Cassie's Journal - October 17, 2012

This sure hasn’t felt like a normal Wednesday; starting from this morning; when I had a pair of hecklers trying to distract me while I was practicing my Tai Chi.

That was only fun because Patrick and Scott got frustrated when nothing they tried worked; though that minor defeat didn’t keep them from doing their very best to annoy Rowen and me until we left for school and they needed to play it cool while in public.  Getting away from that was good, but then we traded that for observing the ongoing Grade Seven dating game that, now that I think about it, is about as new, clumsy, and disharmonic for my participating classmates as playing musical instruments is for most of us.  I’ll just keep that little insight to myself; since I’m sure at least some of my friends would just decide that they need to put in extra practice time – and I’m not talking about improving their music skills.

The best part of my day started after school.  Rowen and I did a long snack and story time with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; getting the kid-rated version of Mom’s night in Crystal Springs.  Our favorite stories were about Aunt Leanne’s birthday dinner – including hearing all about how Angela and Terry’s first few weeks of parenthood were going.  It may have been Aunt Leanne’s birthday party, but Valerie was apparently the most popular girl at their table last night.  I’m glad that they all had a fun night, and still really don’t want or need to know the details; but Mom was not that happy because of a good meal with some of her favorite people and an evening spent with her and Dad each working in his hotel room.

Moving on, since our after-school break took longer than usual, Rowen and I didn’t have as much time to play as usual, but we still took Ethan and Ehlana to the park for nearly an hour.  Since Wednesday is a work night for Michael, he wasn’t playing football, but Tim Landry stepped up and helped Ethan with playing one down; but Ethan had everyone laughing when he fumbled the football – or basically dropped it – to one of the boys playing defense; and then giggled the whole time while Tim unsuccessfully attempted to stop the ensuing touchdown while still carrying Ethan.  Since that earned him some bonus points with Nora, I don’t think that Tim minded giving up the points or the razzing from the guys.

Mom had Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, Aunt Deborah, and Uncle Nick over for dinner, so after walking Rowen over to the computer store, I took Ethan and Ehlana home; and then helped with the cooking until Aunt Leanne came over after work.  Story time at dinner was more about the night in Crystal Springs and how Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah had done with their first overnight adventure with the twins.  By then, Aunt Leanne had heard about Michael’s lunchtime music practice with Rowen and me from somebody; and spent some time teasing me about that too.  After that, I’m seriously thinking about being sick for game night.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah needed to get to the clinic right after dinner, but Aunt Leanne and Uncle Nick stayed long enough to help Mom and me with the cleanup before heading out too.  Mom did a long Magi lesson with Ethan, Ehlana, and me that I was actually the one teaching to the twins while Mom supervised, and then we did the full bath and bedtime routine.  Mom and I both needed some Jacuzzi time once Ethan and Ehlana were in bed; and I’ve been working on my computer too since climbing into the hot, swirling water.

I’ve finished my archive reading and the usual nightly computer check, but need to get out of the tub now before moving on to my language studies; so I’m going to wrap this up now.

Say ‘goodnight, Cassie’.

“Goodnight, Cassie.”

Cassie's Journal - October 16, 2012

Happy Birthday, Aunt Leanne!

I’ll guess that by now she’s having a happier birthday than I need to know about, but hopefully she liked her birthday breakfast and our gifts too.

Mom had help for making Aunt Leanne’s big birthday breakfast, and my contribution was taking care of Ethan and Ehlana while she was busy.  Aunt Deborah and Patricia were both over early to help out with the cooking, and the rest of our guests were here by the time Uncle Adam brought Aunt Leanne over.  That was a blast of fun, but we didn’t really have all that long to get through eating, having Aunt Leanne open her presents, and getting everything cleaned up again before most of us either needed to get to school or work.

That was an awesome start to the day, and Rowen and I had fun all day.  Halloween is still a bit more than two weeks away, but with the festival behind us; Halloween was becoming the top news story around school.  We were happy to talk about that too, except for when it came to who was doing what with whom for the upcoming school dance or the Haunted Halloween Walk.  That wasn’t the main reason why Rowen and I were practicing in the music room for most of our lunch hour, but it was an added bonus.

Yes, Rowen, I’m getting to it right now; and I’m sure that Aunt Leanne will have lots to say about it when she finds out tomorrow.

We had company in the music room today, and he was definitely looking for a place to hide from the weird.  For Michael, the weird was his best friend having a girlfriend – which wouldn’t have been a problem if he’d just gotten with the program that Vanessa and Nora had set up for him and Tim.  Having Michael spend that time with us wasn’t without a bit of weird for me, but we practice during class two or three times a week, and once we started playing music; all three of us had fun.  I think Rowen had a bit too much fun, and may need to cut back on the time she spends around Aunt Leanne – especially now that she’s crossed over.  Because of that, until this archive is open for them to read some day; neither of them are going to know that part of the weird for me included sensing that Michael had picked hiding in the music room specifically because he knew that’s where I usually was on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime.

Big sigh; move along.

The travel plans included getting out of work early, and that actually worked out, since Mom, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne were on the way to Crystal Springs before we were out of school following an uneventful afternoon; and Ethan and Ehlana were with Aunt Deborah.  Rowen and I went to the computer store from school; did our homework; and then I helped Rowen out with her usual Tuesday night work.  We helped out with making dinner too after getting home, and after dinner; we went to Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah’s house for a little play time with Ethan and Ehlana.

The twins were having a blast, and Rowen and I are having a good night too except for two little problems – Patrick and Scott.  We weren’t surprised that Patrick had invited Scott to stay overnight too, but we were both wishing that we were old enough to stay at my house on our own by about two hours ago – and they’ve just gotten more annoying since then.  If this was a practice run for their Halloween monster act; they’ll win the scariest costume prizes at school for sure – and they won’t even need to dress up!

After getting back from our visit with the twins, we watched a bit of television with Rowen’s parents until a manly gaming session broke out; and then we decided that hanging out in Rowen’s room would be more fun.  That’s been true whenever we didn’t need to deal with the spying, pranks, and regular intrusions from the boys.  We practiced our sax and flute for a while; played on our computers; and listened to music.  I haven’t really done any work, except for dealing with a couple of family business email, and once I get this done; we’re going to shut down, get into bed, and hope that Patrick and Scott will leave us alone for the rest of the night.

I haven’t heard from anyone in Crystal Springs tonight, but didn’t expect to; and really don’t want to know what my parents or aunt and uncle are doing now anyway.  At least Dad knew that Mom was going to be there tonight, so maybe he got extra sleep last night.  That’s not anything I want to be thinking about before going to sleep, so I’m going to wrap this up now, and hope that Rowen and I are off on some other train of thought by then.

Say ‘goodnight, Cassie’.

“Goodnight, Cassie.”

Cassie's Journal - October 15, 2012

We started out today with a very busy morning.  First up was seeing Dad off on his week in Crystal Springs, and while we were doing that, Grandma and Grandpa stopped in to say one last goodbye to us before heading for the airport and the first month or so of their vacation in Arizona.  Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I had a little nap together after that; and then got on with our normal Monday morning routine.

The talk around school was mostly about the fall festival and our football team’s road win on Friday night that probably had the lowest fan attendance of the year thanks to the festival and teen dance.  Since they’d missed all of that fun at the park, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Kyle Landry and the rest of our players took that out on the Varney team.  They only gave up seven field goals in the sixty-six to twenty-one win.

If there were any doubts after this weekend that Michael had blown things with Vanessa; it was clear today that she was done chasing him.  Michael probably should have at least attempted to be crushed, but he didn’t; and that just made Vanessa mad at him too.  You’ll never see me defending how tween and teen guys act, but I’ll also never understand why some girls seem to need to see boys pining over them or suffering when they’re in trouble or break up.  Anyway, at the other end of the dating game scale, Tim and Nora were very happy today, and joined the ‘couples club’ for the walks between classes and during lunch.  That likely made things a bit weird for Michael too, but at least for today, he just seemed to be happy about not being in Vanessa’s crosshairs anymore.

The actual work part of our school day was uneventful, but seemed a bit longer than a usual Monday because of the contrast to a three-day power play weekend.  After being set free, Rowen and I went to my house; did our homework; and then took Ethan and Ehlana to the park.  After five days with the field off-limits to the kid and tween football fanatics, we weren’t surprised to see a big turnout for the pick-up game today.  There were more girls there spectating too, and we ended up spending nearly a half hour there while Ehlana was happily passed around, and Ethan got to play for two downs instead of just one like usual.  We went for a walk along the river after that, and then wrapped up our after-school play time with some swing and slide action before going home again – or to the computer store in Rowen’s case.

Tonight’s easy-dinner and Magi Healing lesson were fun, but the big surprise for Ethan, Ehlana, and me came after Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne went home; and Mom advised us that she and Uncle Adam would be taking Aunt Leanne to Crystal Springs for a five-star dinner and hotel sleepover after work tomorrow to celebrate her thirty-first birthday there with Dad.  It’s still going to be a surprise for Aunt Leanne, but Rowen’s parents are in on it because I’m booked to stay with them; and Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick will have Ethan and Ehlana.  They’re apparently joking about this being a test run for their impending parenthood, but they have had Naomi overnight before; so I’m sure they can handle the twins without any problems – especially since Ethan and Ehlana won’t have to act their age around them at night.

We were given the heads up mostly because Aunt Leanne is going to find out about it at her birthday breakfast at our house; and so I could pack an overnight bag to leave with Rowen’s parents; since they’ll be coming for the breakfast too.  I took care of that after helping Mom with Ethan and Ehlana’s bedtime routine, and I’ve been working on my computer since doing that and getting ready for bed.  I’ve got extra studying to do tonight too, but took a break to do this after finishing the archive reading that Mom assigned to me after our healing lesson.  I’ll move on to my language studies next, and since I’ve nearly mastered Portuguese; I’ll combine that with my nightly news, sports, and entertainment checks while doing a live chat.  It’s already after midnight, so I’d better get to that.

Say ‘goodnight, Cassie’.

“Goodnight, Cassie.”

Cassie's Journal - October 14, 2012

There is absolutely no weirdness to report for today!

That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any – after all, where there are tweens and teens; there will be weird.  It does mean that Rowen and I had a weird-free day.  I haven’t gotten to spend much time with Violet this weekend, since she’s mostly wanted to hang out with Dillon; but we have at least had fun in the mornings; and yesterday while she and Dillon played with us at the festival.  Dillon was working a full shift at the Inn today, so Violet went home early; though she stayed and did a long Magi lesson with Mom after lunch before heading out for Woodvale.

Rowen and I did our goodbyes with her after lunch, and then we went to the park with Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana for one more afternoon of rides and games.  Dad was mostly there to keep the twins entertained while Mom was busy with Violet, and he took them home again at around two-thirty so they could have a nap and he could get back to the work he needed to get done for his week in Crystal Springs.  Rowen and I had played with them until they left, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon going on most of the thrill rides, and other favorites like the bumper cars and funhouse.  We both needed to be home in time to get ready for family dinners, but by then, we’d both pretty much hit our weekend fun limit anyway.

I didn’t really think about it at all until dinnertime tonight, but Grandma and Grandpa are leaving for Arizona in the morning; and our early buffet at the Inn family meal was mostly for Grandpa’s benefit.  He tried to assure us that buffets at the Inn and Olde Bakery treats were now second and third on the list of things he missed most about home while they were away, with grandchildren now being number one; but Ethan, Ehlana, and I aren’t sure about that, since he was trying to convince us of that while finishing a second helping from the buffet table followed by two plates of desserts.  Since we did get extra hugs, kisses, and an early bedtime story from him before he and Grandma needed to go home and finish getting ready for their trip; we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

After dinner, we went for a walk to the park on our way home, mostly so Ethan, Ehlana, and I could watch a bit of the post-festival tear-down action.  We didn’t stay long, and did the early story time at our house, along with a little visit, before Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, Aunt Deborah, and Uncle Nick all went home.  Dad still had more work to do, so Mom did a Magi lesson with Ethan, Ehlana, and me after that; I helped her do the bath and bedtime routine with the twins; and then I came up to my room for another Jacuzzi session.

I’ve been multi-tasking again, and have my usual nightly computing finished.  Violet got home safely; I confirmed that Aunt Grace and Mark are getting together next weekend; I’m caught up on news, entertainment, and sports; and once I wrap this up, it’ll be time to get out of the tub and finish getting ready for bed.  It’s funny that three days of fall festival fun has me more ready for an early bedtime than weeks of work, but I’ll take the extra sleep time anyway – especially since I’ll need to do more work this week while Dad’s in the city.

Say ‘goodnight, Cassie’.

“Goodnight, Cassie.”

Cassie's Journal - October 13, 2012

Before I get to today’s report, I’d like to point out, yet again, that I’m only ELEVEN.  Violet didn’t verbally answer me when I asked her about the dance set-up last night; but her expression made it clear that she, Stephanie, and Aunt Leanne were all in on that little matchmaking moment.  Yes, I’ve occasionally been complicit in other matchmaking efforts, but not with any eleven-year olds; and though Violet was set-up with Dillon for that March Break dance; I had nothing to do with that at all.  The ‘shoe on the other foot’ argument does not apply here.

I started with that to get it out of my system, but also because that’s about where my day started and ended.  The only difference between this morning and tonight is that I was dry this morning – at least I was when talking about it with Violet when she, Rowen, and I were getting ready for the day between Tai Chi and breakfast.

The rain did come off and on today, but there were a few times when it was coming down hard – once this morning; again late in the afternoon; and one last blast of extreme wetness tonight.  We were still at home when the first little storm rolled through this morning, but we got a bit wet before we could take cover this afternoon; and those of us who did not get a ride with Ethan and Ehlana in the van when we left the dance got soaked during our walk home.  Rowen and I were in that second group, but I’m jumping ahead again, so let’s wander back to this morning.

The morning rain storm made for a later-than-planned start to our day at the fall festival, but that worked out better for everyone except the people actually working there.  When we did get to the park, with the ‘we’ including Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and Dillon; we started out with a tour of all of the exhibit and event pavilions.  Ethan and Ehlana especially loved the puppet and kid’s music shows; the talent contest; and the displays of everything from prize-winning giant pumpkins to baking and crafts of all kinds.  By the time we made it to the midway, the rides were mostly dried off, and we were able to play for nearly an hour before the next round of rain showers moved through.

That was pretty much how the rest of the day went for us – switching between playing outside and hiding in pavilions whenever it rained.  Rowen and I spent the morning with Ethan, Ehlana, and our favorite grown-ups, but were on our own from after lunch until dinnertime.  The twins took Mom and Dad home for an afternoon nap so they’d all be ready for another evening at the festival, but we had a big group together for dinner that included Naomi and her parents; Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah; and the Drapers.

More festival food, shows, rides, and games kept us busy until the dance started, and it was then that the weirdness resumed for Rowen and me.  The top news stories for Grade Seven students were that Tim and Nora were officially a couple, while word among the girls was that Vanessa had given up on Michael, and was now in search of a brighter, more mature guy.  Since Michael was currently the only unattached boy in our grade at our school; that meant looking in the direction of visiting guys of appropriate age, or the few single boys in Rebecca and Jenny’s class.  Since we saw her dance with several boys tonight, I’d say that Vanessa is well on the way to being over her disappointment with Michael not being all she wanted him to be.

This is the point where I’ll mention that I really wish she’d waited a bit longer before giving up on him.  You probably don’t need more than one guess to know why.  That’s right, my dear Aunt Leanne orchestrated a second set-up at the dance tonight, and even worse; she recruited Miranda for her co-conspirator.  I’ll give Dad the benefit of the doubt, since he looked as surprised as I was when Miranda smoothly made the partner switch.  So there we were, dancing again for the second time in two nights, and I’m stuck playing my usual cheery self so I don’t hurt Michael; when what I’d like to do is find anywhere else to be so my favorite matchmakers can’t continue to put me in these situations.

At least it was more than half-way through the dance by then, though it had been shortly after the Stones got to the dance after closing the Inn for the night.  I’m sure Aunt Leanne continued to look for other opportunities, but I was a lot more careful after that, and Rowen helped keep me out of any matchmaking trouble for the rest of the dance too.  That pretty much brings us back around to the wet walk home.  Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam were with Rowen and me; and we had Stephanie, Jake, and the rest of his family with us as far as the Stone’s house.  Violet and Dillon got the last two spots in the minivan, according to Aunt Leanne, because she didn’t want to be responsible for ruining their cuddle time because of being too wet.

It was because Aunt Leanne was there that I included Michael in my part of the quick round of goodnight hugs we shared before they all went into their house, but my attempt to keep her from teasing me if I hadn’t hugged him too didn’t work out.  She instead teased me about not kissing him goodnight too until Rowen and I were able to escape at my house while Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam continued on to their place.  I’ll pretend that I don’t know what they’ve been doing to get warmed up and dry.

Rowen and I both wanted to get warmed up too, but we took turns doing that in my Jacuzzi, so we weren’t dry until after our baths.  Mandy kept me company while Rowen took her turn in the bathroom first, and then she cuddled with Rowen while I was in the tub.  We thought about watching a movie once I was ready for bed too, but decided to just cuddle in bed with Mandy and do a little repeat of last night’s telepathic chat and computing.  We spent a little time talking about the kid and teen news of the day, and about whether there was anything I could do short of using a little Magi power to keep Aunt Leanne from continuing her matchmaking efforts, but mostly we just talked about the best parts of our day – which had turned out to be a lot of fun despite the rain and occasional weird moments.

There’s still one more day of festival to go, and we’re going to call it a night now so we’ll be ready for another blast of fun before we need to get back to the real world again on Monday.

Say ‘goodnight, Cassie’.

“Goodnight, Cassie.”