Ethan's and Ehlana's Journals - June 30, 2019

Ethan:

We’re having another quiet night at home; I don’t have much news to cover today; and will leave the rest of the update to Ehlana.  I’m not ready to sleep yet, but some digital archive reading is an option; so I’ll do that until I am ready to crash and nap.

Ethan – out!

***

Ehlana:

We were on our own for Tai Chi by the river and breakfast with Mom and Dad while Cassie was with Michael and his family – and they skipped Tai Chi after working late at the pizzeria.  Church and Sunday school was good; and then we had a small gang with us for a barbeque lunch while Cassie and Michael were back at the pizzeria to help Rebecca with the lunch crowd until Jen could get there from a last blast of wedding fun – a luncheon for the wedding party, some of the Warren and Jennings families, and all visiting guests.  Naomi and Aiden stayed with us for the afternoon; we got to have some chat and play time with Cassie and Michael once they were done at the pizzeria; and then Michael needed to be at the Inn for the buffets shift.  He missed out on some of the play time too, but since he was working – and so was Dad; Cassie decided to hit the road for her townhouse earlier than planned so that she could get there in decent time.  Brianna had been with us for some of the playing, so Cassie had a gang around for the goodbye hugs and kisses; and then she was on the road by around five o’clock.

We still ended up going to the Inn for dinner because Mom didn’t want to cook; it was just the four of us when we came home; and even Mom and Dad plan on going to bed early tonight as we wrap up the last day of June.  That works for me too, though like Ethan; I’m not quite ready to sleep right now.  Catching up on the latest work at the lab that I’ve missed while away is an option, so I’ll do that; and be ready to jump into the research fun by tomorrow.  We’ll only get to do that for a couple of days because of the holiday weekend, but I’ll keep you posted on how much time we get to spend at the lab or archives; since there will be play time with our friends too.  Cassie will only be away for three days, and then home for four, so that works for us too; though she’ll have a pile of studying to do while home – especially since the summer session is so compressed.  That isn’t anything I need to write about tonight, and I don’t have anything else to add to the news of the day; so I’ll wrap this up and move on to the research reading.

This is Ehlana Proctor; coming to you live from what is now my past!

Ethan's and Ehlana's Journals - June 29, 2019

Congratulations, Doug and Alicia Warren!  Weddings are always fun around here – even when we’re not directly involved in them!

Ethan:

Tai Chi and breakfast with Cassie and Michael was great, but then they had to head for the pizzeria; I went to the park with Mom and Dad to watch Ehlana’s ballgame; and we basically didn’t get to spend any time with Cassie and Michael again today.  Ehlana, Naomi, and their team lost by a run; they got razzed-blamed for the loss after skipping their practice on Tuesday; and didn’t deserve it because they’d still been the best players on their team today.  Ehlana and I went home to do chores after the game – and her ice cream trip to the Emporium; we had a late lunch; and then spent the afternoon playing with Naomi, Aiden, and some of our friends.

The biking, swimming, and playground fun was fairly-standard fare for us, but there was one exception – when Miles and Joshua decided to try and get into the wedding pictures for Doug and Alicia.  The rest of us didn’t get involved, but Miles and Joshua went into ‘stealth mode’ to get into the woods behind where the photos were being done; climbed trees; and then made stupid faces each time they thought that the photographer was taking the photos.  We’ll have to wait and find out whether their mission was successful or not, but they had fun, and since they weren’t noticed by anyone in that photo-taking group; they impressed their friends too – and entertained us while we were happy to relax and dry off from our most-recent swim before moving on to more trail riding.

We had dinner with just Mom and Dad; Naomi and Aiden were busy with their families tonight; and we’ve had a quiet few hours here at home – though we went for a walk with Silkie and Ehlana and I went for a swim before coming in for the night.  A movie in the lounge was followed by Jacuzzi time for Ehlana and a shower for me; and now I’m ready to crash and nap – so I will.

Ethan – out!

***

Ehlana:

I loved our trip with Cassie and Michael; am glad that we’re home and I’ll be in my own bed tonight; and I love my Jacuzzi a lot too! ;^)

Ethan’s covered the basics; I don’t want to write about that lost ballgame; and don’t have anything else to add; so I’ll wrap this up and get back to enjoying my Jacuzzi fun before going to bed and getting to cuddle with Mandy all night.

This is Ehlana Proctor; coming to you live from what is now my past!

Ethan's and Ehlana's Journals - June 28, 2019

Ethan:

Tai Chi and breakfast for four was followed by some chores for me while Aiden checked in with his parents at the bakery.  When Mom set me free for the day, I met up with Aiden again; and we biked, swam, and played for the rest of the day until Aiden and I needed to be back at my house for dinner and a movie night.  Mom put us to work so that we could have that meal outdoors; Aiden and I set up the tables; and we had a fairly-large gang with us by the time Dad and the other grill masters had the various meat options ready to go and we could sit down to enjoy the barbeque and sides dinner.  Aiden and I were the ‘senior’ kids in the group, so we did our best to keep Zack, Eli, and some of the other guys from getting too out-of-control with their feeding frenzy; and then we helped to dunk them in the river to clean up because that was necessary for our messiest cousins and friends – especially after chocolate ice cream cone desserts.

There was a visit to the park after that while the parents cleaned up or took a break and the grandparents supervised the playground fun; and then we got through our first movie before Cassie, Michael, Ehlana, and Naomi got home by ten o’clock.  Cassie and Michael couldn’t stay because they’re helping Rebecca at the pizzeria this weekend – and that’s why Cassie came home again; so we only got to spend a few minutes with her.  Naomi’s parents decided to take her – and Eli – home soon after that too; so the dinner and a movie party wrapped up then too instead of continuing with a second show.  It was still past-eleven by the time Ehlana and I finished helping Mom and Dad with the clean-up and we’d had our bedtime chat too after seeing everyone out.  Ehlana and I had a bonus chat on her bed too, but she has a ballgame in the morning; so we’re not going to stay up even later – especially when she’s already had a long day and all of those hours in the car too.

I’ve had a great day; love having my twin home again; and now I’m ready to crash and nap so that I’ll be ready for a busy weekend.

Ethan – out!

***

Ehlana:

I’m glad to be home too, Ethan.  Naomi and I missed you a lot, and while she didn’t get to spend much time with you yet because parental rights were asserted and she had to go home tonight; I’m sure we’ll make extra tie to hang out together this weekend – and next week too.

Let’s keep my news of the day short, since I really do need to rest up for that ballgame; and it has been a long day.

Our last morning of Tai Chi with Cassie and Michael was fun; we had breakfast and took Cassie to school; and then Michael, Naomi, and I did some chores – including laundry for all of the dirty clothes that Naomi and I had accumulated this week; and we packed for the trip home.  There was some park play time this morning too; we had a fast food lunch with Cassie and her study group; and then one last visit to the rec center and pool before we picked up the wedding gifts order from the jewelry store; stopped for fast food to go; and then picked Cassie up and headed for home.  Cassie worked on her assignments for a lot of the trip home, but we kept her entertained too while Michael drove all the way so she could focus on her work; and we were all glad to be home by ten o’clock.

Having a gang to welcome us home was fun; I wish that we could have spent more time with Naomi and Aiden; and was only a bit disappointed that our arrival put an end to the dinner and a movie night before we could get in on that fun.  That really was for the best when we have a lot going on this weekend – even for those of us who won’t be partying all night tomorrow to celebrate Doug and Alicia’s wedding!  That is why Cassie and Michael are helping Rebecca this weekend – because Jen is busy with her brother’s wedding.

Cassie and Michael will be at the pizzeria until close tonight, but they will be here for the night; and then likely at his house tomorrow night; since they’re booked for a family breakfast there on Sunday.  We won’t get to see Cassie very much, but I have gotten to spend a lot of time with her this week; so I can’t complain about that.  I don’t have anything else to add for this report, and it didn’t really end up being all that short anyway; so I’ll wrap it up and get to the sleeping part of my night.

This is Ehlana Proctor; coming to you live from what is now my past!

Ethan's and Ehlana's Journals - June 27, 2019

Ethan:

A second day of Tai Chi by the river with Brianna joining us was a great way to start our day; and she kept us entertained during breakfast too.  I headed for the archives for the morning after that; Aiden and I had a pizzeria picnic lunch that we took to the park; and then we biked and played all afternoon with some of the other guys.  It’s funny, but the girls didn’t spend much time with us – again – while Ehlana and Naomi are away; so that might be a bit of proof that the twin factor does affect our friends and friendships.

We didn’t have any plans for tonight, so Aiden and I got approval for another camping night – this time in my back yard.  We set up our tent before dinner; Mom and Dad went with an easy burgers, hot dogs, and sides dinner; and then the four of us went for a short canoe ride before Dad went to do his homework in the office and Aiden and I went for another bike ride on the trail that included some front porch visits with family and friends.  After getting home, we got ready for bed; have been gaming on our portables since then; and now Aiden’s asleep and I soon plan to be in that state of mind too.

This hasn’t been a Quarry Lake – or Eagle Gorge – kind of fun day, but it has been pretty good.  I’m mostly glad that we only have one more sleep until Ehlana and Naomi are home again – along with Cassie and Michael; though Cassie will only be home for the weekend and won’t have much time for us while helping out all weekend at the Pizzeria.  Ehlana and I are never really apart, but being connected isn’t the same as being together; and this is the longest so far that we’ve been apart.

It’s probably a good thing that we won’t have that happen all that often; since we might not be able to handle weeks or months away from each other like we have happening with Cassie now and for another four years!

Okay, that’s all for tonight.  Now let’s hear from Ehlana and all about her adventures at Eagle Gorge!

Ethan – out!

***

Ehlana:

We had a blast today! ;^)

Tai Chi and breakfast for four was great; we packed up Cassie’s car; took her to school; and then headed for Eagle Gorge.  Our play day started with the rock climbing while it was cooler compared to the afternoon heat.  An ice cream break followed; and then Michael took us trail riding on rented bikes until lunchtime.  We had a picnic lunch near the gorge; played in the water; went for another bike ride; played in the water some more; and then had a late dinner.  There was time for a bit more outdoor fun after that; we headed back to the city in time to get Cassie from college; and then we took her home.

Before I get to the last bit of the news for today; I’ll also add that one of the entertainment highlights of the day was thanks to some girls that really liked Michael a lot.  They saw him – us – while we were climbing; tried to hook up with Michael while we were swimming the first time; and they were terribly disappointed to find out that Michael was engaged and getting married soon.  They learned that through their introduction to me – his future sister-in-law, and while that didn’t keep the girls from continuing to enjoy the view whenever they saw Michael after that; they didn’t try to join us and play with him too.  Naomi and I had some fun with that while doing our bedtime chat with Cassie tonight too; though I shouldn’t focus on that because Michael did make sure that we had a remember-forever kind of fun day – and Eagle Gorge is at least as awesome as Quarry Lake.

Okay, it’s better, but I still love our favorite hometown campground; so Eagle Gorge only gets the nod for the better natural features instead of the man-made options at Quarry Lake.

Finally, Cassie still had most of her work to do tonight after her last mid-term and class of the day, so Naomi and I took turns having showers while getting ready for bed; and then Cassie only took a short break for that last bedtime girl chat before we’ll be heading home tomorrow afternoon.  It seems weird to be at the end of the week already, but we do still have one more day in the big city; and we’re as glad to be going home to our families as they’ll be to have us back again.

While I’m thinking about that, I do have one more note to add that’s Magi-related.  Naomi can’t sense her connection with Ethan from here – though he can sense her; and I can sense Aiden.  That isn’t really news, since we know that about others that share these links, but it is something that we keep track of; and I’ll try to remember to get Naomi to keep a mental ear or eye out for how far we are from home tomorrow when she gets that connection to Ethan – and Aiden – back again.  So far, Michael has the strongest connection for that with Cassie, but they were older when making their first connection; and that could change for us as we get older and our Magi talents get stronger too.

Okay, we don’t have any major plans for tomorrow, but it’s been a long day and Naomi is already dozing off; so I’ll wrap this up and get some sleep too.

This is Ehlana Proctor; coming to you live from what is now my past!