Cassie's Journal - February 3, 2015

Have I mentioned that I really need to re-work my schedule?  Yes, that was rhetorical, but it’s also apparently something I need to do sooner instead of later because I am totally burned out again tonight.

We had more snow melt today, but a freeze is coming back again at least for a couple of days; so it’s going to be very chilly around here going into the weekend.  I’m up late and writing this tonight because I had band and teen praise team practices to go along with the school homework and all of the rest of my studying and family business work.  It was a fun day even with all of the work; but the only reason I didn’t fall asleep in the middle of my work tonight is because I did the archive assignments first instead of trying to leave them for last.  That was a ‘them’ too, since I needed to finish the one I didn’t get done last night; and that just added more work to my to-do list.

At least I’ll be able to do my work and studies early tomorrow night.  We won’t even have a warm-weather excuse to skip our after-school work night this week; and I’m very okay with getting my work done early and heading off to bed as quickly as possible tomorrow night.

Going into nap mode for a couple of hours sounds great right now too, so that’s all for now; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Cassie's Journal - February 2, 2015

Happy 71^st Birthday, Grandma!

That should actually have a ‘belated’ added to it, since I’m writing this update on Tuesday morning, but you’re reading this in the future anyway; so I guess it doesn’t matter all that much.

It does matter that I need to get this done because I’m also in the process of getting ready for school this morning; so let’s move this into micro-update mode.

My Monday morning was fairly normal except for the added fun of a birthday phone call with Grandma – and Grandpa.  They’re having fun hopping islands along the east coast of South America and the southern Caribbean this week; and today is a play day for them as they celebrate Grandma’s birthday.  After getting that snow on the weekend; I wish I was with them! ;^)

It has warmed up again today, though; and the snow is well on the way to full melt-off – even though the temperature was only above freezing for a handful of hours.

I don’t actually have a lot of news from here at home.  The Super Bowl game was a big news story at school, but it wasn’t exactly a very exciting day of classes – possibly because a lot of kids, teens, and teachers were tired out after staying up late last night at various game day parties.

Michael’s parents had us at their house for dinner and the evening, and we had fun there; but it was also a fairly quiet night too.  Michael and I did our homework with Rowen and Tim; they headed for Tim’s house after that; we had dinner with Miranda, Jacob, and Rebecca; and then we had a play evening that included a nice, long music practice for Michael and me.  We practiced for band, the teen praise team, and had the first guitar lesson we’ve had time for in a while.  We then wrapped up my time there with a chat in the living room with his parents; and then I needed to get home and on to my usual nightly studies and work.

My Magi lesson, family business work, and language study all went great; though it also took me nearly four and a half hours to get all of that done.  My problem with getting everything done came from deciding to try and do my archive homework last.  That assignment was apparently more boring than usual; since one minute I was reading it, and the next; I was getting a Tai Chi wake-up call from Ehlana.

That’s also why I didn’t get the rest of my usual nightly computing wrap-up and this journal update done before going to sleep – and why I need to finish this up, get downstairs, and off to school now.  I am going to need to think more seriously about changing up my work and study schedule if I’m going to keep falling asleep like this; but that’s something to deal with later – when I’m not about to be late for meeting up with Rowen and getting to school on time.

That’s it for this morning; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Cassie's Journal - February 1, 2015

Today was Super Bowl Sunday; and I’m starting my update with that news because it means that football is finally over for another season!

I know, that won’t keep Tim and the other fanatics from living and breathing it between now and August anyway; but at least it won’t be an every weekend – or daily – drain of teen resources that can be better spent elsewhere.

Don’t give me that look as you read this in our future some day, Tim.  Some of us, including Rowen, think that you’re nuts to pick major football event watching over other activities – such as making out with your girlfriend.  Before you try denying that, let’s consider the evidence from today.  You spent a big chunk of the afternoon and all evening watching the game and most of the festivities both before and after the match.  In your case, that was mostly done at your aunt and uncle’s home while your house – and Rowen’s – was pretty much parent-free during all of those hours.  That seemed like a perfect opportunity for some quality alone time with Rowen; but you picked the football instead.

Don’t feel too bad – you’re not the only guy making that choice today.  I’m just including that little bit of commentary for the future entertainment value – though if you haven’t re-prioritized by the time you do read this; you might want to think about it!

I don’t want to drag out the football part of my report, and if you’re actually interested in the details; you can look them up elsewhere.  The only info I’ll add is that the Patriots had a come-from-behind win over the Seahawks with a score of twenty-eight to twenty-four; and most of the football fans at the Inn seemed to be happy with the gaming action.  To be honest, I didn’t really care about the game at all – I just had fun with Michael, Rebecca, and our families and friends while spending most of my time at the Inn helping out with the lunch and buffet rushes.

There wasn’t really a Super Bowl party at the Inn this year.  Miranda had a big-screen television set up in the dining room so that her customers could watch the game while having their dinner, and most of the late buffet customers stayed to watch the end of the game too; but it wasn’t a tickets-only, one meal event this time.  That made for a much busier night in the kitchen and dining room, and with so many people staying there late; the clean-up took a lot longer too.  Michael and I didn’t have zero play time today because of all of the work; but he’s happily willing to put in the extra time now to have a bit of extra money available for our March Break trip; and I’m good with lending a hand so that I can hang out with him even if that is while we’re cooking and cleaning for hundreds.

My day did start out with some fun – if you consider a bit of light shoveling and some snow play as fun compared to our usual Tai Chi work-outs.  There wasn’t a lot of snow to clear from the driveway and sidewalks, but it did need to be done; and Rowen and I had fun with that alternate exercise program – especially when Michael, Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden all came out to play for a little while before breakfast too.  We’ve had light snow falling for most of the day too, and that wasn’t the only round of shoveling that we needed to do today; but we only got a couple of inches total snow, and it wasn’t a problem for getting around or keeping up with the work.  It also isn’t likely going to be staying around long either; though the cold snap is probably going to last until Tuesday instead of Monday now.  It is supposed to warm up enough that the snow won’t hang around long; so the kids and teens should enjoy it while it lasts.

Other than the snow play and work, and having our sleepover guests to feed and share bathroom time with this morning; it was a fairly quiet morning at home.  The church service and Sunday school seemed a bit subdued too; but maybe that was just the perception I got from being around my own family and friends group.  Some of them were tired out from a day of shopping and birthday party fun – though again, I don’t need the details about that from any of the particularly tired-out looking adults I’m including in that thought.

I went on to the Inn with Michael and his family after church and helped out with the lunch rush that was actually very busy.  At least one group of customers had decided that having lunch at the Inn ahead of Super Bowl watching at home was a good plan; and we had a full dining room from opening until shortly after two o’clock.  That was why Michael, Rebecca, and I had shorter afternoon breaks than usual; and Michael and I met up with Rowen and Tim at my house and used up all of that time doing our weekend homework assignments.  Tim didn’t get his completely done then; but that was because he kept getting distracted by the pre-game action on the television instead of doing his work.

All of that work and studying was the main reason why I wasn’t on the snow crew this afternoon or evening; but Mom and Dad managed to take care of that without my help – and the play time with Ethan and Ehlana too.

The dinner buffet rushes at the Inn were a bit crazy.  The first wave started a bit early, with most of those guests wanting to eat and then move on to Super Bowl watching parties or gatherings.  The second wave that included most of the members of my family and quite a few of the business owners and their families started at the normal time; but dragged out for maybe an hour longer than usual.  That’s why Michael and I were busy in the kitchen pretty much until the game ended.  Rebecca was set free a bit earlier; but that was entirely so that she could hang out with Lucas and his family while they were at the Inn too.

It’s also why it was very late by the time I got home after we finished all of the work and had the Inn cleaned up and ready to go for the morning breakfast shift.  I didn’t even get started on my nightly computer studying and family business work until after midnight; and that’s why I opted for some time-phasing to help out with getting my work done tonight instead of staying up all night to keep up with the workload.  I won’t suggest that was fun, and neither was the studying or work tonight either.  It was all just things I needed to do before getting around to a last email check and this journal update.

Even with using the time-phasing for a lot of the work, it’s still well-past two o’clock, and after a long day at the Inn too; I’m pretty much out of steam now.  We’ve got a busy week ahead of us; so I’d better wrap this up and get some sleep while I can.  We won’t really be involved much in Grandma’s birthday tomorrow while they’re still away and having fun in the sunny south, but that will still make for a fun start to the week; and I’m particularly excited about ending the week with another birthday next Sunday – mine! ;^)

With a little luck, some birthday alone time with Michael will be an option next weekend too, and since that’s a very happy thought to head off to sleep with; I’m going to end this little update with that and hopefully take that thought with me into some very happy dreams.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Cassie's Journal - January 31, 2015

Happy 34^th Birthday, Patricia!

It’s been a fun day, and I’m sure that trend is continuing for Rowen’s Mom while she’s enjoying a kid-free night with her husband; but Rowen and I do not require the details about her parents’ post-party, overnight entertainment.

That’s also why it’s relatively easy for our parents to get kid-free nights for these special occasions – we don’t want to be in the same house while those adult-rated activities are going on!

We were good with the shopping day in Crystal Springs, though; so let’s get this update moving along with those highlights.  There wasn’t time for Tai Chi this morning because we needed the extra time to get ready and have breakfast before heading out of town and hitting the road for the big city.  Owen had to work at the computer store today, but we had a fairly large shopping group that included my family, the rest of Rowen’s, Michael and Tim, and a few aunts, uncles, and cousins.  The timing of the trip was convenient for some birthday fun, but most of us were there to do some shopping for upcoming gift needs and to pick up some new clothes that we’ll need for our March Break trip to Florida.

The trip to the Mall was fairly uneventful, and while Dad and Uncle Adam took a load of boys with them in Uncle Adam’s minivan; Mom, Aunt Leanne, and Patricia had Rowen, Ehlana, Naomi, and me with them in Mom’s minivan – at least for the trip to the city.  Rowen and I paired up with boyfriends for the trip home.  I won’t bore you with the details of the shopping, since half of the Magi reading this in the future – the male half – will not likely care about that any more than guys do in my ‘now’.  We had a blast, though; and even Michael, Tim, and the other guys managed to have some fun.  No, that wasn’t because their favorite girls spent some of the time trying on swimsuits; but that was an added bonus for some of them!

What I do want to mention is that we picked up a couple of months worth of family and friends gifts for upcoming birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and other events; and those of us who are going to Florida in March are all set with new clothes for that trip too.  That was a bigger deal for the teens and kids because most of us have already outgrown our summer clothes from last year; but the Moms in our group were also happy to pick out a few things – and Aunt Leanne chose some adorable new maternity clothes that she’ll grow into between now and then.  She’ll be five months along by then, and won’t be able to do a lot of the rides and other extreme activities; but she’s also going to be the hottest-looking pregnant woman in Florida while we’re there.  Yes, I’m totally biased; but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong about that! ;^)

We had lunch at the Mall food court for a break between the morning and afternoon shopping segments of the day; and then we made a fairly short stop at Wal-Mart on the way out of town for the usual supply run.  The birthday girl and some of the parents needed to be home early enough to get ready for their birthday dinner and night out.  Michael was helping out for the dinner rush at the Inn; and Rowen and I were on babysitting detail once we’d finished helping out with unloading the vehicles and getting everything put away at her house and mine.

My parents were on the guest list for the dinner party and play time at Sheldon’s Pub; and Rowen and I were taking care of the twins, Naomi, and Aiden tonight while they were out – including feeding them dinner.  That was comparatively easy after helping out with the bigger dinner last night; and it was easy to keep the four kids entertained all evening too – especially after Michael and Tim joined us and kept Ethan and Aiden happy with some pre-bedtime video gaming.

While we were having fun at home, the parents were at the Inn for dinner – going there after most of the stores in town closed for the night; and then they moved on to Sheldon’s after that.  The only change from other party nights was that most of the adults doing the celebrating with Patricia opted to head home again by midnight – mostly due to the risk of snow and icy roads from the rain that had been falling all day and the snow that was starting to fall by then.  The forecast is for a couple of inches of the white fluffy stuff overnight and through the day on Sunday, but since the temperature is hovering around freezing; the travel worry is more for having icy roads than from that bit of snow cover.

I’m okay with my favorite people being careful about that – especially when my parents both helped out with designated driver duties tonight and did some driving around out into the country tonight too.  They were both home safely by twelve-thirty – which coincidentally was when Michael and Tim headed home for the night.  Since Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden were all up and partying with us until nearly eleven-thirty tonight, that didn’t leave Rowen and I much time for cuddling with our respective boyfriends; but we took what we could get for that; and split up for the last ten or fifteen minutes so that the goodbye hugs and kisses were at least a bit hotter than they would have been if we’d waited to do that until after Mom and Dad got home.

Rowen and I had a little chat with Mom and Dad before we all headed for bed; so it was almost one o’clock by the time we were changed and had joined Mandy in my bed.  I got started on my nightly computing after that while Rowen’s been doing some YouTube surfing and keeping me entertained with both the videos and girl chat time.  That’s been fun, but we’re both getting tired out; so it’s time to start wrapping this up.  I am supposed to be doing a double update, though; so I guess we’d better make the Friday part of this report one of those condensed micro-updates.

We started out our last day of the work-school week with morning Tai Chi; Michael stayed for a quick breakfast; and then he moved on to home to get ready for school before hurrying there in time for his morning workout with Tim and the rest of their football fanatics.  It was a quiet day at school; and Michael, Tim, and Rowen came home with me once we were set free for the weekend.  There was time for some after-school play; Rowen and I helped Mom with making dinner for the gang we had over for our dinner and a movie night; and Michael and Tim kept the twins entertained in the lounge while we were busy in the kitchen.  Mom and Dad pretty much had the full, usual gang over for the dinner and most of them stayed for the movie too; though they did that in the living room while I had my friends, Ethan, and Ehlana in the lounge for the evening once we’d finished cleaning up after the meal.

There wasn’t a sleepover last night, but that was mostly because Rowen wanted to be home to do the birthday breakfast with her Mom this morning – and because Rowen was already booked to be here tonight anyway.  Michael, Tim, and Rowen did stay with me later than the rest of our guests did; though that was because they didn’t have babies or toddlers to get home and into bed.  They didn’t stay really late because of the shopping trip, but then I missed out on most of the teen fun after Ethan and Ehlana went to bed because of that whole falling asleep thing that I mentioned in my last update.  Cuddling with Michael up until I went into nap mode was fun; and waking up to his kiss when he was ready to head home and get me to go to bed was good too; though I still wish I’d stayed awake for all of that movie and teen chat time.  I need to get a grip on that before I start getting teased about that as often and Mom and Dad still get razzed about their previous tendency to have naps together during their months of dating.

Anyway, that nap time was pretty much the last bit of news from Friday.  Michael and Rowen wouldn’t let me see them out after Michael finished waking me up; and they sent me straight to bed before seeing themselves out for the night by a bit after midnight.  I vaguely remember getting changed and then crashing again after cuddling in my bed with Mandy; and then I was out until morning.  It never even crossed my mind to try doing any bedtime computing last night.

It is crossing my mind right now that it’s time to put this computer away and get to sleep.  We could have a busy morning if we need to shovel the driveway before going to church – or taking turns having a shower and getting ready for the day.  Whatever snow we do get probably won’t last long because it’s supposed to warm up at least a bit by Monday; but I guess it is nice to end January and start February with a bit of the white stuff on the ground.

We don’t have any plans for Sunday; though I’m expecting to help out at the Inn all day to make up for Michael getting to go with us for the shopping trip today.  We’ll need to do our weekend homework too, since we didn’t do that on Friday night or Saturday; but that won’t take long and we can get it done while on our afternoon break tomorrow.  I’ll do a weather update with the next report too; but don’t expect any major issues when at most we’re only supposed to get an inch or two of snow.  That’ll only be an issue if we end up with a bunch of freezing rain instead.

That didn’t exactly end up being a micro-update, and Rowen and I really do need to get some sleep; so that’s it for now, and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!