Round 28: Summer 2027
last update/next update
Caleb Moretti is 45, Cara is 38 and Anthony and Veronica are both 10.
(David is 45, Kirstin is 43, Evan is 38, Ione is 31, Nick is 24, Adelaide and Noah are both 9, Justin and Xavier are both 6 and Aurora and Bianca are both 9 months old)
(David is 45, Kirstin is 43, Evan is 38, Ione is 31, Nick is 24, Adelaide and Noah are both 9, Justin and Xavier are both 6 and Aurora and Bianca are both 9 months old)
Narrated by Cara Moretti
Up until now, Anthony and Veronica have been inseparable and really mostly played with each other. It's only recently that they've started to branch out. They still play together a lot but when they can, they now prefer playing with other kids.
Anthony has his cousin Noah over just about every day after school.
They never seem to get into much trouble at all, so if it wasn't obvious already, it's now crystal clear who is responsible for most of the mischief Anthony and Veronica get up to around here.
Especially given that Anthony is so often Veronica's victim these days.
Veronica is very close to Adelaide, David's daughter.
Those two together are somewhat terrifying. Veronica is cheeky enough without adding Adelaide into the mix, though I'm pretty sure Veronica is the ringleader.
Life is pretty good for us right now. Caleb and I both work weekends but our days off overlap right now, so we're fortunate enough that we can spend plenty of time together. Alone, even, which is new for us!
None of that time is being spent making any more babies. Caleb took longer to come around to the idea than I did but we're definitely done.
Caleb thinks he's getting too old to chase around after babies anyway, as much as he loves his new little nieces.
Even watching Ione and Evan with their kids is exhausting. I cannot imagine having four kids!
I can't believe they're willing to have us over with the amount of noise all the kids make when they're together. It's great when it's hot like it is now, because we can just send them all out to play in the sprinkler.
Aurora and Bianca are definitely beautiful little girls but they don't make me want another baby even a little bit.
Our family is definitely complete. I've got a son and a daughter...
...and I've got my stepson, Nick. What more could I ask for?
There's been such a change in Nick since the whole paternity drama with Adrienne was cleared up. That was such a cloud hanging over his head.
Even now that he could do anything with his life, the main thing he talks about is having a family. Caleb keeps telling him to ease up; he's not ready for Nick to make him a grandpa just yet! But Nick's not even dating anyone yet, so I'd say he's got at least couple of years before he has to worry about that.
I'm now a fully qualified doctor. It's so exciting to be finished after all that study and training. I love the job even more than I thought I would. I feel like I'm doing something truly important when I go off to work every day.
David has even brought up the possibility of me helping out in the training of medical students, perhaps a few more years down the line. After him, I'm the next most senior doctor, so he thinks I'd be the natural choice.
I think that's something I'd really enjoy - passing my knowledge and experience onto a new doctor.
I just hope whatever medical student I'm assigned is easier to work with than Josie. She was at our wedding because she was dating Nick at the time. so I've known her for years.
She is such a gigantic pain though. Caleb always really liked her and Nick is still on good terms with her but I don't see the appeal, honestly. I don't remember being so uppity when I was an intern.
It took me a good few years to convince Caleb to switch careers and I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to convince him to start his own business.
I can tell it's something he's interested in but he's worried about the money. We'd need to take out a loan and he's really reluctant to put us back into debt, when we've just crawled our way out of it.
I can see his point but I think he could make it back. And we spent $10,000 on medical school for me (and lucky I did it when I did, because it costs three times as much now), so I don't see why we shouldn't make an investment on something Caleb wants to do.
I think he's probably getting sick of hearing about it but I think it's such a great idea. It wouldn't even have to be a restaurant. He could open a bakery; we don't have one here, so he'd do great business.
The idea is definitely starting to grow on Caleb though. We had David and Kirstin over for dinner and he actually asked them what they thought of it.
Kirstin's dad owns a very successful diner, so she thought it was a great idea.
David was really encouraging about it too. Lila has worked some shifts there and David thinks a business might be something Anthony or Veronica could help out with when they're a little older.
Caleb's actually getting pretty excited about the idea now. It could be a great investment and he's finally seeing the potential.
Caleb did some research online to check out how much money we'd be talking about for what he wants and it turns out we were both really underestimating the cost! The interest from the kind of loan we'd need would probably kill us right now, so we're going to wait a couple of years and then re-assess.Extra:
I didn't see any reason why 10 year-old Veronica would bring 4 year-old Caitlin home from school, so this didn't make it into the update. But how funny is this kid? I love her so much!
And not so much funny as it is terrifying, this is the face Veronica made at Anthony to "torment" him.Notes:
- Title is from Those To Come by The Shins.
- Caleb rolled up the fear of having a baby after a couple of rounds of sporadically wanting another. So I guess he thinks he's definitely done, which I am quite satisfied with!
- Nick's still got the want to get married and have a baby. He's a Knowledge Sim with Family secondary but there are hardly any skills left for him to learn, so I guess he's focusing on other things!
- Cara's patient, if you're the type to be curious about such things, is the girl Susannah made friends with in the last Carmody update. She was just the first townie who strolled in who was wearing pyjamas that one might actually wear in hospital (ie. not lingerie).
- I threw in a couple more glimpses of the hospital in this update. When I finish, I'll probably post a lot tour of the whole thing but that mightn't be for a while. I'm very happy with how it's turning out so far so I'm trying not to rush it. The lots I hate the most are the ones I ended up rushing.
- I want to have Caleb buy the cafe he and Cara were eating in and turn it into a bakery. But WHOA, it's expensive; it's almost $100,000! If it was $50,000, I would have let them take a loan out and buy it but $100,000 is just a little too much for them. I think I might remove some of the expensive stuff in there and see how that affects the price.
I agree $100K is too much. If the loan was with Monique'e computer, the loan payment would be pretty steep.
ReplyDeleteDitto. I wouldn't like to go that much into debt again after just clawing my way out of it. The cafe looks nice from the small glimpses you showed. I hope they can eventually buy it.
ReplyDeleteThat is a scary pic of Veronica! She definitely knows how to torment folks! LOL
I like this little family. Drama free, for now :)
100,000 is WAY too big of a loan! I hope knocking some expensive stuff out of there will help it go down a significant chunk.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great idea having him run a bakery, seems natural.
The hospital is looking great, funny about Josie and Cara not meshing well. And Nick... aww, wanting his own little family. I'm sure there's a girl out there who would just eat that idea up!
And W-O-W Veronica... really quite frightful.
Yep, much out of their price range. I hope they can find something a bit more reasonable later. I love the peeks into the hospital. How much longer do you have for it?
ReplyDeleteLol, that last picture of Veronica totally made me twitch from fear, and then laugh really hard! I don't think I've ever seen that face before, although I usually don't let my sims do the torment action though, so I'll have to try it out... lol, that could make for a funny update... hmmm, I'm getting ideas now!
ReplyDeleteThat is a pretty pricey loan, and unless you put a hundred of those $1,000 loan shrubs, that would be way too much interest for them to handle at this point.
And on a side note, yay! Nick! All right, I'll stop now, to keep this from becoming another *EPIC COMMENT* lol :P
Veronica truly seems to be the brattiest of the twins. You have way too many of those girls. Elspeth Romilly, Veronica Moretti, Emma Gottlieb. The boys don't seem to be causing such chaos.
ReplyDeleteCara might not like Josie but she was just like Veronica when she was a child.
The picture of Caitlin was so adorable! That is something that fits 4 or 5 year olds to do so much! That picture reminded me of Helena from "Child of our time".
Flit
You know, something that might help with that bakery, if taking things out doesn't lower the price enough, there's a magic wand at MATY that reduces the price of the property.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved for them to open a bakery, but I agree with you that §100.000 is a little bit too much. The place you had in mind for them looked great!
ReplyDeleteI think your hospital is looking amazing. At times I keep wondering where you find the patience to build something like that. I have moments of creativity, and at those moments I like building something, but I never have the patience to build something huge!
Thanks for commenting everyone! Sorry for not getting back to you before now - I had work yesterday and then went out to see Toy Story 3 (which was very, very good).
ReplyDeleteLaurelCrossing, definitely! And I would be using Monique's computer too, so they'd definitely be plunging themselves deep into debt if they bought it as is.
Danielle, I think it should be more affordable once I take some of the stuff out. The piano's going to knock off a few thousand right there and I think the wall lights are very expensive ones too.
Veronica is a little brat. I have a lot of those!
Maisie, I think it will! I'm going to try it today to see what the effect is on the price. I was thinking Caleb will turn it into a bakery with desserts but also pre-cooked meals. It'll be nice for my Sims who can't cook to eat something decent for a change!
Nick's going to be so sweet once he finally gets that family he's been wanting (since Adrienne told him she was pregnant, so it's been almost two years now). I can't wait. :D
Apple Valley, I'm not sure how much longer I'll take on the hospital. It depends on how often I get into a building mood in the future. Could be another week, might be another couple of months!
Tessa, LOL, yes, Veronica will do that to people! Tormenting is fun. They even get positive relationship points from it, if I remember correctly.
I use Monique's computer for loans, so it would be even more difficult for Cara and Caleb to pay it back than you're imagining! It's super-high interest on those loans!
I almost didn't put Nick in this update but then I realised he hadn't made an appearance and I threw in a cameo, for all the Nick fans. :)
Flit, ha, yes, Veronica is definitely the brattier twin! I end up with a lot of 1 nice point Sims because of the way the game distributes the points. I actually distribute the points manually now, in SimPE, so with the younger kids, you won't see as many 1 nice-pointers, unless it makes sense that they might be, because the parents are mean. For example, Cordy and Eliot are both a little mean, so all three of their sons are too.
And yes, you are right again that Josie was very much like Veronica as a child! Cara's probably seeing Veronica with a mother's eyes, although she's fully aware of how naughty the kid is.
I haven't seen Child Of Our Time, so I'll have to look it up and see what you mean. :)
Christina, I've never tried that hack! I'll have to consider it if taking stuff out doesn't work, so thanks. :)
Tanja, I've still got the same place in mind for Caleb - I'll just have to see how taking stuff out/the magic wand works for them.
I don't really have the patience to build anything huge either, so I do it in little bits. When I did my primary school, I didn't really need much creativity as a lot of it was based on my work. I'm needing to use my imagination a bit more for the hospital but I'm just going slowly and working on it only when I feel like it. If you just take it one room at a time, it doesn't seem like such a huge task. :)
Caitlin doesn't remind me of Helena in the looks as much as in the silly "Little kid" waves and the fact she's being nice and polite to the bus driver and such
ReplyDeleteAlso, how cute are the little kids when they play with the sprinkler?
I love it!
Flit
Veronica will most likely be a monster when she ages up to teenager! Or she might use up all that evil energy and turn into a little saint. Either way, that last pic of her is really scary!
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone that 100K is a bit too much. I don't use Monique's computer for loans anymore because the interest is a killer. I use Cyjon's loan jar now, you can set the interest rate yourself.
Oh my, I am so intrigued with your hospital set up. I'll be waiting patiently to hear more about it. I love visiting your blog, it gives me new ideas every time I come read!
ReplyDeleteFlit, ah, gotcha! I'll have to check that out anyway. I love Robert Winston.
ReplyDeleteI love the sprinkler. It's not in enough of my houses, so I think Ione and Amelia will both have to get to work making some extras!
Sari, it'll be interesting to see what happens to Veronica when she grows up. I'm assuming she'll at least stop kicking people in the head, seeing she won't be able to play Cops and Robbers any more!
The loan jar ended up in my game with a house download but I haven't looked at it to figure out how it works. I really should do that. If it gives reminder pop-ups, I might start using that for my loans.
gallowaytownship, I'm glad you're interested to hear more about the hospital. I decorated a gyno office last night and will probably do another room today. I feel myself stalling a little after that but I will put up a lot tour when I'm done.
Caleb looks really cute with the longer hair! It took a second though for me to recognize him, lol.
ReplyDeleteAw, poor Nick! That's what I take away, lol. Wanting to start a family so soon is crazy. He's got plenty of time!
I always ignore it too, when the kids bring home someone so far outside their age range. Either that, or sometimes I imagine they're tutoring the younger ones, if it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI always find it interesting when they actually roll baby fears (especially when they're family Sims, which actually seem to be more often than any other aspiration). You could sit and analyze the crap out of these Sim wants and fears sometimes, lol!
Also just noticed that the back of Nick's shirt says "affliction" lol! He has been pretty afflicted, hasn't he? Poor boy!
Lunar, yeah, Caleb got his 45-year-old makeover! All my Sims get one but sometimes it's just me adding wrinkles. I like his new hair too but I had to get used to it on him!
ReplyDeleteI know, Nick is a nutter! I'm like, "kid, you're 24 with no girlfriend! Ease up!" He's living in a tiny apartment with Troy, so he's hardly in a position to start a family. I think he knows that, rationally.
Laura, yeah, if I could think of a reason that Caitlin and Veronica would hang out or maybe if they were related, I would have written it in something like that. But Veronica's probably the kind of kid who sticks her foot out to trip up little kids in the playground - not exactly the tutoring type!
Yeah, it's mostly Family Sims who roll baby fears with me too! Occasionally, Romance Sims but mostly Family. The last family I played was the Sitkos and David rolled one. As if he wouldn't be beside himself if Kirstin got pregnant again (she wouldn't be nearly so thrilled!)
Ha, I'd noticed what Nick's shirt said but I didn't think to relate it to anything in the story! He's been through a lot in his young life, poor Nick.