Tuesday 13 September 2011

Stop my head

Round 32: February 2035 (Summer)
last update/next update

Caleb Moretti is 53 and Cara is 46.
(Nick is 32, Sarah is 30, Anthony and Veronica are both 18, Thomas is 4, Ryan is 3 and Catherine is 1)

Narrated by Cara Moretti

After 18 years of marriage and having kids in the house with us for that entire time, Caleb and I now have the house to ourselves.

It feels strange eating breakfast on our own but it's kind of nice as well. It was hard to have a real conversation with Caleb with Anthony and Veronica at the table, but we do it every morning now.

I'm also getting back into some old hobbies, with the purchase of my brand new piano. I haven't played since before I moved in with Caleb and I'm thrilled to finally be able to get back into it.

Not playing for over 20 years though, I was quite rusty! It didn't take me long to get used to playing again though.

When Anthony and Veronica moved out, we asked them if they'd agree to starting a tradition of Wednesday night dinners at our place and so far, so good. They haven't started classes yet though, so I expect they'll get busier soon enough and we might not be able to do it every week.

Veronica is majoring in education and minoring in art and she's so excited about her classes starting soon. She's already visited the art faculty several times and is beside herself with the facilities they have for students there.

Anthony was oddly quiet on the topic of academics, so I asked him if he was looking forward to his own classes starting up.

Veronica told us that Anthony hasn't checked out anything on campus but the bar and has spent most of his time examining the female population at Suffolk.

I think he'd rather just laze around for the next four years. He's so smart but he often doesn't work to his potential.

Anthony has been given a fantastic opportunity with this full scholarship and I don't want him to waste it.

He says he's going to get serious once classes start. I certainly hope so!

Since Nick and Sarah had kids, we've been using our backyard more, so we actually decided to make it look presentable. It's really nice to sit out there when they visit on the weekends now.

And it's convenient to be able to be in comfort and keep an eye on the kids at the same time.

Lately, Nick and Sarah have been talking about wanting a fourth child. It won't be for a couple more years, if it happens at all. Nick and Sarah aren't in any financial position to be having more kids at the moment.

Still, four! Two was enough for me - our family felt complete with Nick and the twins. But then Thomas, Ryan and Catherine are all such sweet little things and it's hard to blame them for wanting another.

In any case, they'd be happy if they never had any more but having a fourth would be the icing on the cake for them.

Caleb and I really enjoy having the kids over. Thomas and Ryan have started calling me Grandma Cara and I found myself not even minding. At one point, I really thought I would!

Caleb was so happy Nick and Sarah had a girl this time. He's loving having a little granddaughter to dote on in Catherine.

He adores all of them, of course. Several years ago, Caleb was trying to convince me to have another child. He really loves kids at that age and I think he was just missing it.

He's content to just be a grandpa now, rather than starting all over again with our own toddlers.

So much so that he was almost reluctant to go ahead with our planned weekend away, because it would mean missing a visit from Nick and his family.

Caleb was keen for that holiday about as much as I was though, so of course, we still headed off. We've never gone away anywhere just the two of us.


A few years ago, we would have had no choice but to go camping but this time, we were able to spoil ourselves and stay at a hotel.

It was an amazing hotel as well! They had a masseuse right on site, so we were able to start our trip in the most relaxing way possible. Then we were both ready to go out and see the sights.

We tried our hand at log rolling but that didn't last long.

Falling into cold, murky water in the middle of winter isn't as fun as it might have been when we were younger. We'll leave that kind of thing to the kids in the future.

Axe throwing was a lot of fun, though I think we would have thought doing anything where we got to stay warm and dry was fun at that point.

We really worked up an appetite though, so we headed for the only restaurant around to have an early dinner.

It seemed like a nice enough place and we were starved and definitely ready for a good meal.

After dinner, we sat by the fire in the lobby of the restaurant for a little while and just cuddled.

It was all very romantic and we were looking forward to enjoying the rest of our weekend.

In the middle of the night though, I felt Caleb tossing and turning beside me before he finally got up and out of bed.

Before I could ask him anything, he ran for the bathroom, where he started making some pretty horrible sounds.

Caleb didn't look well when he came out. He was complaining of stomach cramps on top of the obvious nausea.

I managed to get him back to bed, felt his forehead and found he was running a fever. It had to be food poisoning - those ribs he had back at the restaurant, I guess.

Caleb did get a little more sleep but the next morning, he still wasn't up to doing anything more than lie around in bed. He kept saying how sorry he was that he ruined our vacation.

I really didn't mind. I was just thankful that it didn't appear to be a very severe case. Most that I come across aren't but you just never know.

Seeing we weren't going anywhere anyway, I crawled back into bed with Caleb for a few hours. It wouldn't have been an awful way to spend a day, if Caleb hadn't been unwell.

Waiting for our shuttle the next afternoon, Caleb was still feeling a little queasy but much improved on the day before.

We've been back for a couple of days now and Caleb is feeling normal again, though he's still playing it safe and eating bland foods like mac and cheese, just in case.

We're going to try to go away again later on this year and cross our fingers no one gets sick or runs into any other disasters next time.

Notes:
  • Title is from Stop My Head by Evan Dando.
  • Both Caleb and Cara had the want to go on vacation, so I decided to ruin it with food poisoning. ;) Caleb rolled the Food Poisoning ROS this round. You guys all had me terrified about giving him food poisoning when I posted my ROS but I was very relieved when Caleb's case appeared to be quite mild! I gave it to him as soon as they got back from the restaurant and sent him to bed a couple of hours later. An hour after waking up, he was fine, all without ever vomiting or running to the toilet.
  • Cara was also promoted to Medical Researcher this round, which was not surprising, seeing she's Knowledge and is usually keen to skill. Caleb's promotion to Restaurateur was a shock though! Once I gave Cara her piano, he headed straight for it and earned the creativity point he needed (plus one more) and was finally promoted. He's now on par with his little sister Amelia.
  • And yes, Sarah and Nick want a fourth. Seeing Catherine was the wrong sex (I'm over it but I really did want that four boy family, lol!), they probably won't get a fourth unless they have another oopsie on BC. They are seriously poor at the moment - they have less than $500 in their household funds, with nothing they can sell - and another baby would necessitate a move. Sarah is a Hoarder, according to Apple Valley's Money Management Styles, and I can't see her willing to take on more debt unless she has to. For the curious, Nick is a Binger, so he's more willing to spend but is generally quite responsible with money.

21 comments:

  1. Eek, a fourth child!

    I love Cara's short cut; she looks so mature! I laughed at Caleb because I immediately thought of Montezuma's Revenge, the disease that Sims got when they went on vacation on TS1.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't believe that he got food poisoning on his vacation, but that happens so often, good thing his wife is a doctor. I like her new hair, it took me a while to recognize her as the doctor that delivered all the babies without her long hair though :P

    ReplyDelete
  3. LaurelCrossing, I know, Sarah and Nick are nuts, lol!

    Yeah, Cara got a middle-age makeover, which I often do for my Sims at 45, especially if they haven't changed their look for a while (or ever, in Cara's case).

    Forgot all about Montezuma's Revenge! It was much easier to have a crappy vacation in TS1, as I remember.

    Thanks for reading!

    Apple Valley, terrible timing, huh? I'm just glad he didn't die! I was so scared he would, after what a couple of you were saying in the ROS thread.

    Glad you like Cara's new look. It's quite different, for sure, but I think it suits her.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, that sucks that the vacation was ruined for them with food poisoning. I'm glad Caleb's still well and healthy though.

    I definitely wouldn't mind another kid for Nick and Sarah. But you're right, they should wait until they have their money issues sorted out.

    I love Cara's new haircut; makes her look older and more mature. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, too bad Caleb got food poisoning during their nice vacation. Glad he got well though!

    I would love to see another Nick and Sarah baby, but right now probably isn't the best time. Hopefully they can hold off on any surprise pregnancies until their finances get better!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh man when I saw that he had the food poisoning, I cheated and scrolled to be sure he survived! SO relieved that he did! Aww I can't believe you won't be giving in to Nick and Sarah! How sad, they have such cute little kids. It'll be weird not having Sarah in the maternity updates, she's been there pretty consecutively the past few years.

    Cara looks adorable in her new hair do, she's such a cute tiny sim. I hope Anthony will work hard once school does begin. It'd be too bad if he wasted his time there. I'm glad Cara didn't jump to have another kid, they are a sweet couple, and they've never had an empty house at any point, so this might be nice. (though for me, it's a nightmare! give me my babies and kids.) But hey, Cara works a big time job that keeps her plenty occupied.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sims can die by food poisoning? I never knew that. Is that in accordance with the realistic sickness mod?

    ReplyDelete
  8. coolkat2, yes, Caleb is okay and that's the main thing! I would have been so sad to lose him!

    Nick and Sarah make cute kids and I'm kind of curious about a fourth but it's just a really terrible time for them right now.

    And good - that was the aim for Cara's new haircut!

    Thanks for reading!

    Shana, food poisoning would be a fairly miserable way to spend a vacation (she says knowingly!) The good thing is that things are no longer so bad for Caleb and Cara that they'll have to save up for years to go on another vacation. They could go right this minute if they wanted to.

    Yeah, we'll see what happens with Sarah and Nick. I'm kind of terrified to play them. I think Sarah has been pregnant every single round since she got married!

    Thanks for reading!

    Maisie, LOL, you and your scrolling! I was pretty relieved myself.

    Even if I was 100% for Nick and Sarah having a baby, now is just a really, really bad time. I'm literally going to have to send them both to work before I can even buy a bed for poor Thomas - things are that skint! But you're right, Sarah has been like the star of maternity updates over the last few years, lol!

    I love Cara and her tininess too. It's funny but I made Veronica the same height but she just doesn't seem as tiny to me. Maybe she will next time I play her.

    As for Anthony, he's so highly skilled that he may just breeze through by autonomously going to class. I've got College Harder Grades though, so he'll have to actually work if he wants to get an A+.

    Caleb has sent a kid off to college before, so this is old hat to him now and Cara has plenty to do, as you say! So they're both comfortable with their empty nest. :) I think Caleb's brother David will have a tougher time when they send Adelaide off next year.

    Thanks for reading!

    LaurelCrossing, apparently it's a realistic sickness thing. I don't know if that was with an older version and mine has been updated or if I just got lucky!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like her new haircut too, though the first thing I noticed was the outfit, I thought that had been only for elders, so I freaked out a bit. Glad they're enjoying being empty nesters. I've never had a severe case of food poisoning myself, so I wasn't worried.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fini, LOL, no, Cara's got quite a while before she becomes an elder! She's several years younger than Caleb, so he's a lot closer than she is.

    I've never had a severe case of food poisoning either, so I wasn't worried until a few comments on my ROS post made me think I should be!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Poor Caleb. Thankfully it wasn't severe. I'd feel bad too but these things always come at the worse possible time.

    Cara does seem really tiny. It's quite cute. I imagine everyone being much taller than she.

    I hope Sarah and Nick don't have any more kids for a while. Imagine if they do have another kid. I feel like Catherine would have to be careful picking future boyfriends and that she might have to be a bit tough with that many brothers. Future tomboy, perhaps?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Poor Caleb, getting food poisoning on vacation! I'm glad he's ok now!

    As I said before, I can't believe Anthony and Veronica are in college already! It's good to see Veronica being so sure about what she wants to do. I think his parents would want Anthony to be just a little bit like that :)

    I understand it's a bad time for Nick and Sarah to have another child, but I'm hoping you will be giving in when their financial problems are out of they way. They make such cute kids!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Choco, true, so many people get food poisoning when they're on vacation, so it's realistic, if not particularly convenient.

    Cara is my tiniest woman, equal with Veronica and Kendal. So just about everyone is taller than her.

    I think Catherine definitely has the ability to turn into a tomboy as she gets older. She's going to have a lot of masculine influences around her as she grows up and Sarah's not a particularly girly girly. We'll see!

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, heh, these kids! They grow up fast, huh? Yeah, if Anthony at least nailed down a major, Cara and Caleb (especially Cara) would be happy. I can see him taking his sweet time though.

    Heh, I'll see about a fourth for Nick and Sarah. I really don't know. Despite what my hood would suggest, I usually don't let Sims try for a fourth unless there's a specific reason. Like if there are three boys/girls already, and I want them to have another. But you never know. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  14. OMG, food poising now! *shudder* Is it mortal in the original game, or do you have a hack as well to make it worse?
    Their holidays sounded nice, before that! :)
    I love the family reunion with the kids playing in the background. That's so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sandy, yeah, that's Realistic Sickness at work again! I'm glad it wasn't "at work" for Caleb this time though. :D I let him and Cara have one full nice day on holiday before I gave him food poisoning!

    Heh, you know I adore getting the grandkids to visit, especially Nick and Sarah's kids. So adorable!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Remember way back in S1 days with Vacation? It never failed. one of my sis always got food poising while on vacation. I would crap up with them int eh bathroom. But I do feel bad for Caleb though. lad he got better super fast!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Riverdale, LOL, not really much at all, until you and LC reminded me! I don't remember much at all about TS1.

    It's about the worst possible time to get food poisoning but the main thing is that Caleb didn't die, like I was so afraid of!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sucks that their vacation was ruined by food poisoning but so glad that Caleb is alright. At least they got to enjoy a little bit of their vacation.

    I also like Cara's makeover. She definitely looks more mature.

    I would love to see another kid from Nick and Sarah but I understand about the financial situation... and the state of your hood! If only their kids weren't so darn cute it'd make the decision easier! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Danielle, yeah, I was nice and gave them a full day of fun before I made poor Caleb get sick. ;) I'm sure they would have rather had me not make him sick at all but I must follow the ROS. ;)

    Oh, so true! Yeah, Nick and Sarah both have the want for another kid and I would love to let them but there are more reasons I shouldn't than reasons I should! But still, I locked the want. Just in case they have another oopsie, like Catherine was!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh wow! I can't believe they want a fourth kid!

    The food poisoning while on vacation was surprising, but also so realistic--I once got sick at the end of a vacation when I was a kid, and we had a loooong drive back home. It was a horrible ride.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Rachel, yeah, Nick and Sarah are nuts! They might be waiting a while for that fourth baby though, if I even let them have one at all.

    Food poisoning on vacation just sounds like the most miserable thing. It's bad enough when you're in your home city. It's definitely realistic though, when you're eating foods that are unfamiliar to you. Caleb came through unscathed, thankfully.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete