed away from any other work. It's getting late, and Sunday is going to be a long day by the time we get home from the Christmas concert at the church; so I'd better wrap this up and get some sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Twas two nights before Christmas; and in my room and the lounge; only one kid and one kitty; were staying the night.

The sound of my keystrokes seems loud in here tonight after two fun sleepovers; though I also have the contrast to the Christmas concert at the church – especially the amount of noise that more than a thousand people can make before and after the show. It's been a long, exciting day, so let's get started with the recap.

Mom, Dad, and I had company for Tai Chi. Ethan woke up in time to come upstairs with them; and Ehlana and Rowen got up when I did. The twins had to play normal toddlers while we had company in the house, so Dad and I helped Ethan and Ehlana with that before exercising; and then Mom and Rowen took over helping them while Dad and I started working on breakfast. We ended up tag-teaming in the kitchen after Kara and Nicole woke up, and when Grandma and Grandpa came over; it was barely controlled chaos for a while.

I'm not suggesting that my grandparents brought the chaos with them, but their kids and grandkids had a very enthusiastic welcome home for them, and taking the fun level up a dozen notches had all of us fired up. It's a good thing that we got to have lunch with Grandma and Grandpa too. We didn't even come close to getting through home and away story time while having breakfast; and we were all running around after eating while either helping out in the kitchen or getting ready for church.

The morning service was awesome – or at least the part of it the kids and teens were there for was. That was mostly because some of the teens performed a couple of songs and a skit that were previews for the Christmas concert. In Sunday school, we had fun getting everything organized and ready for the concert set-up that was going to start shortly after lunchtime. Rowen and I got to work with Stephanie and some of the other older girls; so that was bonus fun for us – especially when Stephanie had a pair of Violet and Dillon stories for me that Dawn had not written about in her email.

Rowen went home with her parents and brother after church, though that was just for a quick change before they'd be opening the store for the afternoon. We were still going to be playing together for most of the afternoon, but I think the parents collectively decided that Ethan, Ehlana, and I should have a little alone time with Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, and Dad while we could have an hour or two together. I'm really glad that we did get to do that, and as always; Grandpa had some great stories for us.

When we did meet up again to play, Rowen and I took Ethan and Ehlana with us; picked up Kara, Eddie, and Nicole; and went to the park for some chilly playground action. There were lots of kids there, and Eddie and Ethan needed us to wander over to the football field to check out the action there for a while. With lots of visitors, the pick-up football was more competitive than usual – or it would be more accurate to say that the boys needed to try harder to show off than usual. That kept Ethan out of the game today, but he didn't seem to mind, and he and Eddie just had fun watching and running around by the bleachers for a while until Eddie was bored and ready to move on.

There was hot chocolate and bakery snacks for us at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house when we got there; Kara, Eddie, and Nicole took care of most of the story time entertainment for their family; and then Rowen and I took Ethan and Ehlana home for some quiet Christmas fun time in the lounge until dinnertime. Honestly, it felt a bit weird to be doing an easy dinner night at home instead of the buffet at the Inn we usually did the first Sunday that Grandma and Grandpa are home from a trip, but that wasn't part of the holiday plans this year; and I guess it was nice not having to rush around to eat and get ready for the Christmas concert. Rowen and I certainly had fun with Mom and Ehlana getting dressed up and spending a little extra time doing our hair in braids and curls.

The church was packed to overflowing, and every available space that could safely be used was filled with extra chairs. I loved getting to see the finished set for the show, and it's pretty cool to be a part of putting that together; even if it wasn't a big deal compared to most of the work I do for the family business. The backdrops, props, and decorations certainly set a perfect mood for the evening as we waited for the show to start.

It's probably because of my initiation into the world of instrumental music that I appreciated the show tonight even more than in past years. I'm even more determined to learn to play piano after tonight now too. Mom would probably tell me that I've always been like this whenever I get fired up about learning new things, but music really is becoming something that touches me the same way my Magi gifts do. The only thing that I don't have an answer for is why it's happening now. Maybe I'll study that sometime – but not tonight.

A lot of the teens were performing tonight, though there were the usual handful of regulars doing the solos, duets, and ensembles. The skits were all entertaining, and often funny too; while the music ranged from heart-warming, sweet, and tearful to upbeat and joyous. Ninety-five minutes and a standing ovation later, we all moved into the reception hall for drinks and snacks; and we spent nearly another crazy hour having fun with our family and friends before Mom and Dad took Ethan, Ehlana, and me home for the night.

Mom and Dad took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana off to bed, and I came straight up to my room to end my night with some quality Jacuzzi time. After soaking in the tub a bit too long, spending extra time on my hair for the second time today, and doing the rest of the bedtime routine; I climbed into bed with Mandy and got started on an abbreviated check of email, news, sports, and entertainment. There wasn't any news from Woodvale or Granite Park tonight, but I did get an email from Aunt Grace assuring me that she and Mark were having a very happy Christmas weekend so far. She didn't offer much in the way of details, but I'm sure that Mom and Aunt Leanne will get her talking next weekend; and I'll probably find out about more stories than I need to hear.

Rowen and I have a lot planned for our Christmas Eve day, and we'll be playing and shopping with some of our favorite people too; so I should finish this up and get to sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, December 24, 2012

I love Christmas Eve day in Witch Falls!

Tai Chi this morning was the last time I slowed down until now; and I'm writing this and doing my nightly computing while waiting for my turn to play Santa – and maybe shake a few presents while I'm downstairs anyway.

Dad had some work to do today, so after having a hot cereal breakfast, he headed out for the office while Mom and I tag-teamed the clean-up; getting ready for the day; and taking care of Ethan and Ehlana. When we were ready, we all went over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's to meet up with everyone for our morning shopping adventure. I made a little side-trip to get Rowen too, and then we had a short visit – mostly to welcome the McEwans – before heading out again.

Since it came up again today, I'll add a little side-note about the comments Rowen and I have been getting this weekend about growing up fast. I guess we're not the pixies we were when I first moved here, and we are about six inches taller than we were last Christmas, but four-foot-nine isn't exactly giant territory; and we're definitely still shorter and on the kid side of tweenie compared to most of the girls our age.

While we're on the topic of growing up; one of the news stories from the McEwans was about Jonathan having a girlfriend back home, and doing girlfriend Christmas gifts for the first time. I can sympathize with him for getting teased by Aunt Leanne about that, but wish that I hadn't been the one to break that news story to Rebecca today. At least she heard it from somebody who cares about her instead of through the grapevine news network.

I'll get to that part of my day, but let's back up to the morning shopping. We were doing that early mostly to make sure that we didn't get to the Olde Bakery too late to get our Santa-approved cookies and reindeer treats. The shopping at Palmer's, Taylor's, and the rest of the stores was just an added bonus – really! It would have been nice to have Violet along with us today, but Chrissy, her sisters, and the other girls in Uncle Adam's family really are fun to shop with too; and Rowen and I had a blast.

We all had lunch back at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's, and then Rowen, Ethan, Ehlana, and I had some running around to do; delivering Christmas presents to some of our favorite people. We had multiple gifts for Naomi, Aiden, and their parents; dropping off the first at Naomi's home, and the second at the Olde Bakery. Half of our stops were along Witch Falls Road, and we made our last stop the Inn so we could combine dropping off gifts for the Stones with a hot chocolate and bakery treat snack break.

Rebecca wasn't happy to hear about Jonathan's change in social status, but I hope the Christmas gifts that Rowen and I picked out for her, and the bonus holiday hugs, helped a little. It was another all hands on deck day, so we were able to personally deliver almost all of the gifts we had left; and that was a bonus for me. Michael was off on his afternoon break, and hanging out somewhere with Tim, so Ethan, Ehlana, and I left our gifts for him with Rebecca on our way out after our little warm-up break. I was hoping that would help me avoid any teasing from Aunt Leanne about giving Michael a Christmas present; but that was too much to expect; and even being crazy-busy with a house full of family didn't keep her from hearing all about it from Miranda and Stephanie sometime before or after the Christmas Eve service at church; and then teasing me about it when she and Uncle Adam were over for our bi-yearly Christmas Eve gift exchange.

I'm getting ahead of the story again, so let's back up a bit. While we were delivering gifts this afternoon, Mom was free to do a little work, and run a couple of errands. Dad was finished work for the day by the time we got home from the Inn, and the six of us spent the rest of the afternoon playing until Rowen needed to meet up with her parents and brother at the store; Mom and Dad started working on dinner; Ethan and Ehlana supervised them; and I went upstairs to grab a shower and get ready early for the Christmas Eve service so I could take care of Ethan and Ehlana after we ate and cleaned up.

I'd picked up several dresses for Christmas, and had saved my favorite for tonight. Let's not discuss what Aunt Leanne had to say, and just note that I was very happy with how I looked tonight. By the time Ehlana and I were finished playing dress-up, she looked beautiful too; and Ethan was very handsome in the coordinating outfit Mom had picked out for him to go with Ehlana's dress. The only thing I need to say about how beautiful Mom was tonight is that she and Dad were the last to be ready to leave; and we won't write about why they were running late.

We did make it to church on time, and Grandma and Grandpa had saved us seats. The sanctuary was full again tonight, and though I heard a few kids complaining about going to three services in two days; I loved being there, celebrating Christ's birth, with the people I love the most. Tonight's service was quiet and subdued compared to the teen Christmas concert, and it was also heart-warming, simple, and beautiful. The Pastors told the Christmas story, with the musical performances and carols woven in so it was almost a Christmas cantata.

There wasn't a reception after the service, but it did take us quite a while to make our way out of the sanctuary again while sharing Christmas best wishes and embraces with our friends and neighbors before heading home again. Grandma and Grandpa came over straight from church too, but Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne needed to go home and get things settled there first before joining us. The bonus for me with that was having Aunt Leanne too busy to start on teasing me about Michael while we were still in public.

Before we go on, though I'd really rather skip writing about that whole thing, let's air out Aunt Leanne's Christmas fun at my expense. First of all, I gave Michael several contemporary and jazz saxophone music books; not books on, or about, sax. For anyone who has played a school instrument, the custom, padded neck strap should be an obvious good gift idea; and does not subconsciously suggest anything. No, I did not 'pre-soften' the reeds, Aunt Leanne, and I really wish you hadn't continued down that thought-path for anywhere near as long as you did. Maybe next year, I'll stick with something safe – like video games; though I'm sure Aunt Leanne would still find a way to turn anything I do into a matchmaking opportunity.

Enough of that. While we were waiting for Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne, Mom, Dad, and I put snacks and drinks together while Ethan and Ehlana kept Grandma and Grandpa entertained. We were all in the living room and settled in by a little after ten o'clock; and I played Santa and handed out the gifts being exchanged between Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and the rest of us. I loved the clothes and jewelry that Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne gave me – even with Aunt Leanne's suggestions about how Michael would react to seeing me in the soft sweater, blouse, and pants. I didn't need to be told that the blue sapphires in the earrings were not a coincidence, but they're beautiful; and maybe Michael won't ever find out that my Aunt picked them out for me with him in mind.

My favorite part of the evening was watching Ethan and Ehlana open their gifts – both the ones that they'd be able to show off in public; and the gifts that were more appropriate to their actual abilities. Uncle Adam probably picked out the new microscopes and the big science lab kit, while Aunt Leanne took care of the toys and clothes. It's too bad that we can't show off the pictures and videos of Ethan and Ehlana doing science experiments and checking out some slides that Uncle Adam had made up for them to play with in their microscopes. I can hardly wait to see them in action after the lab is built and opens!

We didn't really have enough time together before Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne needed to get home again, and Grandma and Grandpa were ready to get started on their one more sleep 'til Christmas. Ethan and Ehlana were in bed by eleven-thirty, and I've been cuddling with Mandy since midnight. Mom and Dad should be nearly finished with their end of playing Santa, so I'm going to wrap this up; get my things ready to take downstairs; and hopefully get around to a short Christmas nap by one-thirty or so.

Say 'Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night'.

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas!

Mom and Dad – I mean Santa – gave me a saxophone, and the big guy must have had a sleigh full of musical instruments this year. Rowen got a flute, and I found out that Michael had a saxophone under his tree this morning too when I popped over to wish them a Merry Christmas before going to exchange gifts with Rowen at her house. I don't want to know if Aunt Leanne had a chat with Santa first, though I'd love a picture of her sitting on Santa's lap, and it wouldn't surprise me if she did get involved; since the two saxophones are identical.

You can guess that I'm really fired up about my new saxophone, but let's back up a bit; since there was a lot happening around here before we got around to opening gifts.

We actually slept in until seven-thirty, so we needed to get up and start working in the kitchen right away to get everything ready for when Grandma and Grandpa came over at eight to have breakfast with us. That actually worked out great because we were able to open our stockings after they got here; and then sit down to have breakfast. Being Magi Masters doesn't keep Ethan, Ehlana, and me from having as much fun as every other kid on Christmas morning. We all had a few chocolates and treats from our stockings before and after breakfast, and we played with some of the little toys and games on the dining room table while eating our food. Grandpa was probably the biggest kid in the room, and he especially loved playing with Ethan and Dad – racing little cars back and forth between them while trying to avoid the small herd of dinosaurs that were migrating from the North to the South ends of the table.

Mom, Dad, and I were the clean-up crew this morning, and Ethan and Ehlana were put in charge of entertaining our guests until we were ready to join them in the living room and open our gifts. With just the seven of us, we could take our time doing that, so we did; and packed a lot of fun into the nearly three hours we spent unwrapping presents, playing with toys, and watching a Christmas parade on television. There must have been a few people in the know about what Santa had planned for me, since there were saxophone accessory gifts to go along with my favorite present. Grandma and Grandpa gave me a cleaning kit for one of their gifts; Ethan and Ehlana had apparently picked out a neck strap that Ehlana had seen me looking at when I was picking out the one I gave to Michael. There were also some music books, a box of reeds, and an instrument stand that is currently in the corner of my room with my saxophone set on it, and gleaming with the glow from the lights on the Christmas tree in the lounge. I wonder if every musician feels like I have all day after getting their very own instrument for the first time. I know for sure that Rowen feels exactly the same way I do; and it could be quite a while before I stop getting the warm fuzzies every time I pick that sax up and play it.

Since I'm thinking about the lights on the tree in the lounge, I'll get that little Christmas surprise story out of the way now. I didn't find it until after carrying my gifts upstairs, but Michael apparently left a gift for me with Mom yesterday while I was out, and she put it under my tree in the lounge. There is no doubt that Aunt Leanne will have some new ammunition to tease me with, but the delicate little dangling saxophone earrings and matching necklace are adorable; I love them; and he deserved the hug and kiss on the cheek. I just hope that the witnesses of that moment at his house won't give him a hard time about it – especially since he was spending most of the afternoon with Lisa today.

Rowen and I were able to spend nearly two hours together at her house before we both needed to move on to family dinners. Since I had gifts for her parents and brother too, we opened gifts with them, and then spent the rest of the time in her room. We had a little play time with our new instruments; listened to Christmas music; and played a new video game she got for Christmas while having a long Christmas chat. After hearing about my visit to Michael's house, I think she was wishing that she had an excuse to be hugging and kissing a certain boy too, but even though I couldn't get her that for Christmas, we still managed to have fun; and her flute was definitely a best-ever-so-far Christmas gift. I think the flute is a better gift than getting a boyfriend would be – and it'll certainly need less maintenance!

I stopped in for a quick round of Christmas hugs and kisses at Aunt Leanne's after leaving Rowen's house, but I was still home again early enough to help Mom and Dad with the last half-hour or so of work getting dinner ready. While I was out, Grandma, Grandpa, Ethan, and Ehlana had all taken short naps after watching a movie with Mom and Dad; so I hadn't missed too much action while I was out. We'd skipped lunch, and Mom had just put snack trays out for us to munch on when we got hungry so we could have an early dinner; and get the last bit of work out of the way with lots of time left for more Christmas fun. There is a big difference between Christmas dinner when the whole family is home and when we just have Grandma and Grandpa with us, but it was just Mom and me for my first eight Christmases; to two 'quiet' Christmases we've had since moving here really aren't by comparison.

What is the same is getting to have some really great food, and sharing the day with the people we love the most. The bonuses are having so many more people to love; getting to spend the day with them; and Olde Bakery desserts. I should also add that it's really great having a hyper-metabolism on days like this too. Trust me, I really needed it today!

I was on the clean-up crew again, but it didn't really take all that long to get the work done – especially when Mom and Dad agreed that it was okay for us to take a shortcut and use a little Magi power to speed things along. That left us lots of time to watch a movie and play with Ethan, Ehlana, and some of their toys before bundling up for the short walk down to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's home; where we ended up staying and playing with everyone there for nearly two hours.

Kara and Nicole were especially happy to have Ehlana and me to play with, and Ethan and Eddie hung out with Jonathan and the other guys while they mostly played video games. There was still some work going on in the kitchen when we arrived, so Mom and Dad visited with most of the other grown-ups there while Grandma and Grandpa joined the other gramdparents who were relaxing in the living room and watching White Christmas.

Aunt Leanne was too busy to spend much quality time teasing me tonight, but she did manage to get a couple of sax-related zingers in during the two short visits she and Uncle Adam made to the third floor playroom. That meant she also didn't have much time to hear about the rest of my day, and what she did hear about didn't include anything about Michael and me; even though I'm sure she'll give me a hard time about that little omission when she finds out about it. I'll deal with that when it happens.

Mom and Dad started rounding us up at a bit after ten, and it was ten-thirty before we were on our way home again. Grandma and Grandpa came with us, but only stayed long enough to gather up their gifts and some leftovers to take home with them. Ethan and Ehlana were ready to go straight to bed then, but I wanted some quality time with my Jacuzzi after helping to tuck them in for the night. I spent over an hour in the bathroom between having a long soak and then dealing with my wet hair, so Christmas Day was officially over by the time I climbed into bed with Mandy and my computer.

There were quite a few email waiting for me, so I took care of that first. Top news was Aunt Grace's first Christmas with Mark's family, and it sounds like they were given quite a few gag gifts that were all related to their small town move plans. Since we're going to build a state-of-the-art medical center, Mark won't need the Wild West doctor supplies, and when his family comes here for the wedding, I'll make sure that Mom and Aunt Leanne take the girls to see Abby's store so they can find out that Aunt Grace will have more options than flannel granny nightgowns.

Violet and Dawn had a really good Christmas too, though Violet really missed getting to spend the day with Dillon. They're both fired up about coming home in the morning; and Violet's really glad that we didn't get the snow that had been in the forecast, but had completely missed us except for a random snowflake here and there. If they don't get held up too much by traffic in Crystal Springs, Violet's hoping to be here before lunchtime so they can get in on some of the Boxing Day shopping and sales. Dillon's going to be working at the Inn anyway, so if it was me; I'd probably do a little shopping in the city on the way through, but then Violet and Dawn get to do a lot more Mall time than I do, so it's probably not a big deal to them.

I had a half-dozen Christmas report emails from friends and classmates, and it sounds like everyone has had a happy day. There were some Boxing Day fliers posted on the town intranet; a bit of local news; and some Christmas pictures and music to look at and listen to from the concert Sunday night and Christmas Eve service. My news, sports, and entertainment check didn't take long, and once I finish writing this journal entry; I'm going to snuggle with Mandy and get some sleep so I'll be ready for another fun shopping and play day.

This has been such a great, fun-filled Christmas that I feel like there should be so much more to write about – so many feelings and thoughts that are bigger and more than I can articulate. We didn't end up getting the white Christmas that I'd hoped for, but everything else was just as amazing as I used to imagine Christmas should be before coming to Witch Falls. I may not capture every wonderful moment in this journal, but I will always have the memories. Maybe some day I'll turn all of them into videos just like we've done with turning them into pictures before. Now that'd take our Magi archives to a whole new level!

For the rest of tonight, I'm just ready for some happy Christmas dreams and a good night's sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The day after Christmas in Witch Falls doesn't have the big city shopping madness that you see on the news, but it is always a really fun day; and it was that and then some this year.

After taking yesterday morning off, I loved doing Tai Chi with Mom and Dad today, and then Ethan, Ehlana, and I got the news that we were doing the early breakfast buffet at the Inn before getting started on our Boxing Day shopping adventure. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and all of his family were doing the breakfast buffet too; so Miranda had set aside a large block of tables just for our family. Ehlana, Ethan, and I were put at a table with Kara, Eddie, and Nicole; and Michelle and Chrissy won – or lost – the draw to sit with us and keep their younger cousins under control. I'm fairly sure that Michelle was only teasing us about reconsidering becoming a teacher after hanging out with us, but I guess if she's going to change majors at college; she should do that sooner than later since she is a sophomore this year.

Rowen wasn't at the Inn for breakfast because she was at the computer store with her parents to help them get ready for the big sale; but she was set free in time to meet up with me and join our bargain-hunting expedition. I picked up a couple of things at her store later when we stopped in to deliver Olde Bakery snacks for her Mom and Dad, but we had the most fun shopping at Palmer's, Taylor's, and the Emporium. Violet and Dawn made it to town in time to catch the last hour or so of morning shopping. Dawn spent that time with Rowen and me, while Violet shopped with Chrissy and her sisters. Since she and Chrissy are getting to be pretty good friends, it's too bad that they didn't have more time together, but by noon, all of Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's guests were back at their house; getting packed and ready to leave.

Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I went over there to do a quick round of goodbye hugs and kisses, but then we left them to their work; and headed home to have lunch with Violet, Dawn, and Rowen. After eating and helping to clean up, Rowen, Dawn, and I headed out for a little more shopping. We stopped at the Inn and got Miranda's permission to borrow Rebecca for an hour or so to go shopping with us, and thanks to a little empathic insight I got from Rebecca earlier while we were there for breakfast; I knew that's exactly what she needed to cheer her up.

The dress she picked out at Palmer's helped a lot too, with the perfect combination of looking amazing on her and being on sale for half price. I'm really glad that we could help put Rebecca in a better mood by the time we dropped her off at the Inn again, and really glad that I'd picked out the clothes I wanted to get earlier; since I might not have bought anything if I'd been trying on clothes next to Rebecca and comparing results. When I mentioned that to Rowen later, she laughed, and again reminded me that I'm going to grow up to look like my mother. That's true, but doesn't help much when I feel like the 'before picture' poster child while Rebecca is closing in fast to the dream girl 'after picture'.

Moving along, after leaving Rebecca at the Inn, Rowen, Dawn, and I went back to my house. We had a snack break, and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the lounge with Ethan, Ehlana, and Mandy. Rowen and I played a little music, and Dawn tried playing the sax and flute for a while. We watched music videos; played some games; and talked about what we'd been doing since Dawn was last home at Thanksgiving. Mom and Dad were having Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Nick, and Aunt Deborah over for dinner; so Dawn and I were recruited to set the dining room table after Rowen headed to the computer store to meet up with her parents, and help them with a little post sale clean-up and re-stocking work.

Dinnertime was when my little Christmas hug and kiss moment with Michael caught up with me. I should probably be grateful that Aunt Leanne waited until it was just family around to start teasing me about it, but everyone else, including Dawn, Ethan, and Ehlana, were having just a little too much fun with the whole thing for my taste. I may not have been able to do anything about tonight, but I plan on being very careful for the rest of the holidays anytime I'm anywhere near Michael and Aunt Leanne at the same time. With a little luck, that'll only happen at church for the next week and a half, so hopefully my dear Aunt won't have any opportunities to cause trouble.

I know, but it's worth hoping for.

My grandparents, aunts, and uncles were making an early night of it after a long, busy weekend, but Rowen came back over after finishing up at the store and having dinner with her parents; and was staying for a sleepover with Dawn and me. Violet was going out with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie, so she was only home after dinner long enough to get changed and have a little hair and make-up fun with Mom before going over to the Inn to meet up with her friends. Mom and Dad were going with a quiet night in, and Ethan and Ehlana split their time between hanging out with us in the lounge, and some pre-bedtime cuddling in the living room with Mom and Dad.

We've been watching chick flicks in the lounge; played around with the sax and flute again; surfing the net; and kept entertained talking about everything except boys or sports. Making plans for the next two days we have free to play and do whatever we want until the Proctor clan starts getting to town for the long weekend was at the top of the list, and though snow fun isn't in the cards; having cold but sunny weather does give us lots of outdoor play options.

Dawn fell asleep about a half-hour ago, but Rowen and I are finishing our third movie of the night before climbing into my bed with Mandy. There isn't really anything else to write about tonight, so I'll wrap this up and move on to do one last email and news check before shutting down for the night. Christmas is over, but the good news with having it near the start of our break from school is that we still have a week and a half of play time ahead of us before getting back to the real world again. Rowen, Dawn, and I are going to get started on that by fitting as much fun into the next couple of days as we possibly can!

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Thursday, December 27, 2012

It was time to get back to the real world for most of the grown-ups today, but most of the kids and teens were free to enjoy the break from the daily school grind – not that I really think of school like that anyway.

Rowen, Dawn, and I made a little change to our play plans by inviting Emma Norton to spend the day with us and stay for a sleepover. That made everything we did more fun for Dawn, and though it was short notice; Emma was happy to throw some clothes together and get a ride into town with her Mom when she came in to work.

We had beautiful, sunny, but cold weather, so we needed to be bundled up whenever we were playing outside. The cold also meant that we needed to put some air in the tires of the four bikes we rode pretty much everywhere we went; and that ended up being job one once Emma had joined us and we'd picked out bikes for her and Dawn to use. The park and school playground were the top two kid zones all day, and we spent a couple of hours at the park, and maybe a half-hour at the school. With College football bowl games on television every day between now and the big Championship game in a week and a half, most of the boys were in full-out football mode. Our little group was good with that too, since it kept them on the football fields instead of the playgrounds through until the first bowl game of the afternoon started; and then the great outdoors was practically girls-only for the rest of the day.

In addition to playing at the park and school, we did a fair bit of biking and exploring. We had one warm-up break and lunch at home, and a second break in the dining room at the Inn; mostly because neither Dawn nor Emma got to go there very often when they weren't there with parents or family. I can see why Mom, Aunt Leanne, and their friends like to do that now and then – it really is a nice change from just doing that at home. We didn't really do any shopping today except for picking up a few treats at the Emporium for when we were biking and exploring – and to get a few favorite snacks for our sleepover. There was a bit of indoor playtime too, and we played with Ethan and Ehlana whenever we were at home.

Mom and Alicia were busy all day with Ethan and Ehlana; and with an all-day pre-cooking marathon that Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam all joined in to help with after getting home from work. Violet spent most of the day with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie; she and Dillon had dinner with us; and then they were off again for an evening of fun with their friends. Dinnertime was fairly rowdy, and an hour or so of non-stop fun led by Aunt Leanne's stories, jokes, and random acts of entertainment. Since the oven was tied up with the cooking for the weekend, we had Olde Bakery bun subs; crock pot vegetable soup; a cold veggie tray; and a couple of chips options. Thanks to using our best recyclable paper and plastic dishes and cutlery, the clean-up was a breeze; and 'the kids' were set free to play in the lounge within ten minutes of finishing our food.

I'm sure this is sounding repetitive by now, but I expect that Rowen and I will be playing our new saxophone and flute a lot, and nearly every day, for at least the next several years. Tonight, we played; let Emma and Dawn take turns trying to play; and collectively entertained Ethan and Ehlana for nearly an hour before moving on to some video gaming in the lounge. There are lots of girls around town who are nearly as addicted to video games as so many of the guys are; and there's a chance that Dawn and Emma could be future video game junkies. Hook Dawn up with any kind of Flight Simulator or game that involved flying just about anything; and she could play it for hours. Emma was more into horse riding or car racing games; though she advised us that her proficiency with driving games came mostly from only having two options at home – car racing or fighting games. Since her brothers had a tendency to take the virtual fights into the real world; car racing was safer – whenever she actually got a turn to play at all.

Ethan and Ehlana couldn't show off their Magi-powered gaming skills tonight, but they still had fun with us; and played age-appropriate games on their iPads. Since our family was coming for the weekend tomorrow night, Mom and Aunt Leanne took the twins away by nine o'clock so they could have baths before we all stopped to do the bedtime snack and story with them in the kitchen. That break marked the transition from games to movies in the lounge; and we started taking turns using my Jacuzzi too. Emma won the first spot, and then Dawn, Rowen, and I each spent a half-hour or so in the tub. Tonight we went with pet-related comedies; starting with the two Cats & Dogs movies.

Dawn and Emma are still watching a movie now, but Rowen, Mandy, and I moved into my bed when they decided to try for just one more movie that I doubt they'll stay awake to see the ending. Rowen and I have been winding down with a little surfing and chatting, but we're both pretty much ready to call it a night. There really isn't anything else to report for today, so I'll wrap this up; and at least three of us will be sleeping soon.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Friday, December 28, 2012

We have a house full of family; most of them sleeping as I write this. That's made for a crazy-fun evening, and I've loved every minute of it!

Everything was fun today, from Tai Chi this morning with Mom and Dad through to another sleepover tonight with Dawn, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn. Dawn and Kaitlyn are sleeping in the lounge, and Jaimie and Mandy are sleeping in my bed. I'm sitting in the window alcove while doing my nightly computing. Jaimie and Kaitlyn have the last third floor bedroom for the weekend, just as Dawn has the room across from Violet's; but they'll probably all be hanging out in my room and the lounge most nights for the rest of the weekend.

I've gotten ahead of the day again, though, so let's rewind to this morning.

Rowen, Dawn, Emma, and I had most of the day to play again until Claire picked Emma up after work, and Rowen needed to meet up with her parents at the computer store before moving on to some Emerson family weekend fun. Having Emma with us was probably why Dad decided to make up a bigger-than-usual weekday breakfast; and we all appreciated started the day with pancakes and bacon instead of cereal. Being on the clean-up crew wasn't quite as much fun for Rowen and I, but Dawn and Emma had fun playing with Ethan and Ehlana while we were busy in the kitchen.

We spent a lot of time playing outdoors again; and really just had a repeat of yesterday except for switching our home and Inn breaks; and exploring different parts of the park and town. Guys playing football at the park and school, and then watching football indoors when the bowl games for the day started, were exactly the same. We avoided the first, and appreciated having the great outdoors mostly testosterone-free for a few hours. Ethan and Ehlana spent a little time with us today too, but while Mom was busy with more pre-cooking, she had them at KidZone in the morning, and Alicia worked again today instead of her usual Saturday shift. That was a double bonus for me, since that got me out of a few hours of house cleaning to get everything ready for our guests.

Before we started welcoming our family home, after Rowen and Emma were gone, Dawn and I helped Mom with making dinner and setting the dining room table; we had another quick and easy dinner; cleaned up; and had some play time with Ethan and Ehlana in the lounge while Mom and Dad were busy. Dawn's parents and brothers were first to town; and they pulled into the driveway at a little after eight o'clock. Grandpa Richard and Grandma Carrie drove down from Woodvale with them, but were parked two doors down at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's; where 'the grandparents', and Aunt Grace, were spending the weekend.

We were getting 'the kids with kids' members of our family, and the timing for arrivals worked out fairly well; since we were able to get Uncle Rick's SUV unloaded, and had time to warm up a bit again before Uncle Blaine, Aunt Alison, and the kids joined the party and we repeated the process for the second and last time of the night. Grandma and Grandpa had been over at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's, and once everyone was settled in there too, they all came over to our house for a little welcome home party.

The lounge was kid and teen zone for that after the first half hour or so in the living room with everyone. Chris and Martin ruled the gaming system; and the rest of us mostly played with Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden.

While I'm thinking about my youngest cousin, first impressions and comparisons between Jayden and the twins is always interesting for me. Jayden's three months older than Ethan and Ehlana; strongly latent; and very intelligent. While I can't study him with any overt use of my gifts, I continue to learn a lot about the development path for Latents; and how that compares to both Magi Masters like my brother and sister, and strong Magi like Naomi and Aiden. Jayden also gives Ethan and Ehlana a great model to emulate their 'public' development on, but the more we study normal, latent, Magi, and Magi Master development; the more I'm convinced that this is going to be something that is going to lead to discoveries that will be very important for future generations of Magi.

I'll write about that more in our Magi project archive, but where I'm going with that is the possibility I've mentioned before about nudging Latents into being actively able to use their Magi powers. The reason I'm more convinced than ever about that is because it looks like the four development curves have an exponential component. If we could determine the moment, or moments, when those development paths diverge, we might be able to change the outcome. Being able to do that wouldn't, for instance, change a Magi to a Magi Master; but it might be possible to optimize each person's full potential. A good example that I haven't written about in this journal is actually Violet. She's a comparatively low-powered Magi, but since she's primarily been trained by a Magi Master; she can do more than many more powerful Magi that didn't have the better training opportunity. It's probably more obvious that the training Mom did with Ethan, Ehlana, and I from pre-natal awareness on similarly affected us; but we don't really have any contemporaries to compare that against. Maybe we'll begin to learn more about that potential with Magi mothers like Aunt Deborah; but that's really something very new to our Magi project research.

I'll write more about that in the project archive in the New Year, but for now, it's getting late; and I should wrap this up soon and get some sleep. The parties in the lounge and living room started breaking up when Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden were put to bed for the night. Chris and Martin gave up the lounge so easily that I'll guess they've had a few too many all-nighters with their buddies while Violet and Dawn were here; and just needed the break. Whatever the reason, we were happy to put a movie on and have a little girl chat time before Kaitlyn fell asleep about a half-hour into the show. Jaimie opted for moving into my bed with Mandy after that, and Dawn decided to curl up on the other end of the sectional sofa from Kaitlyn then instead of sitting in bed with me until Jaimie fell asleep; and she was probably snoozing before Jaimie dropped off.

There's more to write about for news around the family – particularly from Aunt Grace's Christmas with Mark; but I'll get to all of that sometime over the next few days. For now, it's just time for me to...

...say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Happy Proctor family Christmas Day!

Tai Chi this morning was the only calm before the family circus began with a major breakfast and a couple of hours of taking turns with bathroom time; getting ready for the day; and entertaining Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and three toddlers. The grandparents, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and Aunt Grace all joined the party by ten o'clock, and while the kitchen and living room were the adult action centers all day; my lounge and bedroom were where the kids and teens spent most of the day when we weren't opening gifts or having lunch and Christmas dinner. Chris and Martin migrated to the living room to watch most of the football games too, but still fit in a few hours of video gaming in the lounge before getting to take over the living room for some late night gaming action once all of the 'old folks' had either gone home or up to bed.

Dawn and I took Kaitlyn and Jaimie out for some play time at the park for an hour or so in the morning when Rowen could go with us, but we spent the rest of the day indoors and warm. Getting to play for most of the day was great, but Dawn and I didn't escape from the post-dinner clean-up that took nearly an hour and a half from start to finish. I guess that wasn't too much of a downside to a day filled with music, chick flicks, games, and playtime fun.

Speaking of fun, I'm not going to detail every gift each person received today, but there was one particular gift that is fairly important to our future plans – Uncle Blaine gave Aunt Grace and Mark the blueprints and drawings for the house he designed for them. it's probably a really good thing that Uncle Adam did such a great job with remodeling his home for Aunt Leanne, because Aunt Grace and Mark are going to have an awesome house that manages to fit it with the style of the beautiful old homes we have in Witch Falls while also being modern and state-of-the-art. Aunt Grace got teased a bit about the six bedrooms, but Uncle Blaine assured her that he was thinking about space for guest bedrooms as much as for kids – especially since Mark's family visits wouldn't likely be just for weekend hops when they were coming from Seattle. I should amend that teasing to include Mark, since he was with us for that awesome Christmas gift memory – at least virtually – thanks to a little iPad Face Time.

That was the top gift of the day, though not as fun to play with as the toys Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden were given. Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne were given a few things by Uncle Blaine too, but they weren't gifts. We now have the completed plans for the new lab, and though I haven't seen them yet; Mom assured me that they're just as awesome as Aunt Grace's house. Uncle Blaine's been very busy, and he also had the first batch of plans for the houses he's designing for the new part of town. That'll give Aunt Leanne something exciting to work on at the office during the slow winter months; and actually seeing what some of those homes are going to look like will probably get a lot of people in town fired up too. Thanks to a little future insight, Ethan, Ehlana, and I know a few families that are really going to have fun with that in the coming year; and we're going to have fun right along with them.

So I missed out on most of the future plans fun today, but Ethan, Ehlana, and I had a blast hanging out with our cousins; and I picked up enough snippets of the girl talk that mostly revolved around Aunt Grace and Mark to know that there were some parts of the adult fun that none of us kids needed to be around for. I was also good with missing out on most of the football action, but I would have liked to spend more time with Violet and Dillon. Their impending graduation from high school to college and adulthood next summer might be at least part of the reason why they spent most of their time hanging out with the adults today.

While lunch was a grab food when you feel like eating, two-hour long buffet and snack bar; everyone – including the football fanatics – sat down for Christmas dinner in the dining room. The only family adoptees with us today – other than me – were Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah, and now that she's nearing the end of her fifth month of pregnancy; baby and pregnancy stories were high on the list of our dinner conversation.

While I'm fairly fired up about Aunt Deborah's first baby, I should probably mention how Elaine Johnson is doing with her pregnancy while I'm thinking about babies, since I didn't mention it in my journal at all over the Christmas weekend. Nicole and her parents will have the new addition to their family arriving sometime in late February; and though her pregnancy hasn't been quite as easy as Aunt Deborah's has been so far; Elaine and her baby are both very healthy and doing just fine.

The good news for me was that talking babies, Christmas in Seattle, and weddings kept matchmaking for Cassie out of the conversation entirely. Thanks to Chris and Martin, football was a top subject with the guys, and they even needed to find excuses to leave the room and check up on the game in progress. Since I've seen them drink a half-case of pop each and never have a problem; I seriously doubt they each needed to go to the bathroom a combined total of five times in under two hours.

So dinner was fun; the clean-up was at least a shared chore if not exactly exciting; and then we – mostly the girls – spent the evening watching chick flicks in the lounge while the guys continued the bowl game tradition. The grandparents started heading home for the night by ten, and though Chris and Martin apparently complained about it; the remaining wives and girlfriend joined their boys in the living room for the rest of the evening after Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden were put to bed. Aunt Grace chose to stay with 'the girls' in the lounge; and Dawn, Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and I all loved getting to spend the extra time with her; though Jaimie and Kaitlyn both fell asleep during the last movie while cuddling with their favorite aunt.

The remaining uncles and aunts headed home at midnight, and Violet and Dillon decided to call it a night then too; mostly because of church in the morning, and because he was going to be in for a long day at the Inn with extra holiday weekend buffets. Jaimie and Kaitlyn are sleeping in the lounge again, and Dawn and Mandy are both sleeping now too. I've been sitting in the window alcove for a while now; mostly winding down while puttering around the internet on my computer.

I'm not quite ready to call it a night yet, so this is probably a good time for those family news updates I wanted to write about.

Aunt Grace and Mark:

The girls in his family love Aunt Grace; his father and brother think he may have gone off the deep end over a pretty girl; and they all think that moving to Witch Falls is nuts for both of them. There were even suggestions that Aunt Grace could really take her business career to the next level by moving to Seattle instead. I suppose that's true, but I get the feeling that Mark's family – or at least some of them – don't completely understand him; and this move will be as perfect for them as their fit into our future plans will be.

Uncle Blaine:

Is going to be very busy over the next few years. Everything he's designing for us is also helping to take his company to the next level; and his biggest problem is going to be having enough hours in the week for all of the work. Up next for his end of our future plans are more houses; three apartment buildings; and two sets of townhome blocks with four or five different floor plans each. He'll have the medical center to design too, but we won't need that ready for about a year or so.

Violet and Dillon:

College majors and school have been chosen; now we'll just wait for them to make the grades and get accepted. I have no doubt both will happen. Next year is going to be awesome for them!

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne:

It's going to be a busy year for them! Wedding plans; new homes to sell; running the clinic for an unknown length of time without Aunt Deborah when she's off with the new baby; and much more that I wouldn't want to chance spoiling by writing about now.

Grandpa Duncan and Grandma Mercy:

The big news for them is that they're going to retire next year – before Aunt Grace and Mark get married if all works out as planned. Maybe we'll see if Grandma and Grandpa can recruit them to do some charity trips for the family business. We could use their skills; and they might be interested in some free world travel – and spending time with their brother and sister-in-law.

That's about it for the big family news. There are always endless little daily life stories too, but I'm not so fired up still that I want to list all of them; and most wouldn't really interest any future Magi reading my journals anyway. I'm still not ready to climb into bed yet, but that's all I have for tonight; so I'll wrap this up and move on to some more random surfing.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Sunday, December 30, 2012

My lounge is currently teen central for Chris, Martin, and a bunch of their Witch Falls friends; including Rebecca, Jenny, and Shane. having Jenny here with her boyfriend might be stranger for Martin than for me, but probably not by much; and I've had the added bonus of seeing other girls showing new interest in him now that Jenny no longer has a claim on him.

Jaimie and Kaitlyn are sleeping in their room for the first time this weekend, and Dawn and Mandy are somehow managing to sleep in my bed despite the noise from the lounge. I'm once again writing this while sitting in the window alcove, and though I'm still hearing more from the lounge than I'd like to; at least I don't have the permanent visual to go with the audio track. Let's move back in time and recap the rest of the day instead of thinking about that too much.

Tai Chi with Mom and Dad was again the calm before the Sunday morning storm that is the norm for a Proctor family holiday weekend. Somehow, between wake-up calls and leaving for church, we managed to feed seventeen people; clean up the kitchen from that major meal; juggle eleven showers in four bathrooms; keep five younger kids and toddlers entertained; and have everyone dressed up and out the door fifteen minutes early. We even managed to get to church five minutes before Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and their guests, but then again, they didn't look nearly as frazzled as the parents in our group did by then.

The last service of twenty-twelve was fairly normal compared to the last few holiday events, and there must have been as many people away for the weekend as there were here visiting; since we didn't need to have overflow seating this week. Sunday school was pretty much just free play and craft time. Pastor Martha kept the service comparatively short too, and we were home again by a bit after eleven o'clock. That gave all of us time to get changed; lunch was on the table by noon; and the kids were set free just in time for the guys to take over the living room for another day of football – this time, the final week of the NFL regular season instead of college bowl games.

Dawn and I took Jaimie and Kaitlyn with us; picked Rowen up at the computer store; and headed out for a chilly afternoon of park and playground action. There were some younger boys playing at the park, but most of the tween and teen guys must have been either working or watching football too. Mom, Aunt Alison, Aunt Grace, and Violet brought Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden to the park for a while at around two, so we played with them while they were there, and then we went home with them for a hot chocolate and snacks break before Dawn, Rowen, and I headed out again once we were warmed up.

While we spent most of the afternoon outdoors, the lounge had been chick flick central for some of the girls. Ehlana, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn joined that group after our break; getting some quality cuddle time with their grandmothers, moms, and aunts. Ethan and Jayden played in the lounge for a while too after deciding that sitting around doing nothing but watching football with the guys was just too boring compared to racing cars, playing with action figures, and bouncing balls around the lounge and my bedroom.

There were three buffets at the Inn today, and Grandma and Grandpa had reservations for the second sitting for everyone. Rowen had to run home to get ready for that too when Dawn and I did, since her family was going to be there too. We had lots of adult support getting the younger kids set up with their food first, but then Dawn, Rowen, and I were in charge of the 'kids' table; and spent most of the hour and a half we were there keeping up with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden. They didn't actually run off all that often, so I guess it's more accurate to say that we needed to keep them entertained, and get them to eat something more than ice cream and Olde Bakery dessert treats.

One of the bonuses tonight was getting to spend a couple of minutes talking to Isabelle Jacobs and Andrew Jennings. Violet's spent some time with them while hanging out with Dillon, but I basically haven't seen them at all since they've been home from college for their Christmas break. They're both doing great with their academics; love their college; aren't so crazy about residential halls; and miss Witch Falls a lot. Ethan and Ehlana are happy about that last part, since they expect to have Isabelle as one of their teachers when she does graduate and come home to work at our school. There were other cameo moments with other college kids or visitors that I've met over the past couple of years, and between those little visits; playing with my brother, sister, and cousins; and having some awesome food; I've got another set of great memories to add to all the others I have from the Inn.

With New Year's Eve day just one sleep away, most of us were going with an early night – with Chris and Martin being the obvious exceptions. We didn't have any extra family house guests after coming home from the Inn, and while some of the guys needed to catch up on the football action; Mom, Aunt Alison, and Aunt Melissa did bath time with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Jayden, and the twins. I was put to work making sure that my lounge was clean, stocked, and ready for the tween-teen invasion, but Dad and Uncle Rick made sure that I had help hauling pop and snacks upstairs from the pantry. Dawn and I also folded two loads of towels and put them away after that, but then stopped working once Chris and Martin's friends started arriving.

There were a few teens – including Rebecca, Jenny, and Shane – that couldn't come until later, but the noise level and gaming action kicked into high gear shortly after Chris and Martin led their first group of guests up to the lounge. Dawn and I split our time between the lounge and living room, but once all of the teens were in the lounge, it wasn't long before we decided that being anywhere else was a good idea. Dawn assured me that she feels exactly the same way at home whenever her brothers have a gang of both boys and girls over for a gaming or movie night. She's even thinking about moving to Witch Falls with Violet next summer, or going to live with Jillian, if boy-girl pool parties become a daily thing at her house. I guess we do at least have the advantage here of spreading that kind of weirdness out along miles of river – or out at Quarry Lake and the other campgrounds.

In addition to our time in the lounge or living room, Dawn and I also did the bedtime story and snack with the younger kids, and had a little girl chat with Violet while she got ready to go out again and meet up with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie. After our last visit to the lounge, there was a little cuddle time with our parents, aunts, and uncles before Dawn decided that going to bed and cuddling with Mandy was more fun that either football or Zone Weird with her brothers. Rebecca was the only teen to actually acknowledge our brief goodnight visit to the lounge; and I had a bonus hug for her after sensing that she didn't really want to be there either, but was doing it for Jenny.

I don't expect to be able to sleep until after the party ends next door, but there really isn't anything else to report for today, so I'll move on to something else while waiting for the exodus that will happen about ten or fifteen minutes before the midnight curfew that most of Chris and Martin's friends have to be home for tonight.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year!

There's still a party going on downstairs, and Chris and Martin are continuing an attempt at an all-night gaming marathon, but Dawn fell asleep before midnight; was woken up to ring in the New Year; and promptly fell asleep again before being moved up to my room. I came upstairs then too, but am winding down, and starting off the New Year with a little bedtime computing.

Since the usual parties at the Inn and Sheldon's Pub are going on tonight, our little family celebration probably won't make the top ten best New Year's Eve events in Witch Falls, but I loved spending the evening with our family and a few friends; and there's the added bonus that Aunt Leanne wasn't able to do any matchmaking with me tonight. That probably worked out even better for Michael too because Lisa was going to be at the Inn party along with Nora, Tim, and some of the other kids in our class. I'm sure that Dawn and I will get the full party report from Violet in the morning if we have time to do that while everyone is getting ready to head home in the morning.

Not being around Michael didn't keep Aunt Leanne from teasing me about him a couple of times, including once at midnight; but I was quite happy to go with hugs and kisses with my favorite guys – including Dad, Ethan, and Grandpa. There was more than enough mushiness with the couples in our family, and tweenie romances were not needed or wanted. Let's drop that line of thought, and go back to the beginning of the day.

Tai Chi was short and sweet this morning because Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden decided they were ready to party early. Breakfast was cereals, fruit salad, and Olde Bakery goodies like muffins, bagels, and cinnamon buns; and the mini-buffet was open for self-service from eight until nine-thirty. Chris and Martin barely made it downstairs before Mom and Dad started packing everything up. Dawn and I were drafted for some clean-up work both in the kitchen and in the lounge.

By the time we were finished our work, snow was falling outside. Not really coming down or anything, but we do have somewhere around three inches of the white fluffy stuff on the ground by now. There was definitely enough for some afternoon snow fun; and even some of the grown-ups came out to play with us for a while. There were snowball fights, a couple of smallish snowmen have appeared in our back yard down by the river; and all of the younger kids were pulled around the yard in two of our sleds. Rowen, Dawn, and I went to take a look at the possibilities for going sledding down the ridge, but there just wasn't enough snow on the hills to make that an option yet. Rowen and I will check on that again tomorrow, but we'll probably have to wait for more snow.

I'd say it was mostly a lazy, fun day at the Proctor house, and I guess it mostly was for the kids; but the parents ended up doing a fair bit of work. There were two more meals to put together after breakfast; a party to get ready for in the evening; loads and loads of laundry; and the added bonuses of shoveling driveways and sidewalks, and hauling in enough wood to keep the fireplace in the living room going all evening. Dawn and I weren't completely off the hook for the work, but our help with snow shoveling had the ulterior motive of getting more snow for our snowmen and snowball fights; and the lunch clean-up was easy thanks to using recyclable dinnerware, glasses, and cutlery.

After the dinner clean-up was finished, it was mostly play time for everyone. Rowen had spent the afternoon with us, and her parents came over after closing the store and getting something to eat. Patrick had been spending the day with Scott, and he was dropped off later when the Faulkners stopped in for a little visit before going on to the New Year's Eve party at Brent and Sharon Palmer's home. We had quite a few cameo visits like that, and sometimes the kids or teens would come upstairs to the lounge to hang out with us while their parents were sharing a cup of cheer and a chat in the living room. That occasionally made things a bit crowded, but it was non-stop fun too.

Rowen, Dawn, and I played games with the five younger kids; there was video gaming in the lounge; a New Year's Eve music simulcast from parties around the world on the stereo; and more snacks and drinks than even Chris, Martin, and the rest of the visiting teens could demolish in one night. There were only two times all night when the lounge was empty. The first was a little mini-buffet at eleven, and the second was when we all gathered in the living room to welcome in twenty-thirteen together.

This wasn't as big of a deal for the kids in the room, but our parents and grandparents were more than a little nostalgic tonight about watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve for the first time since he passed away. There was a tribute show earlier that they didn't watch, and more clips and tributes during the live broadcast. I'm fairly sure than none of our grandmothers have the Bieber fever, or even know who most of the artists performing tonight are, but then the channel probably got changed shortly after I came up to bed anyway.

The midnight hugs and kisses seemed to be more fun for the married adults in the room; but Aunt Grace, and all of us kids and teens, had fun too – though Chris, Martin, and Patrick pretended they didn't. An intermission from the party in the living room followed, and while the parents were busy putting all of the younger kids to bed, Patricia ran Rowen and Patrick home; and as I mentioned already, Chris and Martin took over the lounge, and I came up to my room then too.

I'm going to wrap this up shortly, but let's end this entry with a little New Year's resolution fun.

Aunt Deborah's resolution is to have her baby in twenty-thirteen – like she has a choice!

Aunt Grace plans on completely changing her life; leave her job; move from the city to a small town; become CEO of a risky start-up bio-tech company; and get married to a guy who is nuts enough to have the same plans. She'd like to bring her personal trainer here too, but since there isn't a health club in Witch Falls; that probably won't happen.

Grandpa's resolution is to have more fun than last year. When you read this some day, Grandpa, I'd just like you to know that you'll have more fun than you could have imagined; and yes, Ethan, Ehlana, and I knew.

Aunt Leanne wouldn't tell me what her resolution was, and I'm more than a little scared about that.

Mom and Dad are hoping to have more fun too – and less work. We'll see about adding some more fun into their year, but the less work thing isn't going to happen for them anytime soon.

There were others, but I won't list them all here. I don't really have any New Year resolutions, but when it was my turn tonight, I just mentioned that I'm going to learn to play piano this year. I know it's boring, but resolutions are supposed to be about things you want to – and can – change in your life. The only thing I can think of that I'd really like to change would be to not have Aunt Leanne's volunteer matchmaking services, but there's no real point in making a resolution I have no control over; and I certainly wasn't going to give her more ammunition for future teasing by suggesting it tonight.

Okay, I'm done for tonight; and ready to get some sleep.

Say 'goodnight, Cassie'.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

***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 Journal and Part One of her 2012 Journal are also available for free at my  Smashwords Author Page.
