It was cooler this morning, but now that we’ve
been able to exercise outside again, we didn’t want to be back indoors again
already; and just dressed a bit more warmly so that we could enjoy our morning
Tai Chi out by the river. Good morning
hugs and kisses with Michael was good too, and while we didn’t have a special
breakfast today; Michael stayed to grab something quick with us before heading
off to get ready for his weight training at the school, so that was fun too.
I could probably come up with a few minor
news items from school, but the only thing I’m thinking about tonight is the
date night that Michael and Tim set up for Rowen and me for tonight. They might have had a contingency plan if the
weather didn’t cooperate; but their plan A was to do a picnic and play date;
and we’ve had a perfect spring day for that kind of adventure. Rowen and I didn’t find out about it until
the last minute, and our boys managed to keep it a surprise even during our
after school play time that included some biking and park and playground fun
with Ethan and Ehlana. The twins may
have been in the know, though; and all of our parents definitely were.
After getting set free from school for the
weekend, dropping off computers and bags at our homes, and grabbing bikes, a
trailer, and two toddlers; we hit the road for our usual construction site tour. The most obvious and visually dramatic work
being done right now is at the new medical center; but I know that there is a
lot going on inside at the lab and the first apartment building; and the new
home builds are always fun to watch as they progress from a hole in the ground
to completion over weeks and months. Ethan
and Ehlana are getting more excited about the lab now because they’re down to
just weeks before they’ll start spending time there while Mom starts working
with Owen to set up the computer systems.
Ehlana wasn’t as excited about the park
football action as Ethan was; but she’s as patient with him about that as Rowen
and I are with Michael and Tim; and we still had fun chatting with some of our
friends and the playground time. We also
weren’t there all that long before it was time for me to take my brother and
sister back home – and the boys sprung their Friday night date surprise on us. Michael picked up our picnic supplies and
food from the Inn while Rowen and Tim came home with Ethan, Ehlana, and me; and
then we went over to Michael’s house and had our gourmet picnic for four out by
the river.
Michael might be at a dating disadvantage
because his parents own the only restaurant in town that teens can go to for a
meal, but while taking me to dinner there with the potential to have him Mom
for our server might feel strange to him; having a chef for a father and an
inside track to getting five-star-worthy special dinners more than makes up for
that. I made sure that Jacob and Miranda
knew how much we appreciated their help with Michael’s and Tim’s plans tonight
when we saw them after they got home from the Inn with bonus hugs and kisses.
Rowen and I let our boys know that we were
very happy and impressed with their efforts too as we enjoyed the amazing food
that even included one of our favorite Olde Bakery desserts to go with the
delicious entrée and amazing side dishes.
While the meal was the highlight of our
date, it was also just the start of our evening entertainment. Michael and Tim followed that up with a long
canoe ride; and we paddled upriver for an hour before heading home again. We were on our own for most of that trip;
though we had a few cameo visit moments too on the way out of town and on the
return trip. That included chats with
Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana; some teasing from Aunt Leanne and Aunt Grace; and
a few words on the way past with the Greens on the way out and Nathan, Aiden,
and Hailey Draper as we passed their house on the return trip.
There was a short work intermission after
we got back to Michael’s house as we dealt with canoes and gear; and then we
moved indoors and got set up to watch a movie.
That definitely felt strange to be doing that with no parental
supervision – even though the only difference between tonight and when we’ve
done babysitting at my house is that we were officially on a date. I’m not suggesting that our parents should
have any reason not to trust us to be on our own, but it is another teen change;
and don’t forget that I was nine before I spent much time away from Mom at all
except for when I was at school so my perspective is affected by that history.
Letting Rowen and I pick the movie was
probably the scariest part of the night for the boys, but we took pity on them
a little bit and picked an action-romance flick that at least had enough car
chases, fights, and things blowing up to keep them interested. The movie was okay, but I was just happy to
spend a couple of hours cuddling with Michael and wouldn’t have cared if we’d
just listened to music and spent the time talking – though we did a fair bit of
chatting during the movie anyway.
Jacob, Miranda, and Rebecca got home
shortly before the movie ended, so we paused it for a late intermission so that
we could thank Michael’s parents and have a little chat with all three of
them. That conversation continued as
they joined us for the big, explosive show finale and for another fifteen or twenty
minutes after that before Jacob and Miranda decided to head off to bed and
Michael and Tim needed to walk Rowen and me home. We had a round of goodnight hugs in front of
my house before Rowen and Tim moved on to her place; and then Michael and I
decided to do our goodnight hugs and kisses on my back porch instead of out
front. That had everything to do with
not wanting to be doing that in what would have felt like some kind of
competition with Rowen and Tim; though we probably had a bit more privacy than
they did too.
I know that we would have lost that
competition because Michael and I had a little computer chat once we were both
in bed; and he let me know that our best friends had still been in a lip-lock
when he walked back to his house – and oblivious to his presence just down the
street from them. In our defense, my
parents were still awake; and we ended our kiss when we heard Mom in the
kitchen doing coffee refills for two.
Don’t feel bad for us – we had more than enough time by then to
non-verbally say goodnight to each other properly; and we were happy campers.
The rest of my evening included a chat with
Mom and Dad in the office while they wrapped up their work for the night; I
stopped in to Ethan’s and Ehlana’s rooms to kiss them goodnight while they
slept; and then I hopped into my Jacuzzi for a quick soak before getting ready
for bed and snuggling with Mandy and my computer. Michael and I had our little chat while I was
doing my usual nightly computer checks, but he’s probably sleeping by now
because he’s helping out at the Inn for breakfast before we head to Crystal
Springs for Gil’s birthday adventure with his family and the other teens. I have no idea what we’re going to be doing because
it’s a surprise for Gil, but it is going to be a long, fun day; and I’d better
wrap this up and get some sleep, so…
…Live long and prosper, fellow Magi of the
Light!
