Happy 16th Birthday, Paul!
While Paul is one of Michael’s football
team mates, and we had a gift for him that Rowen and Tim were in on; that was
pretty much the extent of our involvement in his birthday fun today – unless you
include our contributions in the kitchen at the Inn for his birthday buffet
dinner with family and friends. Vanessa
is a happy camper today too because he’ll be getting his driver’s license
tomorrow and then they’ll join the ranks of the couples that have expanded
travel options beyond our little home town.
I’ll predict that they’ll be going to Crystal Springs for a date night
in the very near future.
Speaking of dates, teen news at church this
morning included a report that Karla and Brock spent Halloween evening
together, and while they aren’t confirming or denying that they’re an item yet;
it appears that they soon will be joining the couples’ club.
Starting from the end of my last journal
update, my Halloween night ended with a sofa sleepover that Brianna began with
Michael and me, but I put her back to bed after she fell asleep again; and then
Michael and I fell asleep a while after Mom and Dad got home. They checked in with us, but then went
straight to bed; leaving Rowen, Tim, Michael, and me to stay up as long as we
wanted. That wasn’t long for me; Michael
apparently fell asleep not long after I did; and if Rowen and Tim tried a
sleepover in his room; she was back in mine by the time I woke up this morning.
Tai Chi by the river was great, and we’ve
ended up with a really nice weather day here too; with the temperature just
touching into the seventies by the time we were set free from church for the
day. Breakfast was a bit crazy with
eleven kids to feed; and getting everyone ready for church was an adventure
too. We did manage to get everything
done and made it to church in time to return most of the kids to their parents;
but I was pretty much ready for a nap by then.
Ditto that for pretty much the rest of the
day, since I also worked the lunch and dinner rushes at the Inn; Michael and I
spent our afternoon break playing and biking at the park with Ethan and Ehlana;
and I put in the equivalent of three hours of work and studying after I
eventually got into bed for the night with Mandy and my computer. The work at the Inn was tough, though we had
fun with Halloween story exchanges that included Jenny’s recap of her night
with Peter; and the dinner buffets were both packed to the point where we
turned over the dining room about two and a half times tonight over the course
of the two sittings.
We didn’t have homework this weekend
because of the Halloween parties at school on Friday, so Michael and I were
glad to have our afternoon break free to spend with Ethan and Ehlana again today. We probably won’t get many more chances for
biking this fall, so the four of us biked the trails; we played at the
playground; and then we wrapped up our break with snacks and drinks in the
sunroom before Michael and I headed back to the Inn and the buffet dinner
rush. I stayed there until close; walked
home with Michael, Rebecca, and their parents; and then I did the round of
goodnight hugs and kisses in their front yard before heading home to get
started on the rest of my work and study night.
Mom and Dad were still working in the
office, but Ethan and Ehlana had gone to bed already; so Mom did my Magi lesson
with me before the three of us headed up to our rooms for the night. I stopped in for bedtime kisses with Ethan
and Ehlana too, but they were worn out; and didn’t wake up at all. My computing in bed has been while in a time
phase; and that’s how I’ve gotten those hours of work done without being awake
until two or three o’clock.
I’d like to say that things around here
will slow down now that Halloween’s out of the way, but that isn’t going to
happen. We have a playoff football game
on Friday; Dad’s birthday is on Wednesday; and we’ll have a make-up yard work
day on Saturday. That football game is
going to be here, and while our seven-and-three record for the regular season
was decent; the home field advantage over Winfield Farms only happened because
of a tie-breaker that went our way. Tim’s
happy with our first-round draw, but he’s also still worried; and hopes that
our loss against Pinehurst will motivate the senior players to work harder this
week to get ready for their first playoff match.
I’ll let our football players worry about
that – and the game. I’ve got enough of
the go with cheerleading, band, teen praise team, and everything else I have on
the go. It’s time to start my next
language too; but I decided to do that tomorrow instead of putting in even more
work time tonight. I need the sleep
more, and I don’t really have anything else to add to this report; so, until
next time...
...May the Magi Force be with you!
