Being parent-free last night had been more
exciting for a few of us than it was for most; but we all noticed the
difference this morning when breakfast was self-serve and not nearly as good as
a breakfast buffet at the Inn!
Michael and I had fun leading Ethan,
Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden through our Tai Chi workout, but then it was all work
and no play for me for the rest of the morning while helping to get kids fed
and ready for the day; packing up the campground; and then getting to work on
my normal weekend chores. Dawn and
Jillian helped me with that, so we were finished by one o’clock. We had lunch with Mom because she was home by
then and had already dropped off Aunt Leanne’s fast food fix at the office
first. We traded stories while having
subs and salads; and then Dawn, Jillian, and I met up with Rowen, Tim, Michael,
and the rest of our usual gang over the past two weeks to go biking and
swimming at the park.
While we were doing that, Mom was at the
lab with Ethan and Ehlana; but Dawn, Jillian, and I met up with her at home in
time to help out with our contribution to the barbeque dinner that Uncle Mark
and Aunt Grace hosted. We had the usual
Friday night gang with a few friend additions, and had fun; but the fun really
got started when Dad got home from Crystal Springs – and had Uncle Rick, Aunt
Melissa, and Jillian’s parents all traveling in a mini-convoy with him. The four weekend guests had reservations at
the Inn, so they only stopped in for a few minutes before going over there to
get checked in before Miranda and Jacob closed the Inn for the night; but then
they came back again to join the party for another couple of hours.
I’m sure that their parents already knew
about Dawn and Jillian hanging around with Tommy and Julian; but seeing the
four tweens together had quite the impact on the Dads – and made Tommy and
Julian fairly uncomfortable too.
Considering how things are working out for Violet and Dillon, I guess
that Uncle Rick has reason to be nervous; but then he really doesn’t need to
be.
Jillian’s father, on the other hand, might
have something to worry about. ;^)
Okay, maybe not anytime soon; but Jillian
does love Witch Falls – more than Dawn does.
I could totally see her fitting right in if she moved here. After spending a weekend at the Inn; her
parents might even learn to love it here too; though they probably won’t be
giving up their jobs and moving here anytime soon. We did have fun tonight, though; and Michael
joined us for some of that entertainment and family time after finishing up at
the Inn. I should have mentioned that he
was working tonight so that he could have the extra time off for our Quarry
Lake adventure tomorrow; but he’ll help out there around the play time too.
That’s why we didn’t hang out together for
too long before I walked him home and we did our goodnight hugs and kisses by
the river – he’s going to be back at the Inn for the breakfast rush. Dawn and Jillian walked Tommy and Julian home
while I was doing that – after saying goodnight to their parents and sending
them back to the Inn. They would have
been welcome to stay with us; but they’re making this a weekend getaway that
just happens to include some kid time.
Chris and Martin aren’t here to join in for that; but Uncle Rick and
Aunt Melissa are almost sure that they’ll still have a house to come back to
when they get home again.
Hopefully they won’t be wishing that Mom
had given Chris and Martin another board-breaking lesson before leaving them on
their own. I’m sure that Dawn will give
me all of the details if they do mess up – both literally and figuratively.
Moving along, we were all home and getting
ready for bed comparatively early; and I’m even going to manage to be sleeping
before midnight. Since tomorrow is Dawn
and Jillian’s last full day here, though; I’m going to be glad for the extra
rest. In addition to the Quarry Lake
trip, we have another family barbeque dinner and campfire planned; and a girls’
night sleepover at my house is looking highly likely too; so we are going to
have a late night tomorrow for sure.
That’s okay – I can rest up next week! Maybe – if we aren’t too busy to do that.
That is all I have for today, though; so,
until next time...
...Live long and prosper, fellow Magi of
the Light!
