I'm keeping you

Round 34: January 2040 (Summer)

last update/next update

Jace Novak is 83 and Magdalena is 76. 

(Gordon is 44, Lia is 43, Maia is 38, Annabel and Georgina are 16, Gabriel is 13, Willow is 5 and Peter and River are 3)

Narrated by Jace Novak

Magdalena and I have been saving for a holiday for years and we’re finally in a position to afford one.

We were planning on visiting Cape Elizabeth and enjoying the beach but right before we booked, we changed our minds and decided on Three Lakes instead.

I was born in Three Lakes and lived there up until my mid-20s, when I moved to Sullivan permanently to be with Magdalena. But I've always wanted to visit again and Magdalena was keen to see where I came from.

As an added bonus, we’d get to escape the summer heat for a while. We've been avoiding it by staying indoors but it never gets very hot in Three Lakes.

Magdalena was excited before the shuttle even arrived. She had never even been on a plane before.

I didn't get really excited until we finally got to Three Lakes though!

The first thing we did was change into some warmer clothing! Maybe it’s because I'm an old man now or maybe I just forgot, but the place was a lot colder than I remembered!

Our hotel was on the main road but it still felt quiet and tranquil, just like it always did. I was glad that hadn't changed.

The air just feels fresher when you get away from the city.

Three Lakes has a lot of history that we were both keen to check out as well.

Magdalena and I aren't quite up for long hikes any more but the tour guide suggested a bird watching tour which might be more our pace.

That was a lot of fun. I definitely saw some species you don’t see in Sullivan.

There was even a place nearby that served lots of local dishes and I made quite a pig of myself with the flapjacks! Magdalena used to scold me about the way I eat but after almost 50 years of marriage, she’s resigned to it now.

We tried our hands at fishing too. Magdalena caught a rainbow trout, while I came away empty-handed. I thought I’d be a little bit more successful than that.

Still, it was nice to grill up the fish Magdalena caught and enjoy an early dinner.

We were happy to make use of the campgrounds’ barbeque but at this stage in our lives, we were relieved to have a comfy bed to go back to every night. Camping's not for us any more.

But we’re not so old we can’t throw axes with the best of them. Magdalena got a bull’s eye on her very first try!

Three Lakes makes a lot of money from the tourist industry, so there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy a little luxury.

I didn't really frequent spas and saunas when I actually lived there but it was nice to try something new.

We did quite a bit of shopping at the local markets too.

We've never travelled away from our kids and grandkids before, so we had to pick them up a few souvenirs.

As wonderful a time as we were having, Magdalena and I wanted to make it a short trip this time.

Maia is due with baby #3 any day now and we didn't want to be in Three Lakes if she went into labour.

Fortunately, we got back home a still-very-pregnant Maia!

Fortunately for us, anyway. Maia is more than ready to meet the baby and not be pregnant any more.

River’s always been the baby of the family, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to the new little one.

Willow is excited. She was telling Georgina all about how she was too little to remember when River was a baby but she has big ideas about “helping” with this one. She’d need to be a little bit older to be truly helpful, I think!

I know that Annabel and especially Georgina were lifesavers for Lia and Gordon when Peter came along.

Georgina still is; Annabel is now more interested in begging her parents for a car!

It’s hard to believe they’re old enough to be driving but they are. They’re (hopefully) off to college the year after next.

Gabriel is growing up so fast too. He’s only 13 but he’s already thinking ahead to college. He knows he wants to study some form of natural science.

Lia says he also has a “sort-of” girlfriend, Bianca. Bianca is her friend Ione’s daughter and Lia has known her for her whole life, so she’s not too worried about them.

River and Peter are three now and they get along so well. Lia and Maia grew even closer while they were pregnant with the boys, so it’s sweet to see that passed on to the kids.

This baby will be our seventh and likely our last grandchild. I always wanted a whole little team of grandchildren and now we have that.

Maybe we will be lucky enough to live to meet our great-grandchildren too. Not many are but who knows what will happen!

Extra:

Probably the last sim I expected to see talking about sex (with her children right behind her, no less) but Lia was apparently feeling quite bold! My sims never used to discuss memories in Sullivan 1.0 - only interests - so I was pretty excited to see this. I noticed it a few times after this, so it is apparently going to be A Thing now. I'm quite happy about that!

Notes:

• Title is from I'm Keeping You by Tanya Donelly.
• This was the first time I'd been on vacation in this hood and all seems to be well. I just have the mountain destination attached for now, because Jace and Magdalena happened to roll the want to go there. I'll add the other two as I need them.
• Putting these pics together though, I got all these ideas for improving Three Lakes. I'll have to write them all down so I can get to them one day. My main priority right now is moving all my sims back in. 
• That hair you see on Maia? I have that hair on so many sims right now, LOL! You haven't seen them all, as they're not ones I've used in updates (except for Camilla but that's her actual hair, so she doesn't count). Elspeth and Sophie have it, Caitlin has it, Ruby has it. I'll change them all before I get around to playing them but this mesh is my current stand-in for "medium length straight hair"!
• Annabel really does have the want for a car. She might want to roll the want for her family to move out of the bin first, then we'll see about a car.
• Did you guys forget about Gabriel and Bianca? I sure did! I went and read my last school update to see what was happening with the teens and remembered they'd started flirting a little. Aw. 
• Next time I play, I'm going to be doing the birthdays. :D So Maia's baby will be born, as well as Dominic and Leslie's twins. Dominic and Leslie still don't exist in Sullivan 2.0 but I'll get right on that.