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!
