Ethan and Ehlana:
Happy 4th Anniversary, Josiah and Christina!
Their special day has had a lot to do with why the Johnson clan is already here for the holiday weekend; and most of our weekend family guests traveled during the day and arrived this afternoon. That – and the anniversary dinner at the Inn – also explains why we had a work and chores morning. We helped Mom around the house; moved on to help Aunt Leanne with chores at her house while Mom helped with some ongoing cooking; and then we had lunch there too before going out to play for a while with our cousins and some friends. Our afternoon play time was a mix of fun and semi-official kid-control work. Naomi and Aiden helped us with that, and in addition to keeping younger cousins, siblings, and friends entertained; we added in most of the guest kids too as they arrived with their parents and grandparents.
That kept us busy through that dinner at the Inn, and we continued to help out with the kids at the Inn while the parents and adult cousins were busy with roasting the happy couple and hanging out with the kids their own ages. We still had lots of help when needed with the youngest kids, but it is also becoming clear that we’re nearly at the next level in our own childhood – the babysitter level! ;^)
Jake and Stephanie made sure that the buffet dinner for two of their best friends was awesome with a couple of great special dishes to go along with the rest of the amazing food; so that meal was definitely a highlight of our day. We had to share our favorite collegians a lot today, but the time we did get to spend with them was really good too; and we loved getting to catch up with May – and Lee; since we haven’t seen them very much now that we have to share May with Lee and his family.
We should take a moment to write about May since we haven’t done that very often in quite a while. She is really happy, and doing really well with both her education and her job through the family business. She misses her family, but the potential risks that go along with a trip home – especially when it comes to getting back here to continue her education – continues to keep her from going back to China. That will likely continue to be true this summer, so if she can’t go home; we’ll be happy to have her spend extra time with us!
While we’re thinking about travel – or lack of it; we should also take a moment to mention the current surge in Covid cases both here in our country and around the world. New daily and weekly records are being hit with this latest wave, but that’s with new cases while the Omicron variant is – so far – proving to be milder with fewer serious illnesses and fatalities. We haven’t mentioned any of the new restrictions that are being imposed by too-many governments around the world, but that isn’t happening here; and our only problem is actually getting a bit of notice for not having any confirmed cases. Our Magi-powered ‘vaccine’ continues to protect everyone we’ve treated, and while Uncle Adam and Uncle Mark offer ‘boosters’ to anyone asking for one; they’re only placebos; and not needed. We also understand that a more-transmissible and less-lethal variant is actually a good thing; since that will begin to strengthen and develop immunity protection against Covid as we collectively transition from the original pandemic to dealing with a disease that will evolve and be with us just as we’ve always dealt with viruses like colds and flu. At the rate Omicron is spreading; it may take longer for a lot of people to change perceptions about Covid and how to deal with it than it will take for everyone to catch it at least once!
Moving along, the dinner at the Inn lasted until a bit after eight o’clock; we came home with Mom and Dad after that while Cassie, Michael, May, and Lee moved on to other adventures for the rest of the evening; and we’ve had a quiet night since then. That’s also pretty much all we have for this update, and we want to get some extra sleep ahead of the holiday weekend; so, until next time...
...this is Ethan and Ehlana Proctor; live from the hidden home of the Magi of the Light – and May the Magi Force be with you!
