Ethan and Ehlana:
We’ve had a pretty good day, but the only personal news we have for today is about the family business meeting that Mom and Dad hosted tonight. That doesn’t include information that we haven’t covered in the past, but since we spent most of the time discussing near-term plans for this week and summer; let’s just get into it.
Since we are already enjoying the trail to Quarry Lake; we can report that the Quarry Lake owners are very happy with the trail – especially since it is a new entertainment draw for their customers and campers. For us, we’re at least as excited about the new water park features that officially open this week – bigger and better water slides that empty into the ‘old’ lake. They aren’t quite as extreme as the slides found at the biggest amusement park water parks, but they are awesome; and will definitely be new favorites for everyone!
The Galleria is definitely our favorite project this week. There is going to be a wine-and-cheese event on Wednesday; and then the stores will officially open on Thursday morning. We’ve mentioned the atrium cafe recently, and will have more details for all of the stores later this week; so we’ll only add that our favorite new stores include a jewelry store, leather-and-jeans-themed clothing store, sports store, three themed stores, a music store, and a media production studio. There are some people in town having doubts about some of those store choices, but a lot of research went into the plans; and we also have the benefit of ‘knowing’ that the Galleria and every store will be both popular and successful!
Moving along, we went over the construction plans for this summer, and while we won’t cover each new home; we will mention that one particular build is going to be very important to our family; and is related to two of our favorite collegians that only have a year left at school! ;^) We’ll have more on that story later this summer too; so stay tuned for that ongoing story. New trails aren’t on the same construction level as homes or businesses, but we can mention that the next phase of trail building is already happening – the trail that will be built from the south of town down to the rail trail network that is about sixteen miles away. That is another multi-year project, and might seem like a bad idea for a small town, but that connection will bring cycling and hiking tourists both to town and Quarry Lake; and we are looking toward the future for what we want our community over the coming decades – not just the short term.
It’s just pure coincidence that those trails will be completed just in-time for our teen years! ;^)
Some of our discussions tonight were a bit boring; so we’ll skip over the infrastructure details. A growing town needs to keep up with demands for things like community water, sewage, roads, utilities, and the rest; we’re doing that; and our family business makes sure that we can make all of that happen without any serious costs to our neighbors and friends. That’s really all we need to know about that topic, but don’t take that the wrong way; since we do actually know all of those details too and even how to do all of that work; since we keep up with all of the reports and remember everything we learn. That doesn’t mean that we want to grow up to do any of those least-fun jobs!
It’s getting late, so let’s wrap this up with one of those memorized details that we really love. Everyone in town and the region is prospering, and while that is very different from lowest-to-highest incomes for obvious reasons; we are collectively far ahead of the national averages; and basically don’t have anyone in financial difficulty – even after two years of pandemic challenges. We’d love to make that happen for everyone in the world, and maybe we’ll get to see that in our lifetime, but for now; we’ll just be happy with the successes we are having; and keep working for better everywhere.
Okay, that’s enough for tonight. That meeting wrapped up at nine-thirty; Cassie and Michael are out again tonight – this time with Jake, Stephanie, and their kids; and we will definitely be sleeping before they get home again. While the rest of our day wasn’t really newsworthy, we did have a good day at school and with the usual after-school play time with our friends and some baseball practice watching. The meeting was definitely the entertainment highlight of our day; and now we’re ready to crash and nap while we can; since our school week is sure to get busier as we head into the holiday weekend. Stay tuned or flip digital pages in our future; and we’ll move on and get some sleep now!
Until next time, this little blast from your near or distant past is written for you with love from Ethan and Ehlana Proctor – twin junior Magi Masters of the Light!
