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!
