Let’s skip over the morning recap, other than to mention
that we had a big country breakfast that Michael stayed for after Tai Chi
before he went home again and I spent the morning helping out around the house
and yard. We didn’t skip lunch, but
delayed it so that we could check out the food at the Maple Valley
WinterFest.
Michael was set free from the Inn early, and he and I went
there with Mom, Dad, and the twins; but we met up with Rowen and Tim when we
got to Maple Valley.
They’d arrived an hour or so earlier; getting a ride there with his
parents. They were all spending the
afternoon at the festival too, so Mom and Dad ended up hanging out with them. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I wandered around on
our own for about half of the time we were there, and had Ethan and Ehlana with
us part of that time; but that wasn’t to exercise any teen freedom or anything
– we just wanted to do different activities and didn’t have time to do
everything.
The highlights for me included pancakes covered with the
amazing, local maple syrup; the craft show; the demonstrations for making the
syrup and other sweets; and the one talent show we had time to catch shortly
before we needed to get Michael back to the Inn to help out with the dinner rush. I’m not counting our syrup and treats
purchases in that; but only because we’ll be enjoying most of those things over
the next weeks and months – not today.
After dropping Michael off at the Inn, we needed to do a little running
around to drop off the sweet souvenirs we’d picked up for our family and
friends; so it was heading toward six o’clock by the time we got home. Mom opted for a quick, hot dinner, and after
cleaning up; we settled in for a quiet evening together in the living room.
Michael was at the Inn
until it closed, but still came over after that; getting here in time for Ethan
and Ehlana’s bedtime story and snack. He
and I tucked them in too; and then came up to the lounge to watch a movie and
enjoy some alone time while Mom and Dad did a little work in the office. While our afternoon fun at the WinterFest had
been great, the play time tonight with Michael was the most heart-pounding
excitement of the day; and I’m a very happy camper right now.
Oh, and just in case you’re wondering if we’ve had any
issues with parental interruptions yet, the only thing I’m going to say about
that tonight is that I’m fairly sure that Mom and Dad had more to worry about
us checking in on them in the office than the other way around. Yes, that is too much information for me
already, and if you’re using your imagination while reading this in my future –
please never admit that to my older self.
Moving along, Michael went home shortly before midnight –
about ten minutes after Mom and Dad checked in with us in the lounge on their
way to bed. I was changed and in bed by
a few minutes after midnight; and the only reason it’s closing in on one
o’clock now is because I’ve needed a little time to wind down and be ready to
sleep. I haven’t done any work other
than a quick work-related email reply; but I did have text-chats with Rowen and
Michael before they both put their computers away when they were each ready to
crash for the night. Rowen spent the
evening with Tim since here parents were busy in the data center anyway; but
they didn’t get to have as much alone time as Michael and I did because they
spent most of the time with his parents instead. She was a little disappointed about that even
though she also likes Tim’s parents a lot and enjoys doing stuff with them.
I guess that’s pretty much everything I have for today. Tomorrow will be a work day for Dad, so I’ll
be helping out with Ethan and Ehlana in the afternoon; but I’m also going to be
at the Inn for the buffets too. With WinterFest still on in Maple Valley,
it’ll probably be a comparatively quiet day at the Inn; but I’m looking forward
to spending that time with Michael, Rebecca, and their parents. It’s also time that I get some sleep so I’ll
be ready for that and getting back to my usual school night studies and work;
so until next time...
...Live long and prosper, fellow Magi of the Light!
