Ethan and Ehlana:
As promised; here comes the full weekend report! While the top news for today is the Super Bowl and all of the parties; we’ll begin this update with the top stories from Friday – most of them happening around the school dance.
Once we were together after school, we got our gear together and loaded into the van to take over to the school; we got ready for the dance; had a quick dinner; and then Dad took us over to the school after he got home. We needed to be there early to set up for the dance. Dad also mostly helped Aiden with getting his drum kit to the gym, and after a round of hugs, he wished us well; went home to have dinner with Mom; and we got to work hooking up our electronics to the school sound system that had already been set up with everything except the DJ’s gear. They weren’t far behind us, and we should mention that our current, favorite, local DJ team does not have a problem with us splitting the ‘work’ with them; since they are teens; and have dates for the dance too. We took turns with sound checks; and then we had time for a drinks break. While we were booked to do the first set of the night, we didn’t start right away after the doors opened. The canned music was used for the first bit of social time as the gym filled up with happy teens and tweens; and then we took the stage a half-hour into the dance and played for a bit more than an hour – closer to an hour-and-a-quarter including the two-song encore. Some of the older teens continue to look at us as a ‘kid’ band, and we are that, but we also picked good songs; split the ballads and dance tunes evenly; and earned a round of real approval instead of polite applause. That wasn’t something we doubted, since we have been asked to play at three dances now, but we appreciated the support; and we really, really love performing together too!
We took another quick break before packing up our gear; there was time for an hour of dancing after that; and then Dad returned for our pick-up by eleven o’clock and brought us home. No, that isn’t late, and the dance wasn’t over, but we were ready to come home by then; and don’t want to push our luck when we have three ‘under-age’ band members. Dad helped with our gear again; we did a quick visit with Mom and Dad; and we already mentioned the co-ed cuddling, movie, and sleepover. Those details are definitely tween-rated, so while it was a highlight of our day; we don’t need to go into any details. Don’t take that the wrong way – we mean that because there isn’t much to write about at all. We got started on the cuddle time and movie – and then we all fell asleep long before we got to the end of the movie.
Saturday morning included Tai Chi and breakfast for six; chores at three homes; an afternoon of biking and park adventures with our best friends, some cousins, and some of their friends. It was time for us to get to work on that babysitting job in-time to help out with getting all of the kids to the Carringtons and started in on some gaming or other play time; we were kept busy through dinnertime and beyond with the clean-up and evening adventures while the parents were at the Inn for dinner and then at the pub. Zack and Eli are especially-scary when they’re trying to impress the other kids; they definitely pushed the limits while testing us – and Naomi and Aiden; and we were right about not having time for any computing later on Saturday night. There was a lot of fun for us too, but we were really busy and on the go all the way through until Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne got home from the pub. The bedtime pizzas snack didn’t work to help get any of the kids into their beds, so by the time the parents arrived; the kids still partying could only run for their beds and pretend to be asleep. That isn’t to say that we didn’t have some kids asleep before then – we did. That was mostly the youngest kids; and a few of them were picked up by their parents and taken home. The rest of the parents got to have kid-free nights; and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne will be next on the list to get the next kid-free night – possibly several of them! ;^)
Moving along, we didn’t get to sleep until very early on Sunday morning; there was only time for naps that were not co-ed; and then our Sunday morning was crazy and exhausting as we got everyone fed, dressed, and to church in time for church and Sunday school. To be honest, we were not very motivated while at church, and even Naomi was quiet while we were at church. The theme was love-related; so we were feeling pretty good when we headed home. Ehlana and I were on our own for lunch with Mom and Dad; we did some work on both sides of the meal to get ready for the football-watching party; and then we went out to bike and play for a couple of hours with friends and cousins because the weather was great and we had a high of near-sixty. Most of Mom and Dad’s adult guests spent the last-half of the afternoon at our house, so we – the kids – joined them there in time for dinner. That was a buffet style event; we were split up around the house while we ate; and then we stayed split up as the Super Bowl began with the game-watching in the living room; video gaming was in the lounge; games were available in Ehlana’s room and the dining room; and chick flicks were available in the sun room.
Ehlana and I have not written very much about football during this season – or usually; so let’s not change that too-much tonight. I’m not technically breaking any junior man-laws with that choice, but this might be the last year I can get away with football indifference, and since Naomi is my girlfriend; I expect that she’ll be able to help with keeping me out of trouble from now on – even if I’ll get razzed about the reasons for why she’ll be able to divert my attention from sports on a regular basis! We didn’t watch the game very much, but Aiden and I did keep up with the score and caught some highlights; and more than half of the kids took a break to watch the halftime show. By then, the Eagles had a ten-point lead over the Chiefs, and while the majority of football fans in the house were cheering for Kansas City; Ehlana and I didn’t have any true interest in the outcome.
Thanks to having our own little band, we were interested in the halftime show music, but our expectations were low; since we haven’t liked any of the recent Super Bowl shows. This one ended up being worth watching, and we do like some of Rihanna’s music; so this little show was probably the best of the recent halftime events – mostly because it was more about the music and dancing without quite so much of the usual sex appeal aspects. That wasn’t entirely missing from this performance, but it was certainly toned down by comparison; and that’s a good thing from our perspective. That’s all we have to write about for that part of the game, and while the second-half of the game began; all of the kids and tweens headed upstairs again for more gaming in the lounge and some music fun for some of us because Naomi wanted to play around with a couple of the halftime songs – and no, that didn’t include any of the adult-rated songs and lyrics that definitely are not appropriate for us! ;^)
While we played and had fun upstairs, the sports entertainment in the living room was apparently going ‘our’ way through the third quarter – a fact that we knew simply from the rounds of cheers and general lack of loud expressions of disappointment that would have meant better news for the Eagles. If we wanted to be cynical, we’d suggest that the scoring was all part of the entertainment, but we can leave that kind of speculation to others; and simply report that the Chiefs scored twenty-one of the next twenty-four points on the way to taking the lead away from the Eagles. As with only the best of sporting entertainment, the drama wasn’t over yet; and we again knew that thanks to the reactions that hinted at a comeback in the fourth quarter. Naomi and Aiden went downstairs with us in time to catch the end of the big game – a goal-line stand by the Eagles that was really just a battle to run down the clock that the Chiefs won – along with the game thanks to a field goal that broke the tie that the Eagles had earned thanks to an earlier touchdown and two-point conversion.
That outcome made the majority of fans in our house happy, but since it was also a school and work night, and Dad is heading for the city in the morning; it also meant wrap up the party time too.
We helped with the work that included cleaning up the lounge and the rest of the house while our guests headed for their homes. Yes, Naomi had a good night kiss for me; and yes, we got teased about it. Ehlana and I helped Mom with more cleaning while Dad packed his bags for the trip; that included laundry and bathrooms and the sunroom and kitchen; and then we needed some quality bath or Jacuzzi time after a long, active day. Now we’re ready to wrap this up and get some sleep. That’ll only be a long nap, but we have had an amazing weekend; so we’ll just deal with the little downsides that go along with being this happy – something that is easy for us when self-healing is an option in the morning if needed! That’s also enough for this report, so we’re out of here and off to dreamland now.
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
