Cassie's Journal - October 3, 2014

Our Ridge River Raiders are not starting out the second half of the season as happily as the first half; and we lost a close match to new perennial rivals, Grand Summit.

By ‘new’, I mean recent history; since it’s only been the last couple of seasons that have been an issue – at least from the Grand Summit side of the football; and that was almost entirely due to Kyle’s dominance of their team.  Two years ago, we won big in the second round of the playoffs, and last year; we beat them in the third round.  That one really hurt them being just one game away from a shot at the Championship.  Since we were on their home turf for this game, our guys shouldn’t be too disappointed, and they only lost by one point; but they are still upset to now have two losses on the season.

While we’re on that thought, I’m also going to mention that the most of the guys were not impressed with Jason Johnson again after the game.  Bragging about being the top point scorer again this week was bad enough; but doing that after a loss was just stupid.  I wasn’t around him for any of that nonsense; but Michael and Tim told Rowen and me about it after we were home again.  That boy needs to get a clue before some of his friends clue him in the hard way.

I’m sure from that news you can gather that we kicked some field goals tonight – and there were six of them.  Our run game got stuffed all night; and Michael and Tim only managed two touchdowns each.  Basically, if they got away from the defenders on long plays, they did great; but our red zone play didn’t cut it tonight.  The only surprising thing about that was the fact that we were in the lead late; and lost it on a last-play field goal thanks to good time management by the Grand Summit coach.

Okay, that’s enough of the football report.  The cheerleading was fun right up to that downer of an ending; but it was also cold tonight; and has been getting colder.  The rain ended earlier today, though, so at least we weren’t cold and wet tonight.  Our half-time routine went over well with the hostile crowd, so that was good too; and I was also glad that we didn’t have any major hassles with any guys hitting on us tonight too.  Maybe that had something to do with wearing our warmer uniforms, but whatever the reason; I’m glad that it wasn’t an issue this week.

The trips to and from Grand Summit were uneventful, and Rowen and I got most of our weekend homework out of the way while we were on the road.  Grand Summit is an hour and a half south of Witch Falls; though you need to go out to the highway, head south, and then back-track west to get there more quickly than you can taking back roads there.  We didn’t have much time to check out the town or even the school before the game; and it was too dark for a tour when it was time to head home.

We wouldn’t have done that anyway.  It was after midnight by the time we got back to our school anyway; we still had to put all of our gear away; and then Michael and Tim walked home with Rowen and me.  We split up for the goodnight hugs and kisses, and though I was tempted to have Michael come in with me for a little cuddle time; we both have a busy work day to deal with starting in just a few hours from now; and I still had some family business work to get done after coming up to my room.

Mom and Dad were already in bed and actually sleeping by then, so I quietly stopped in for goodnight kisses in Ethan’s and Ehlana’s rooms; and then came up here and got ready for bed.  I microwaved a cup of hot chocolate before climbing into bed with Mandy and my computer; and have been working since then.

I’ve had enough fun for today, but before I wrap this up; let’s back up to a quick review of the rest of the day.  Starting the morning at Grandma and Grandpa’s house was fun; though Ethan, Ehlana, and I stayed indoors for Tai Chi due to the cool weather and wet grass.  Grandma made blueberry pancakes and sausages for us; and I was okay with the shorter-than-usual walk to school.  Ethan and Ehlana probably had more fun hanging out with our grandparents all morning while Mom got to do some running around; and then they spent the afternoon at the lab with Mom, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Grace.  My school day was uneventful; but that’ll pick up again next week because the Fall Festival starts next Friday.

Having that on the schedule next week is the main reason why I’ll be helping out with an all-day yard work adventure for Saturday, and while I usually like helping Mom and Dad; we’re all going to be a bit uncomfortable if the temperature drops near to freezing as forecast.  Raking and bagging leaves sucks when they’re frosty and wet.

Oh wait – Dad has that new lawn mower with the vacuum and bagger that we got him for Father’s Day!

Never mind – life is good! ;^)

Some nap time will be good too, and I’m going to get to that right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Cassie's Journal - October 2, 2014

Happy 4^th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Judging by the tired smiles on their faces this morning when they got their anniversary wake-up call; it was obvious that they’d started celebrating early after going to bed last night; and they’re ending the day the same way – thanks to the kid-free night that Grandpa and Grandma gave them as one of their gifts.

Yes, this update is coming to you live from one of the guest bedrooms at their house; and I have Ehlana for a cuddle buddy tonight.

It’s been a very wet day around here for their anniversary, and while that put a big damper on the fun around here; the weather didn’t end up being a big deal for me – other than Tai Chi needed to be indoors today.  Michael came over for that, and stayed for breakfast – and to help me with the work.  We had Mom and Dad open our gifts while we had our morning meal, and that was an entertaining little blast of fun; but then we had to rush around to get everything cleaned up and get ready for school.

Our classes today just felt like something to do between the breakfast and dinner celebrations; though there was some fun going on at school too.  Day two of the orange fad had more guys dressing up in anything orange, and while the trend is catching on, I was reminded a few times today that this really isn’t even as strange as the pajama pants phase the guys went through a couple of years ago.  That’s true, but putting up with orange everywhere for what will likely at least be until after Halloween could be tough for those of us with hyper-senses.

At cheerleading practice after school, Jenny was again the center of attention as she told us all about Lance’s car; his amazing family home; and the fancy dinner party with his family and friends.  She also went into graphic detail about how she celebrated his birthday with him after the party when they got to have some alone time before he took her home; but we won’t go into that here.

In this case, everyone reading this journal in the future is probably an adult, unless the rules get changed; so don’t use your imagination for what they might have been doing – that’d be weird!

The rain meant that our practice was indoors; and the football guys got soaked during their practice.  That sucked for them, but at least it was the day-before-a-game light workout; so they were allowed to hit the showers and get dry again before having the in-classroom meeting part of their practice.  While Michael was busy with that, I went over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house as soon as my practice ended so that I could help out with getting the anniversary dinner ready.  Aunt Leanne came over to help with that too, and we had Ethan and Ehlana with us by them; but Mom had that time off to get ready for dinner and kid-free night.  Michael came over after his practice, but he was only there a few minutes before Uncle Adam and Uncle Mark arrived; so we basically were ready to sit down and eat by then.

Dinner was a major event, and while going to the Inn had been an option; Grandma had wanted to do a ‘real’ family meal for Mom and Dad this year.  That meant having multiple courses that started with appetizers and moved through salads, soups, and the main course – an amazing roast with a half-dozen delicious side dishes.  Even the cake and pie options for dessert were home-made; and we took our time enjoying everything.

Okay, most of us took our time.  I spent a lot of that two hours or so helping Grandma and Aunt Leanne with getting those dishes served and then cleared away.  Aunt Grace and Aunt Deborah were banned from helping out due to their advanced stage of pregnancies – an order that I fully agreed with.  They’re both working too hard as it is with their work and home life, and it’s time for them to start doing less work; not more.

There were more gifts for Mom and Dad to open; and yet another one that Aunt Leanne told Mom to save to open until later.

Yes, you’re allowed to use your imagination there, future Magi reader; but if I’m still around when you do; don’t tell me about it!  As always; I am not going there.

Let’s move this along a bit faster.  Mom and Dad loved their gifts; we all enjoyed the meal; and then they were sent off to get started on their kid-free night.  You’ll have to check Mom’s journal for the details if you really must; but you won’t read about that here.  By then, we’d already missed the start of game night at the Inn anyway, so Michael stayed to help with the clean-up; and then we did our homework in the dining room while Grandma, Grandpa, and our uncles and aunts entertained Ethan, Ehlana, Zack, and Leah for a while.  All of the dinner guests, including Michael, went home shortly after we’d finished our studying; and then Ethan, Ehlana, and I got started on our ‘real’ studying for a couple of hours while Grandma and Grandpa visited with us and watched television.

That’s pretty much all of the news for today – or at least everything I’ll write about here.  Grandma and Grandpa took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana ready for bed; Grandma had a bedtime chat with Ehlana and me while Grandpa did the same with Ethan in; and Ehlana and I have been chatting while I’ve been doing a last bit of family business work and my usual nightly computer checks.  I should stay up and do more work, but it’s been a long day; and I want to be ready for another football game day too; so I decided not to do the extra family business work now.  I’ll catch up on the weekend instead.

Ehlana says ‘goodnight’, and suggests that you hop over to her journal for today too if you’re interested in the latest on her research in the lab or with her college studies.  Feel free to do that, and her work is really interesting – even though I don’t personally have any time right now to get involved in what they’re doing at the lab.

Anyway, I really do want to get some sleep now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Cassie's Journal - October 1, 2014

This has been an interesting first day of October; with a couple of top stories to report.

First up is the most obvious change around school and town today; and that would be the sudden appearance of orange on the teen guy fashion front.  Michael didn’t say a word to me in advance; but he was in on the plan that Tim talked all of the Grade Nine guys into doing with him; and some of the football guys dressed in orange too.  Whether they dressed head-to-toe in orange or only wore an orange shirt or hat; the guys all had fun with the launch of their new fashion theme; and enjoyed the attention they got from the rest of the students.

Rowen and I are happy to let the boys have their fun, but if Michael or Tim expect us to wear orange too; they’re going to be disappointed.  I might be convinced to hang a little stuffed pumpkin on my computer bag; but orange clothes would look atrocious on me – and on Rowen too.  It’s a safe bet that the majority of girls at our school will feel the same way; though there’s also a good chance that the younger boys all ran home to either search for orange clothes or ask parents to buy some for them so they could be as cool as the older guys appear to be to them.

You might be wondering why Tim and the other guys thought that this would be a good idea and fun.  They’re teenage boys – a ‘why’ isn’t required. ;^)

The other news of the day was from the ranks of the cheerleaders.  Jenny will have more details for us tomorrow, but her news revolved around her boyfriend, Lance.  Mr. Caldwell turned sixteen today; passed the test for that all-important second step in the driver’s license process; and picked Jenny up in his birthday present car after our practice.  She’s spending the evening at his family ‘estate’ along with his family and some school friends.  I’m sure that she’ll have an amazing evening; but it’s now having a boyfriend who can drive on his own and has his own wheels that really has Jenny fired up today.  I expect that we’ll see Lance around here more often from now on; and Jenny will definitely want to venture out into the world whenever they find time for date nights.

Compared to that, my personal day has been a bit on the boring side.  Rowen and I stayed in the background while the orange craze was launched; Jenny was the center of attention among the cheerleaders; and it was a work night for me from the time I left the school until now.  I did take a dinner break with Mom, Dad, and the twins; but worked pretty much non-stop the rest of the time until wrapping up the work for the day and helping to get Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night.

I’ve skipped over the weather report, and we’ve had lots of rain today and tonight, but since I was indoors most of the time; I didn’t really mind.  The rain didn’t arrive until after we got to school; so Tai Chi by the river was an option.  The only time I got wet was during the walk home, but a change of clothes and hot drink took care of that little inconvenience.

There isn’t anything exciting to report from the work or studying; and I’ve been in my Jacuzzi since tucking Ethan and Ehlana in for the night.  I’m multi-tasking the tub time with my bedtime computer checks and it’s time to get out of the tub and finish getting ready for bed; so I’d better finish this up and get on with that – especially since Wednesday night seems to be my only chance for extra sleep during the school week.

I’ll need the extra eye rest too if I’m going to be inundated with orange visuals for the next however long it takes for this fad to run its course.  If you know me in my future as you read this, and I have an aversion to the color orange; you’ll know where it came from! ;^)

That’s all for now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Cassie's Journal - September 30, 2014

Happy 27^th Birthday, Uncle Nick!

I’m sure that he’s had an awesome day; but I’ve had another really late night; so this is going to be a short report.

This last day of September has been beautiful; and we’ve really lucked out with the weather to end the month – especially compared to the cool and wet we had earlier that included rainy or cold football games.  Since that means we can be outdoors for Tai Chi by the river; I’m good with that continuing as far into the fall as possible.  Michael came over for Tai Chi, but we split up while having breakfast and getting ready for school.  We went in early enough to stop in and wish Uncle Nick a happy birthday; but then it was time for a fairly normal school day.  There was another football scrimmage at lunchtime, but Rowen and I were busy with our cheerleading practice.  That was outdoors too, and though I haven’t mentioned it before; we get quite a little group of spectators for those noon practices – particularly among the youngest girls.

I know, you’re thinking that it’d be the teen boys wanting to watch us, and some do, but we’re all also currently dating someone; so the other guys at least try not to be too obvious about appreciating the view.

Moving along, Rowen and I had band practice after school; and then I had a few things to do at home before going on to the birthday dinner party at the Ayres’ house.  Mom had gone on ahead by then with Ethan and Ehlana to help out with the cooking and work; so I was on my own while grabbing a shower and getting changed; but I still managed to get there in time to help out with the tail end of the kitchen work.  Dad and Michael met us there; and the fun was on again – though this time; that was only for about an hour for Michael and me before we needed to be at the church for our teen praise team practice.  We missed most of the cake, ice cream, and gifts part of the evening; and the after-dinner play time; but we couldn’t really skip the practice when we’re leading the service this Sunday.

That’s also why we had a long practice with extra teens around for a run-through of a couple of skits we’re doing to go along with the music and scripture readings.  Pastor John will have a sermon too; so I can tell you that the service this Sunday will go a bit long – even if we can stick right to the program without any extra action or a drawn-out sermon.

Again, moving along; it was time for Michael and I to do our homework after that; so we went to his house and got to work in the dining room.  Without being able to speed that up with a little Magi assist; it took a while to get a couple of our assignments finished.  That’s why we didn’t get much time for a goodnight cuddle session before I needed to be home again; and why I’m up really late again tonight.

In fact, other than the added bonus of being awake for the start of another month; this has been a near-repeat of last night.  Ethan and Ehlana had just gone to bed when I got home, so I went upstairs to say goodnight to them first; but then Mom did another long Magi lesson with me before Dad finished his work and they went up to bed.  I’ve been working on my studies and family business work since climbing into bed with Mandy, and while it isn’t after four; it is closer to four than three as I write this.  Even a junior Magi Master runs out of steam now and then; and right now – it’s then for me!

This didn’t exactly end up as a micro report; but I am done now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!