Cassie's Journal - July 26, 2013

Another wet morning kept us indoors for Tai Chi again.  Exercising by the river is always more fun, but I’m also starting to have a new perspective on why Mom and Dad – and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne – enjoy Tai Chi more when they’re together.  It’ll be a while before Michael and I have that kind of synchronicity and communion while working through our forms; but there is already a connection between us that’s different even from what Mom and I have always shared since she started teaching me Tai Chi.

Michael didn’t stay for breakfast this morning – he was going to the Inn to help out there instead; so there were just the six of us for breakfast.  Violet and I helped out with making breakfast and cleaning up, and once I’d had a chance to grab a shower and get dressed for the day; I took over taking care of Ethan and Ehlana for the rest of the morning.  Naomi was dropped off early so that her parents could keep working on their new house before Liz needed to get to work at the salon.  She was starting to cut back her hours a bit, but that really just means that she isn’t working twelve or thirteen hour shifts anymore.  Aiden was dropped off later, after Mom and Dad were both gone and Alicia was in charge again for the morning.

Since Rowen was working at the computer store, Alicia needed to help me with the four toddlers.  The rain kept us indoors, and my room and lounge were play central.  I had Disney cartoons playing on the television, but that was mostly just background noise while we played games; had a little music fun; and spent an hour making crafts with Alicia.  That little diversion was mostly so that Naomi and Aiden could give their parents first crafts for their new homes to stick on fridges that were shiny, new, as-yet uncluttered, and sterile-looking.  That wasn’t a problem at our house, but there was always room for new works of art in our kitchen, the home and work offices, and at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s house.

Alicia and Violet made lunch for us, and Mom, Grandma, and Grandpa came home to spend that hour with us before I was set free for the afternoon.  The parents had collectively made a decision sometime this morning to drop the four toddlers off at KidZone for the afternoon so they could play with some of their friends for a few hours; and they were already on their way over there by the time Rowen came over to meet up with me.  Alicia and I were still cleaning up from lunch, so Rowen pitched in to help while we waited for Michael to join us.

The rain had pretty much stopped by then except for a sprinkle here and there, so when we were ready to get started on our play afternoon; we hopped on our bikes and went for a tour over to the new section of town.  There was still one moving truck at the Draper’s house, and Mom had told us about the deliveries that had been going on despite the rain this morning at all three new homes; but most of the work going on when we stopped for three short visits was happening indoors.  Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace were going to be nearly finished the big jobs today, but then they hadn’t needed to juggle work and kids like the Seagers and Drapers had been doing.

Liz was working by then, and Hannah and Nathan were playing tag so that one of them was at the house and bakery all day.  I had hugs for all of my favorite people, and then we moved on to check out the other house construction projects in progress before heading over to the park.  We collected Tim along the way, and rode back into the woods to see what kind of shape the trails were in after the rain.  There were a lot of puddles and mud on most of them, so we ended up riding out river road and doing a country roads loop instead.

We’d been surprised that Tim wasn’t hanging out with Nora, Vanessa, and the rest of their usual group of friends.  He didn’t say anything about it, other than to tell us that he’d wanted to hang out with Michael – and Rowen and me – for a while before Michael was into another busy summer weekend at the Inn.  There was a hint of stress in his voice, and the expression on his face made it fairly obvious that choosing to do that may have been a problem; but he was genuinely happy to be hanging out with us, and we all had more fun because he did.

Biking the trails gives us more opportunities to do tricks on our bikes, but even when we’re out on the roads there are still chances to do some more extreme riding.  We were away from town for an hour and a half or so, and then went back to my house to go for a swim and have a snack break.  I needed to go over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s house to help out with getting dinner ready for an expanded dinner and a movie night after that, and Michael and Rowen came with me.  Tim was invited to stay with us and get added to the guest list, and I’m sure that he wanted to do that; but he had plans with Nora instead, so he headed home when we went to meet up with Aunt Leanne, Mom, Grandma, and Grandpa.

We were kept busy for the next couple of hours.  Setting up tables and chairs was first, and then we split the rest of our time between helping out with getting the food ready and entertaining some younger kids when they started arriving for dinner with their parents – including Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden.  Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had invited all of their new neighbors tonight, though Liz and Hannah couldn’t come over for dinner while they were busy at the salon and bakery.  They did both stop in after the stores closed for the night, but that just let them catch the tail end of the movie and a little social break before everyone headed home for the night.

That jumped ahead of the story a bit.  Grandma, Mom, and Aunt Leanne had decided that we all needed to have a good meal after days of easy-make lunches and dinners.  That meant steaks and chicken on the grills and several hot casserole options; along with baked potatoes and corn on the cob.  That made helping out with feeding toddlers interesting, entertaining, and messy enough that it was easier to dunk them in the river after dessert than cleaning them up with washcloths.  Aunt Leanne even ran a load of laundry instead of sending home bags with food-covered clothes.

We didn’t have everyone stay for the movie, since there was work still going on tonight at both the Seagers and Drapers houses; but it was fun doing our first movie night with Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace – or at least their first one as residents of Witch Falls.  Having Michael there was really special too, and though that was making Rowen feel a bit out of the loop; she did have several cuddle buddies during the movie – taking turns spending some time with Leah, Ethan, and Ehlana.  The movie was a family-rated action-comedy; and I pretty much just cuddled with Michael and enjoyed the show and the quiet conversations going on around us while winding down from the afternoon work and play.

After the movie and follow-up social break, Michael and I couldn’t convince Rowen to stick around and go swimming with us; so we walked home with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana.  Violet had met up with Dillon by then and they were spending some time with Jake and Stephanie; so we helped to get the twins ready for bed and tucked in before going out to the river for a swim.  We’re not in any hurry to take things to more intimate levels – even to the kind of making out some of the other couples our age don’t have a problem with doing in public; but swimming together in the dark does lead to some incidental contact that heats things up between us quite a bit.  That’s all new, exciting, and amazing; and I fall a little more in love with Michael with every one of those brilliant little shared experiences.

We swam and played for more than half an hour, and then went for a long walk around town before doing our goodnight hugs and kisses on his back porch on our way home.  Dad has an all-day yard work to-do list ready for tomorrow, and I’m going to sleep as soon as I finish this update; but I needed some Jacuzzi time before climbing into bed with Mandy.  I could have done my nightly computing then too, but I really just wanted to shut down and enjoy the moment; and I didn’t do any family business work tonight anyway.

Compared to the last few weekends, this is going to be a quiet couple of days, with not much else except work and baseball going on.  Michael and Tim have a game tomorrow afternoon that I probably won’t get to unless the yard work is done a lot earlier than I expect it will; but Ethan, Ehlana, and I will be at Mom and Dad’s game tomorrow night.  They’re also going to be taking Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace out to their first post-baseball night out at Sheldon’s Pub; so Rowen and I are doing a sleepover, and our house is babysitting central with Alicia and Erin Green doing that for Mom, Dad, and the other parents.

I’m getting tired just thinking about all of that, so it’s time to wrap this up and call it a night.

Until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!

Cassie's Journal - July 25, 2013

Happy 13^th Birthday, Vanessa!

Yes, I know she could care less about my best wishes for her big day, and might even be annoyed by the gift that Rowen and I sent with Tim to give her at the party; but that won’t keep us from doing things like that for her just as we do for the rest of our classmates.  We certainly don’t expect to hear about it one way or the other from anyone who is at the party.

I do hope that she’s having a happy day, but I’m also glad that we’re not there – and that she didn’t invite Michael to get an opportunity to play more personal matchmaking games with him.  She’s obviously still mad at us; but I’ll still hope that’ll pass before we head back to school in September.

I was busy enough today without adding a birthday party to the schedule.  We had Tai Chi; Michael stayed for breakfast again; and then Tim and Rowen came over in time to get a ride out to the ranch with us for our morning trail ride and lesson.  Rowen and I have loved doing these rides since my first summer here, but we’re having even more fun with Michael and Tim; and even Tim looks like he’s enjoying himself despite the fact that he probably wouldn’t have signed up if Michael hadn’t asked him to do it with him.

While I’m thinking about our ride, I’d like to mention that there are several guys, including Tim, who are fascinated with Rowen when we’re riding.  I think it’s the wind-tousled red hair and how great she looks on a horse that is getting their attention – along with the bright smiles and sparkling eyes that especially come to life when we get to take the horses for short runs.

She was getting noticed back at home again too when we changed into swimsuits and jumped in the river to cool off and clean up a bit too.  Michael and Tim couldn’t stay long for that, but we did play in the water for fifteen or twenty minutes before Michael left to go to the Inn and Tim needed to get ready for Vanessa’s party.

Rowen and I stayed home for lunch, and then we took care of Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden for the afternoon while the moving adventures continued.  Sophia had gone home and Naomi had been dropped off while we were at the ranch.  We took the four kids to the school playground for a change of scenery; did an Emporium ice cream stop on the way home; and spent the rest of the afternoon in the back yard playing and going for short swims in the river.  Mom and Dad were staying in to work tonight, but Rowen and I had an easy dinner on our own before going over to the park for our team practice.  That was mostly because Dad was going to be a bit late getting home, so Mom and Violet delayed their dinner to be ready when he was.

Our next game isn’t until a week from Saturday, but we’ll be playing our second match against Palmer’s Panthers; and Carolyn made sure that we worked hard tonight to get ready for that game.  The Panthers are in first place, and our only loss is to them; so we pretty much need to win this game to have any chance of at least a tie with them.  We’ll be the home team this time, so maybe that’ll help us out too; but they have a really good team this season, and it’s going to be a tough game.

It was time for another cool off swim when we got home, but Rowen didn’t stay to hang out with me after that.  I helped Mom with getting Ethan and Ehlana bathed and ready for bed instead after she left; and then we did the bedtime story and snack with Dad in the office.  Naomi had gone home again after dinner; and Aiden was with his grandparents tonight.  The Drapers still weren’t quite ready to move into their new house yet; but Mom told me that they would have enough done to stay there by tomorrow night; and had extra family and friends help lined up for the weekend.

Once the twins were tucked in for the night, I met up with Michael at his house.  Rebecca joined us for a short swim, and then Michael and I had another guitar lesson before going to sit out by the river again and having a quiet wind-down chat.  I love that time with him almost as much as the goodnight kisses; and the small confidences we share definitely draw us closer together.

I was home again by a bit after eleven, and pretty much just did a quick round of hugs and kisses with Mom, Dad, Violet, and Dillon before coming up to my room to get started on more family business work.  Sitting in my window alcove to do my nightly computing was easier when Dawn was bunking with me – or when we had sleepover guests in the lounge; but I like being able to look out over the back yard and river too while I’m busy, and the stars are always beautiful from that vantage point whenever it’s clear enough to see them.

That isn’t the case tonight, since it’s been overcast all night; and a dusting of rain started falling as I was wrapping up my work and moving on to my usual nightly checks before starting this journal update.  We’re supposed to have the rain hanging around off and on through the morning, and maybe into the afternoon; but Rowen’s going to be at the computer store in the morning anyway, and I’ll be busy helping out with toddlers again; so rain isn’t really a big deal – except it’ll slow down the movers a bit.  Michael, Rowen, and I have a play afternoon planned, and we’re doing a dinner and a movie night at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s house; so hopefully the weather will be nicer for all of that.

I’m seriously ready to sleep now, and there isn’t any other news; so...

...until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!

Only One Week Left for the Smashwords Summer-Winter Sale!

This is just a quick reminder that the Smashwords Summer-Winter Sale ends July 31st, 2013, so if you're looking for some new summer - or winter - reads; there's still one week left to take advantage of the great bargains offered by many of the Smashwords authors.

Thanks again to everyone who has downloaded my books, and I hope you take some time to browse through the sale catalogue at Smashwords.  

Happy reading!

Cassie's Journal - July 24, 2013

Happy 6^th Birthday, Ryan!

The tail end of the rain moving through the area was still wagging a bit when it was time for Tai Chi this morning; so we exercised indoors; and then Michael joined us for breakfast.  Sunshine was making an appearance by the time he went home again, and while Dad was at work and Mom was again helping Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace; Rowen came over and we spent the morning taking care of Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden.  Violet worked in the office all morning, and Alicia did her usual work around the house while supervising us – when we were around the house.

Rowen and I took our little gang for a walk and shopping to get the gift I needed for Ryan’s birthday party; we visited the falls; stopped in to see Dad and Aunt Leanne; and picked up ice cream for our midmorning snack.  That was followed up with a short playground visit to the park before we went home to go swimming.  Mom came home in time to do another big lunch for the moving crew family and friends, but Rowen went to work at the store and have lunch with her parents while I met up with Michael at the Bassett’s house to help out with Ryan’s party.

Everyone in Michael’s family stopped in for at least a little visit during Ryan’s party, but he was the only one there during the barbeque lunch that his Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Bill were putting on for Ryan and his friends; and quite a few members of both sides of their family.  Michael was already helping out with getting everything ready for lunch, so I joined the crew; and soon had a junior assistant when Jessica became my shadow for quite of bit of the time Michael and I were there.

Food choices for a bunch of five and six-year old boys isn’t particularly tough when the goals of the meal don’t include nutritional concerns.  Hot dogs, snacks, birthday cake, and ice cream kept them happy; so the rest of the food was mostly for the older kids, teens, and adults.  When it was time to eat, we sat with Jessica, Sophia, and the other kids that weren’t part of Ryan’s group of friends and classmates; helping with getting them fed and keeping them entertained.

It was different being there for a party with Michael’s family as his girlfriend, and we were teased a bit about that just as we are with my family; but we both really enjoyed the afternoon of fun and excitement – even with doing a fair bit of work too.  We helped with the post-lunch clean-up; supervised the party games after that; and were two of the supervisors for a swim in the river.  My last minute birthday gift purchase wasn’t likely on Ryan’s best gift this year list; but he and his friends did have fun playing with the motorized toy boat while we swam.  They also thought that it was very funny to send it motoring downriver so that Michael or one of the other older boys would have to swim, chase it down, and send it back upriver again.

While we spent most of our play time with the younger kids, it was fun getting to hang out with Rebecca, Erica, and some of the other older cousins and teens too when they stopped in to see Ryan.  Most of the teens had summer jobs, so none of them stayed for more than an hour before getting back to work again; but Ryan was too busy with his buddies to really notice much except for the extra birthday gifts that came with those cameo visits.

The party started wrapping up at four o’clock, and Michael headed for the Inn to help out with the impending dinner rush while I went home to help Mom with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden.  With Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace in their home, and their moving helpers mostly taking the night off; we didn’t have extra guests for dinner.  Having their co-ed baseball practice tonight may have had something to do with that decision too, but after a busy afternoon; I was glad to have a little break in the action while we had a quiet dinner for eight out on the back porch.

Rowen came over in time to help me with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden while Mom and Dad were playing baseball with their friends.  We added Jessica and Sophia Bassett on our way to the park; and had Emma Norton help us with kid control at the playground when she came into town with her parents.  That was another toddler-rated blast of fun that kept us busy until it was time to go home again after the Fix-it Uppers practice ended.

The Seagers were far enough along in their move-in to spend the night in their new house, so Naomi went home from the park; but Aiden was spending a second night with Ethan.  That was the main reason why we ended up dropping Jessica off at home and picking up an overnight bag for Sophia so that she could be Ehlana’s sleepover buddy.  Since Ryan was having a sleepover with a couple of his buddies too; Sylvia didn’t have a problem with letting her baby spend the night with us instead.

When we finally got home, we all went for a swim – including Mom, Dad, and Violet.  Michael came over and joined us for that shortly after we’d jumped into the river; and then he helped out with the toddler bedtime action.  Once Aiden, Sophia, and the twins were tucked in for the night, Michael, Rowen, and I went for a walk down to the falls.  Rowen had tried to go home instead, but we didn’t let her do that this time.  As we expected, there were some other tweens and teens hanging out there, and we all had fun hanging out with some kids our own age for a while.

That was partly because we hadn’t expected Nora or Vanessa to be there when they had probably spent the entire day getting ready for Vanessa’s party tomorrow; and they weren’t there.  Neither was Tim, but Michael didn’t know whether he was busy with Nora tonight or doing something else.  There was still some guys there in goof mode, but Michael didn’t join in for any of that action; and what was going on was fairly tame compared to what we’d all put up with while Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and their buddies were hanging out together.

We only stayed at the falls for three-quarters of an hour before wandering toward home again.  Rowen needed to be convinced to go for another swim with us, but then she only stayed in the river with us for about ten minutes before making a well-timed escape and leaving Michael and I alone to finish our swim.  Since that was fun, and so was the chat time on the dock after we got out of the water too; I’ll have to thank Rowen – even if I wish that she didn’t feel uncomfortable sometimes when it’s just the three of us together.

Moonlit goodnight kisses by the river are still setting off special fireworks for us, but we didn’t really spend much time doing that before Michael walked home across the back yards and I went inside to have a little visit with Mom and Dad in the office on my way up to my room.  I’ve mostly been working on the family business since getting ready for bed and sitting down in the window alcove with my computer, and it’s now after one-thirty, but with riding lessons, baseball, and more babysitting to do tomorrow; doing that work late at night is really the only time I have right now to do that.  Maybe next week I can get back onto a better work schedule, but something always seems to come up; so we’ll see what happens.

For now, though, I’ve had enough fun for the day, and don’t have any other news to report, so...

...until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!

Cassie's Journal - July 23, 2013

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne officially have new neighbors tonight.  Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace are staying in their new home tonight; though they’re only doing that because getting the master bedroom set up was a priority today.  They’ll be getting daily deliveries for the rest of the week; and still have rooms full of boxes to unpack from the truckload of Aunt Grace’s things that were delivered today.

While they’re busy with moving, I haven’t gotten to spend much time with Uncle Mark or Aunt Grace yet, but it is nice to get to see them every day; and I was busy today too.

It was nice being back by the river for Tai Chi again this morning – and with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana.  Michael and the twins have learned the basic short form postures we started their lessons with, so we’re able to work through that form every morning now; and their lessons will continue to build from there on both the physical and mental aspects of Tai Chi.  That was another really special start to our day, and then Michael went home while I helped Mom and Violet with Ethan and Ehlana and making breakfast while Dad got ready for work.  He and I were the clean-up crew after we ate so that Mom and Violet could get ready to help out with the moving adventures today.  I took a turn having a shower and getting dressed for a play day after that, and was ready to go in time to help out with the goodbye hugs and kisses for Dad when he left for work.

Mom waited until Alicia came over before she and Violet left to meet up with Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace at their house; and when Rowen joined us; she and I took over taking care of Ethan and Ehlana while Alicia supervised us and did some of her other regular work around the house.  Naomi and Aiden were both dropped off over the next hour.  Aiden was last because his parents weren’t able to start working on their house until most of the baking for the day was finished at the Olde Bakery.  Rowen and I played with all four kids in the back yard for a while, and then we had a snack break in the kitchen.  That was when we decided to have a picnic lunch at the park.  Alicia helped us to put our picnic together; and we had all four kids ready to spend a couple of hours at the park by the time that Michael came over again to spend the rest of the day with us after helping out around his house again this morning.

There were a lot of kids at the park, and a handful of tweens; but not many teens – except for the few who had babysitting jobs like Alicia.  She hadn’t come with us, and was going to help out with the lunch Mom and Grandma were providing for some of the movers today; but we knew where to find her if there were any emergencies.  Some parents were at the playground too when we first got there, but they started taking their kids home for lunch not long after that; and we had almost no waiting time for swings or slides by noon.

I get teased now and then about having a brother and sister who are ten years younger than I am, and I do sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have siblings closer in age; but it’s also really amazing being old enough to have my perspective on watching Ethan and Ehlana growing up.  There’s nine months difference between Naomi and Aiden, with the twins nearly half-way between them.  That’s already starting to make less and less of a difference now that it has so far; and probably not even as big of a deal with how they play as their individual personalities are.

Naomi often leads because she’s the closest to me when it comes to being fired up and outgoing; not because she’s the oldest.  Ethan and Ehlana, as I’ve mentioned before, are somewhere in the middle between Mom and Dad and me on that scale; and Aiden probably isn’t the quietest just because he’s younger than his friends.  After all, I’m younger than Michael and Rowen; but am usually more hyper-active than both of them combined.  Aiden needs more help to keep up with their little games, but even that won’t be a problem by next summer.

Moving on with the report, we played for over an hour; cooled off in the river for a while; and then sat under one of the big oaks while having our lunch.  By the time we’d finished eating, there were more kids running around the park again, so we joined in to play until it was time to go home and check in with Alicia.  While we were there, Tim stopped in to see what we were up to while Nora and Vanessa were off doing something ‘girly’ and birthday-related.  Vanessa will join the ‘teen’ club on Thursday, but that event isn’t really anything I’ve been thinking about; since Michael, Rowen, and I were not on the guest list, and hadn’t expected to be.

Since he had some free time, we invited him to help us take Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden for a canoe ride.  The boys took one canoe, and Rowen and I had Ehlana and Naomi with us.  Michael and I knelt in the stern of our canoes with Ethan and Ehlana sitting directly in front of us while Tim and Rowen knelt just behind the bow seats and had Aiden and Naomi sit on those seats.  We paddled toward the falls; made a stop downtown for an Emporium ice cream break; and then paddled home again before going for another swim.

We had to move over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s house after that.  Alicia was finished work for the day, and Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Nick, and Aunt Deborah were leading the dinner work crew.  They were feeding most of the people helping out with the Everett, Seager, and Draper moves, and while we continued our babysitting duties; we also helped out with getting tables and chairs set up in the back yard too.

Tim was invited to join us for dinner, and accepted after checking in with his mother first.  We had fun, but after we were all teased a bit about looking like four couples while sitting together at the kids table; I’m not sure whether he had any regrets or not.  Those jokes may have been partly my fault – and Michael’s; but even though we wanted to sit together, that doesn’t explain why Ethan ended up sitting next to Naomi and Ehlana was with Aiden.  While Tim may not have liked being teased about him and Rowen making a cute couple too, he also didn’t mind sitting next to her and having fun with us.

We were on the clean-up crew after dinner, but that was mostly because it was looking like rain was imminent; and everyone pitched in to at least get the outdoor part of the work finished quickly.  Another cool off swim in the river followed the blast of work; but most of us were out of the water and getting dried off by the time the first spits of rain rolled in.

It’s been raining more on than off since then, and after stopping in to see how Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace’s place is coming along; we went home with Mom and Dad – all eight of us.  Dad had work to do, and Mom wanted to work in the office; so Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I took the four younger kids up to the lounge to keep them entertained until bedtime.  Naomi and Aiden were staying for a sleepover while their parents were busy – or needing extra sleep while trying to keep up with work and getting moved.

The four boys started out with some video gaming action while Rowen and I played some music and games with Ehlana and Naomi.  We didn’t have time for a movie, but we watched a cartoon that the boys picked out before it was time to get started on the toddler bedtime routine.  Michael and I took care of most of that while Tim and Rowen played a video game; but they joined us for the bedtime snack and story in the office with Mom and Dad; and helped to get the younger kids tucked in on our way back up to the lounge.

Michael had lent me his first student guitar to practice with, and he borrowed Dad’s so he could do another lesson with me while Rowen and Tim went back to playing video games again while we practiced chords and a couple of simple songs for a half hour or so.  Michael took over from Rowen on the gaming after that, while I cuddled with him on one half of the sectional sofa and we all talked together.  Rowen and Tim weren’t cuddling, but I don’t think either of them even noticed that they were sitting close enough together to touch legs and arms; and weren’t at all uncomfortable about the contact.

It was already past-time for Michael and Rowen to head home when Tim got a call from Nora that sent him jumping and on his way.  We didn’t hear her end of their short conversation, but he advised us that he was late; and she wasn’t happy about that – or having to call around to track him down.  While he didn’t wait to leave, Michael and Rowen helped carry our glasses and snack dishes down to the kitchen before going home too.  We all went out onto the front porch together, and Rowen left first; but she must have looked back toward us at least twice.

I know that, Rowen, because I heard those quiet, happy laughs even though you tried to muffle them with your hands.  For the record, you weren’t witnessing one extended kiss; not that it really makes much difference whether Michael and I shared one goodnight kiss or several.  He was walking home by the time you waved at me from your front porch.

Once I’d watched Michael until he waved at me from his front porch too, I went inside and had a short visit with Mom and Dad before coming up to my room again.  I wanted to have another soak in my Jacuzzi, but this time I multi-tasked the first part of the family business work I wanted to get done tonight.  Violet was home comparatively early tonight too, and since I was still up sitting in my window alcove with my computer then; she borrowed my Jacuzzi before having a little girl chat with me once she was finished having a long soak.

She and Dillon are really getting excited about going away to college, but other than doing helping Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace a bit more this week; they’re both planning on putting in extra work over the next two weeks because they’ll be taking the last week off before they leave to spend time with us and with their families here and in Woodvale.  Violet doesn’t have to worry about money, and will keep her part-time job while she’s away; but Dillon wants to make a bit extra while he can.

We have plans to help him over the next five years; but that won’t really get started until next summer; and he doesn’t need the help this year anyway.

Rowen and I are helping out with babysitting in the morning again, but then she’s going to work at the store in the afternoon; and Michael asked me to go with him to help out with Ryan Bassett’s sixth birthday party.  I’ll need to make a shopping trip part of my morning babysitting plans because Ryan hadn’t been on my last birthday gift shopping list; but I’m sure we can find something for him at the Emporium or maybe at the Fix-it Shop.  Mom and Dad have their co-ed ball practice tomorrow night too, so it’s going to be another long, busy day; and I really should wrap this up and get some sleep.  Violet went to bed nearly a half hour ago after we both heard Mom and Dad on the stairs when they finished working for the night.  There are wards up in both bedrooms, so I’m not the only person still awake in the house, but I don’t need to be the last; and I’m getting tired now anyway, so...

...until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging out!