Ehlana and Ethan:
Happy 5th Birthday, Jessica Warren!
Happy 26th Birthday, Elliott Roberts!
It is currently late-evening and we are on the road from Charlottetown to Fredericton. We’ve had a long day already, but we caught a theatre show that was worth the trade-off for the late drive time. Before we get to our own news of the day, though, let’s cover the fun we missed at home yesterday and today.
Brianna’s birthday highlights included spending the afternoon at Quarry Lake; the weather was perfect for all of that fun and adventure; and then we also missed out on the birthday barbeque dinner and her girls-only sleepover. They couldn’t camp because they got rain overnight last night and through most of today, but with Naomi away; Eli hosted a gaming night for Zack and some of their buddies; so Brianna got a brother-free night too! We wouldn’t have stayed for that sleepover anyway if we had been home, but Naomi and I might have helped with the mini-makeovers and girl chat time. We might have joined in for the Tai Chi by the river this morning – if it hadn’t still been raining; so we didn’t miss out on that because Brianna decided to skip that workout and get the extra sleep. She did have a post-birthday breakfast that was a major event with her friends; and then the girls stayed together most of today and indoors while it mostly rained with just some breaks between the showers and thunderstorms. Cassie and Michael missed out on Elliott’s birthday party, and they likely would have been drafted to help with Jessica’s birthday party too, but we would have just had a lab work day if we’d been home; so this has been a much-better day for us!
As for our travel and work adventures since the last update; that first stop was for a great local cuisine dinner; the rest of our stops along the way to Charlottetown were all about cameo sightseeing moments; and then we did a late mini-tour around the city on the way to our hotel. Americans in general don’t actually know a lot about Canada, but little Prince Edward Island has a very big history with worldwide recognition. It is one of the locations where the founding documents for the country was negotiated, so there is a lot of Constitution-related history on display in the city; and the island is home to the location inspiration for the Anne of Green Gables books and movies and series. We weren’t in town for one of the theatre showings for the books-related musical, but then we would have picked the show we did see because it is directly related to 9/11. ‘Come from Away’ is the story of the little town of Gander, New Foundland – the community that took care of thousands of passengers that were stranded there when all flights were grounded after the attacks on New York and Washington. Thirty-eight flights were diverted to that airport; and the local people rallied to take care of their unexpected guests through until airspace was opened again for international travel. We loved experiencing that history from a perspective we hadn’t seen before; and the local theatre troupe was amazing!
We can say the same about the work and sightseeing we did for the rest of the day, and we had fun with the meetings, site visits, and checking out museums, parks, and the island coastlines. We would have loved to do some biking, since they have some amazing-looking trails – especially for the rural regions of the island, but maybe we’ll get the chance to do that someday in the future on a return trip! For a change, though, let’s mention the mundane of a major travel and work adventure. Yes, we helped Cassie and Michael for some of their work, but we also took turns with chores including doing a few loads of laundry and some supply shopping. We can be honest and admit that Cassie and Michael don’t need our help and taking six teens along adds a lot of cost to the trip, but we are really glad that we’re getting to join in on this kind of adventure. The chores will be our responsibility through until we get home again, but don’t expect us to write about that again unless something interesting or funny actually happens while doing those jobs! That’s enough for our news; so let’s cover the world news update; and then we’ll get back to the co-ed cuddling that the three sets of teens are enjoying while Cassie is taking a turn at the driving. Okay, Aiden is still cuddling with me as I write this and Ethan is holding Naomi, but you know what I mean; and cuddling should be a participation sport for everyone involved! ;^)
As for the top wars of the year, Iran and the United States are continuing their air attacks; threats continue on both sides; and none of our world leaders care about the costs to the people in the region- or anywhere else where economic consequences are affecting millions. There are horrific reports every day now out of Ukraine and Russia; there is definitely an escalation that may stay at a high level through to winter; and commitments to spend even more money to keep the war going is proving the sunken costs theory that keeps people doubling down on failed plans despite facts proving that cutting losses and moving on would be better for everyone involved. The NATO and European leaders seem intent on military build-up, but it remains to be seen whether that can actually happen without bankrupting the countries trying to do that in an economic environment of rising costs and contracting productivity and manufacturing capacity. Add in growing unrest among the people; and the war mongering elites might get a very different war from the one they want to have! Those leaders really should crack a history book or ten; since leaders in Europe have been known to enrage the masses and end up a head shorter than they ever expected.
That’s a dark note to wrap up with, but that’s all I want to cover tonight; so I’m out of here and back to the co-ed cuddling and teen chat travel fun.
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
