Sunday 16 June 2013

Future reflections

Round 34: May 2040 (Autumn)


Araminta Romilly is 77, Victoria and Finn are 39, Caitlin is 17 and Keira is 9.
(Rebecca is 31, Declan is 19, Brendan is 17 and Annabel is 16)



Narrated by Caitlin Romilly

For Mother’s Day this year, Keira and I took Mum to a day spa that just opened not far from our house. 


Mum wanted to go for a massage first, which I wasn’t really interested in doing, so Keira and I went exploring instead.

We ended up hanging out in the hot tub for a bit…

…and then checking out the zen garden out front.

We also bought Mum a little bottle of perfume from the gift shop, which Keira picked out. 

I did try the sauna too but honestly, it was just uncomfortable. I have no idea how people find that a relaxing thing to do!

We joined up with Mum again to head to the salon. She was very chilled out after her massage.

Keira had some pretty grand designs for herself at the salon but Mum made short work of that.

She had her hair done and was allowed some clear polish and sheer lip gloss and that was it. 

I could get whatever I wanted done but I’m not into wearing a lot of heavy make-up anyway (nor is Mum), so it was still pretty subtle. 

It was just fun to be pampered a little, really. 

Declan went in on the spa day with us, though he elected not to join us. We met up with him back at home for a family lunch, along with Grandma and Dad.

Declan often brings Jessica along with him when he visits but obviously, she spent Mother’s Day with her own mother.

Much of the lunchtime conversation centred on Declan’s studies and my upcoming ones. I’ve been accepted into Suffolk but have no idea what I want to study yet.

Dad isn’t thrilled about that but Mum is a little more understanding. She nailed down a major pretty quickly but didn’t know what she wanted to do with it until after graduation. 

If Dad ever starts nagging me about figuring out what I want to do with my life, Mum can usually put him back in his place.

Dad’s very excited for me; he just doesn’t quite understand how I can have no clue what I want to major in. He knew before he started, as did Declan.

I’m not too stressed about it. I’ll sort it out eventually.

Keira is very much looking forward to me going to college because she’ll have the house to herself.

She always has loved attention, so I’m never really surprised when she comes out with that. 

I like to respond by telling her that she’ll probably have to do all my chores on top of her own.

I actually get along with Keira pretty well but ribbing her is a little too tempting sometimes. She’s kind of gullible.

Brendan found out that he got into Suffolk as well but unlike me, he has everything all sorted out. 

He wants to study political science and eventually get into the SCIA. I’m a little jealous he’s so sure.

I was pretty glad when he told me what dorm he was going to be in and it wasn’t mine. He’s going to be at Novak and I’ll be at Moretti.

I’m okay with him dating Georgina these days but it still seems like it could get awkward living together. Plus, I don’t really want to spend every day hanging out with my ex, even if he is my friend again now. 

Annabel is sad that I’m going off to college and leaving her behind next year. She still has another year of high school left.

She actually does want to go to college - more for the experience than anything else - but she’s not sure she’ll even get in.

I totally think she could. My SAS score was 51 but you only need 40 for admission. 

She says her mum is certainly doing her best to make sure she gets her score to at least that level. She is very keen for Annabel to get a degree.

Annabel and I are similar in that neither of us have decided what we want to do with our lives yet. It’s nice to know that if Annabel does join me on campus in ‘42, I won’t be the only one without a major decided!

My main problem is that there are just too many things I’m interested in! Grandma used to be in events planning and I’ve talked to her a bit about that. 

I think I could enjoy that kind of work. Helping people plan parties and other kinds of lavish events. It sounds like a lot of fun to me.

Grandma says it’s not quite as glamorous as I probably think but she did love the work when she did it. 

But then my aunt Rebecca talks a lot about her job in psychology when she comes over and that sounds like it would be really interesting as well.

Meeting all those different people and dealing with something new every day. That’s what I really want out of a job. 

But Aunt Rebecca advised me not to rush into picking something if I’m not sure and to just take my time.

That sounds like sensible advice to me, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Hopefully, Mum and I can keep Dad off my back until I get it all sorted out!

Notes:
  • Title is from Future Reflections by MGMT.
  • The day spa is a lot makeover I did for N99. The challenge was to turn the Veronaville Villa into a community lot. I'll stick the tour up here eventually, so you guys can see it too. :) This was its very first play test, which I didn't really think through. There was basically nothing for poor Keira to do there, because I forgot kids can't go in hot tubs or saunas. They can't even rake the sand with the zen garden. So she was a little bored, I imagine!
  • Caitlin's SAS, as mentioned in the update, is 51. That easily gets her into college but doesn't qualify her for any discounts on tuition. For comparison, Declan scored a 58 - that got him half-price tuition. 
  • Caitlin's personality is suited to an absurd amount of jobs! She scores 5/5 for at least 6 or 7 jobs and 4/5 for many, many more. She has some big decisions ahead of her!
  • Can you guys believe it's time for Caitlin to go to college?!

22 comments:

  1. Wow, I can see why she's undecided, so many choices and opportunities, sometimes it's more overwhelming to have the world at your feet than to not have any opportunities. I'm sure it will all turn out once she enters university.

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    1. Yeah, I think having too many options and not enough can both be a lot to deal with, in different ways. I have my top three jobs that I'd like her to go into, so I've narrowed it down somewhat! I'm hoping to pick one for her by the time she starts university.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  2. I cannot believe that Caitlyn will be off to college! It's crazy how fast her teen years flew by. I still haven't fully accepted that Declan was in college, let alone that she's about to be. I am looking forward to seeing more of Kiera though, without all those great looking older siblings in the house, I imagine she will get more of the limelight.

    The day spa looks great, kids really did get the short stick when it comes to the activities on that lot. But I can't imagine too many kids excited about a spa anyway, so maybe it's sort of realistic.

    I can see why Caitlyn has a difficult time deciding, I have a hard time making a decision when there are two options sometimes, I couldn't imagine having as many choices as her! Taking it easy is a wise choice, hopefully Finn will relax and realize that too. He reminds me of his Dad the older he gets, very sweet.

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    1. I know! Even with my long hiatus, it still feels like Caitlin is going off to college too soon. I'm actually really excited to send her though. :) And yes, I imagine there will be more Keira once she's the only kid in the house.

      Very true! Day spas aren't really designed with kids in mind. ;) Keira will probably enjoy it more in a few years.

      I was watching a TV show last night about the way our brains make decisions and I thought of Caitlin, because they mentioned the more options there are, the more difficult it is (which seems obvious, but it was interesting the way they talked about it). Finn's too sweet to be too much of an ogre about the whole major thing, so I think that will be okay. He's always looked so much like Henry! I should have put glasses on Henry when he was alive to do a true comparison, because I don't think he inherited anything from Araminta at all!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  3. Wow, Caitlin's going to college?! It feels like she just started high school. It's understandable she doesn't know what she wants to do yet, it's pretty hard to decide your future at 17.

    I can't wait to see the tour of the day spa, from what I can see it looks great.

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    1. They grow up fast, these sim kids! I can hardly believe Caitlin is off to college myself. She has a good head on her shoulders, so I don't think it will take her too long to decide once she's on campus and can assess the classes properly.

      I'm planning on putting the tour up in a few days. I'll have to set a reminder for myself so I don't forget!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  4. Looking forward to the lot tour! Isn't it sad sometimes how many activities kids can not join in with?
    There are interesting times ahead for Caitlin, indeed!

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    1. I know, there are so many things kids can't do. The hot tub and sauna are kind of understandable but why on earth can't they play guitar or drums? It would have been so adorable. Perhaps they could have made little child-sized versions, if necessary. But I guess that's not going to happen now, lol!

      Caitlin's got a lot on her plate right now but it's all very exciting. I'm looking forward to sending her to college.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  5. Caitlin is very pretty! I love the part when Keira looks too excited for her sister to head off to college.I would think she would be bored to death with her parents and grandma.

    Hopefully, Caitlin will have better insight into what she wants to pursue, but I think after she dabbles in a few college courses, she'll have a better idea.It's great that she is at least seeking advice from family before getting there.But I think ultimately her mom is right in telling her that she doesn't have to put so much pressure on herself.I look forward to seeing her in college next fall.

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    1. Caitlin is definitely one of my very favourite sims! I really didn't think Finn and Victoria would create such gorgeous kids. Keira was about what I was expecting, to be honest (and she turns out just fine as a teen, by the way).

      I don't think Keira is thinking through this whole Caitlin moving out thing! She's thinking of extra attention but I think she's going to miss Caitlin a whole heap once she's gone. She definitely misses Declan. Once he left after his visit, she rolled up a whole bunch of wants for him.

      Caitlin's got a lot of family support behind her, so I think she'll do just fine whatever she decides next year. I think the most important hurdle was just getting into college and she's done that. She can sort out the finer details a little later. :)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  6. I can't believe Caitlin is already going off to college! She does have some big decisions to make, but she'll figure out what she wants to do. The spa looks great! And it still makes for a nice mother/daughter day out, even if Keira didn't have much she could do. :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I know, Caitlin's almost grown up! She's as tall as Victoria already, which I didn't really notice until I saw how she was towering over the kid on the cash register at the spa!

      The spa was fun to do. I've started over with my CC but I'm adding a little more with each play session, so it's starting to feel more like "my" game again. I'm sure Keira just enjoyed spoiling her mum, even if there wasn't much for her to do! I would have been pretty happy just wandering around for a while at her age, I think.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  7. I have no discipline! I came here to catch up because I knew I was 2 updates behind, but then I find a third update, with Caitlin, and... I just can't resist to her little freckled face! She's really one of my very favorite Sims of yours! So, I'll catch up with the previous chapters later! ;)
    Awww, that idea to take their mom to the spa was so cute! And your spa is so lovely!
    Caitlin to college already!!!! I always see her as a kid! Geeez, all these options! I'm excited to see how it will go!!! She will rock the world anyway. :)

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    1. I'm glad everyone else seems to like Caitlin as much as I do. I always love playing her and seeing her turn up as a visitor on other sims' lots. There probably aren't too many other updates for you to catch up on. I'm going pretty slowly, seeing I have to decorate a new lot for every single update at the moment!

      Thanks for the compliments on the spa - I think it turned out pretty well. :) There'll be a full tour of it in a few days but I think you may have seen it on Tumblr already!

      I still remember Caitlin's toddler days so clearly, so it's kind of amazing that she's at the point where she's considering college and career options now! I'm sure she'll be a success, no matter what. :)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  8. The spa looks amazing and it looked like such a nice outing. I am excited about Caitlin going to college and I think her aunt gave good advice about taking her time figuring out what she wants to do.

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    1. Thanks, I'm glad you like the spa. I think it turned out pretty well. There'll be a proper tour going up today. :)

      I'm really keen to send Caitlin off to college and see what she gets up to but it's so far away! I don't think she'll allow herself to be pushed into making a decision too quickly - she knows her aunt has given her good advice. :)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  9. I really liked the mother's day outing! And I really hate that EA banned the children from so many objects!
    I really like the idea of a day spa in general - adding it to my to do list

    I'm still having trouble believing that Declan is in college, so I'm having a really hard time believing Caitlyn is already heading as well! I'm really looking forward to it though :) and I'm pretty curious to see what direction sh'll choose.

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    1. I know, the poor kids really don't have much to do sometimes! But you know, it was an outing for Victoria, so it wasn't so important that Keira didn't have much to do!

      I have, at long last, accepted that Declan is in college now, probably because I'm really excited to see what happens with him once he finishes. I kind of feel the same way about Caitlin. It's hard to believe she's almost grown but I'm very keen to watch her go through college, so it's really fun for me too. :)

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  10. Kids can't get in hot tubs? I didn't know that, but I don't use them very often. All of them are at the Maxis-made nightclubs and when I do take my sims there, it's always adults. As an aside, I love Victoria's hairstyle now.
    Even if Caitlin did know what she wanted to do, that can easily change. I had no idea what I was intersted in till senior year.
    Caitlin's going to college!?

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    1. Yeah, no hot tubs for kids. :( I don't use them very often either but I was sure kids could use them! I'm pretty sure I was thinking of the hot springs from BV though, which kids definitely can use.

      Very true, lots of people change their minds about what they want to do with their lives - even ones who are a lot older than Caitlin is. As I said above though, she fits the criteria for a number of careers and I've narrowed that down further to two or three that I think she'd be well suited to. I'll be watching her carefully to see if anything else jumps out at me as well.

      And yes! I'm really excited to see what Caitlin gets up to on campus! Hopefully not getting pregnant, lol!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  11. Aaha, I knew I had read that one already because there was Caitlin in! (insert a wild fangirl scream here!). Well, I read it again because I'm catching up EVERYTHING. Sullivan night, you know! ;)
    (it had to be tonight: when I logged in into my laptop, I began to type "Sullivan" instead of my password, because I was thinking I could read your stories tonight! ;D)

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    1. LOL, when I got up this morning and saw I had a comment from you, my first thought was "ah, Sandy's having her Sullivan night!"

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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