Saturday 24 July 2010

Head south

Round 28: Summer 2027
last update/next update
Trent Kirby is 57 and Megan is 55.
(Claudia, Jacob, Finn and Victoria are all 26, Declan is 6 and Caitlin is 4)

Narrated by Megan Kirby

I thought the house was quiet once Victoria and Claudia left for college but that was nothing compared to how quiet it is now that Rebecca is gone too.

I'm really missing her right now but I don't think she's missing us much. I wish she'd call more often.

Trent says once a week is more than he ever called his parents when he went away to college, so we should thank ourselves lucky.

We've both been keeping ourselves very busy.

I don't usually help out with the crops but I have so much extra time on my hands, that I've lent a hand a couple of times. I still hate doing it, I've discovered.

Arianna runs the market for Trent full time, so really, he wouldn't ever need to go in except to restock.

He enjoys it though, so Trent is still there a few days a week.

We've had more date nights than we've had in years lately, since we've had the house to ourselves.

I guess we could have done it while Rebecca was still at home but somehow, we never found the time. But now, it seems ridiculous not to.

It's been quite wonderful to be able to go out to dinner and go dancing.

I'd love to go out every night!

Maybe we'll have even more time to do things like that when Claudia takes over the market. She and Trent agreed a long time ago that the business would pass down to her.

They've never really discussed a timeframe though, so I don't know when it will actually happen. Claudia's always said "when Dad gets older".

Right now, Claudia is an intern at Town Hall. She just fell into the job after college, really, but more and more, she's starting to think that it might be something she could stay with long term.

I can't say I ever imagined Claudia going into politics but she seems to really like it, so I'm glad for her.

I wish Jacob would find something he was passionate about. He's working as a host at a restaurant and isn't really sure what else he can do. He's got a college degree, so there must be plenty of things he can do!

He's not my son though, so I'm trying to stay out of it.

I came home from work the other afternoon to discover Trent putting up this blue and yellow monstrosity in the backyard.

Needless to say, I was unimpressed. You could see it from the street! Trent said I was being silly, because we live in a farm house, not a mansion. He could have at least chosen some more tasteful colours.

I couldn't stay annoyed for long because he was so excited about it. He bought it especially for Declan and Caitlin.

Now that Caitlin is older, Trent and I often have both the kids over to stay the night. They love running around in our backyard, which is something they don't get to do at home.

And they really love the camp-outs with Trent too, so I've had to give in on the tent. Even though I still think it's hideous.

I'm not the outdoor type, so I leave that activity for Trent and the kids to bond over and we do other things together in the morning.

Once everyone is awake, pancakes for breakfast are a must.

Declan loves our telescope. When Finn and Victoria move to a house, we'll buy him his own for his birthday. They don't have space for a telescope right now, so you can barely tear Declan away from the thing when he's over.

Caitlin's not too interested in the telescope but she's fascinated by anything to do with food.

We've been making chocolates on Brandon's old machine the last few times she's come over. I say "we" but it's really "I". Caitlin just watches but I can tell she's taking it all in.

I was never able to get any of my daughters interested in cooking, so I'm glad I can pass all my recipes onto my granddaughter at least. I can't wait until she's old enough to do more than watch me make lunch for everybody.

It'll be nice to have another pair of hands. There's a lot of food to be made to feed six people but I always love it when any of our kids come to visit.

The relationship between me and Victoria is improving, slowly but surely.

We do better when I'm not giving her any unsolicited advice, so I'm trying to avoid that. It does mean I have to bite my tongue sometimes but I have to keep reminding myself that she's 26 and can make her own decisions now.

I really wish she and Finn would reconsider putting off moving house though! They really need more space than they have, especially now the kids are older.

Extras:
Hmm, Megan doesn't look very impressed with Jacob juggling her espresso cups! Shouldn't she be biting his head off?

(click to enlarge)
Ah. So maybe that's why Megan is easier on Jacob than Finn! She's got one bolt with Finn and three with Jacob. And Jacob's her second highest chemistry ranking too. Jacob has three bolts with about a gazillion women but I thought it was quite funny that his girlfriend's uptight mother was one of them!

Yes, more Caitlin and Declan pictures, for no reason at all! It's so easy to get cookie-cutter looking kids, or complete freaks in this game but I love that these two are interesting looking and adorable!

Notes:

  • Title is from Head South by Modest Mouse.
  • So I decided I might start trying to play and update on my empty nesters again. For one thing, I felt like I'd actually miss Trent and Megan if I stopped playing them. But also, playing them gives me one extra slot in the schedule to continue any family stories that might have started when playing their kids' houses. I actually had much more fun than I thought I would with Trent and Megan, so I might try to do this more often.
  • Trent had the want to buy a tent, so I thought he could have a little camp-out with Caitlin and Declan. Only two Sims can fit in a tent though (which is lame, because the one time I went camping, we had three people in a tent much smaller than that), so Trent actually slept on a bench outside! It's one of those safety things that makes no difference in the game that I still must adhere to - I wouldn't let a 6 year-old and a 4 year-old sleep alone outside, so my Sims won't either!
  • I'm not sure when Claudia will move in and take over the farm and market. Trent becomes an elder next round (when did THAT happen?! And how can Claudia and Victoria be 26?!? I actually had to double check that to make sure I wasn't wrong) so maybe sometime after that.
  • I think Finn can probably relax a little about Megan, because she actually rolls little wants for him every now and then now, which is kind of sweet. And she doesn't stick her fingers in her ears and yawn when he tries to talk to her now!

15 comments:

  1. I was dying to see if Caitlin would get her mother's chin and much to my surprise, she got Megan's instead, She is so adorable. I was looking out for when she would grow up!

    It's real sweet to watch the interaction with Megan and Caitlin, the whole teaching her how to cook thing, so Martha Kent like (sorry I'm on a Smallville fanfic kick).

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  2. The whole campout/sleepover thing with the grandkids is so sweet! That's exactly the kind of thing I did with my grandparents when I was little. Trent and Megan are great grandparents. Even if Megan has been known to be stern at times, she definitely cares about her family. By the way, I don't mean to nitpick but when you say "The relationship between Victoria and me...", it should grammatically be "The relationship between Victoria and I...". Also, Caitlin and Megan cooking is the cutest thing I've seen in a while. :]

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  3. I absolutely adore this update! Even though Megan is "uptight" as you put it, the grandparents-grandkids thing is awesome! I know we grow tired of our elders, but you show that they can have a little fun. And those two kids are as cute as can be!

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  4. I love the campout with the grandkids. Declan and Caitlin are so adorable. And that picture of Caitlin and Megan in the kitchen is very cute too, with Caitlin sitting on the counter.

    Oh Megan, three bolts with your daughter's boyfriend! I wonder how it will be if Jacob ever moves to the farm as well!

    I noticed you've started adding links to the last and next update in each post. What a cool idea! Not sure if I'd want to go over all my old posts though but it's something to consider. Mind if I "borrow" your idea?

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  5. The campout is amazing! Did you move the kids in temporarly for the campout, or how did you do this?
    Caitlin keeps being one of my favourit sims! I love the pictures where she follow her grandmother around!
    LOL at Megan and the 3 bolts with her daughter's boyfriend!

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  6. Thanks for your comments, guys!

    rome_raven, Caitlin actually has Finn's chin but he and Megan have similar chins! But she's definitely a cutie.

    I was glad to find something for Megan and Caitlin to bond over. Megan can be a little cold but I think her grandchildren have softened her a little bit.

    Christina, yes, you're right. Megan's a nag but she does love her family. She and Trent are both very involved grandparents. The cooking picture was a little annoying to set up, mostly because I was trying to get Caitlin to talk and look at Megan. The game thinks she's still sitting on the couch talking to Declan (who you can see in the background of that picture). And Caitlin's leg is bleeding into the counter, which you can't see. A real little girl would just tuck her leg up under her, so I just left it.

    I'm going to disagree with you about "between Victoria and I". Every source I can find says that's incorrect. Ending phrases like that with "and I" is not always correct and this is one of those instances.

    If you're a grammar nerd like me and want to know why:

    http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/between-you-and-me.aspx

    gallowaytownship, thanks! Megan and Trent actually aren't elders yet but I tend to get just as bored with my empty-nest adults as I do with my elders.

    Sari, I had a lot of fun playing Trent and Megan with their grandkids. Declan and Caitlin really are so cute.

    LOL, lots of swooning, I'm guessing! I wonder what Claudia would think, if she knew!

    And yes, "borrow" away! That's just something I added because I realised I was going to find it useful myself. It's getting a bit confusing to do when household members change and move to other households, so I'm going slowly so I don't make any mistakes.

    Tanja, no, I just made Declan and Caitlin selectable with InSim. They didn't have any trouble doing anything I directed them to do while they were selectable.

    I love Caitlin too. I've said before that I really didn't think Victoria would make such adorable kids but she has made a couple of the cutest kids I've ever had in my game!

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  7. I adore Caitlyn and Declan, and the unmatching chins is so cute.

    I'm glad you decided to not skip over these two. I was wondering the other day about Arianna, since we don't hear about her anymore.

    The backyard campout is so great!! my kids did that with my folks when we lived in the same state. *sigh* Such great memories. I'm excited that Trent is doing so much with the grandkids, and really getting down in the dirt with them. And Megan cooking with Caitlyn is also great memories in the making.

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  8. Maisie, isn't it fun when you've got genetic variation like that within the one family?

    Poor Arianna! She's in such a crowded household that she often doesn't get a look-in during updates. :\

    Based on my experiences with Trent and Megan, I'm going to try to continue to play my empty nesters. Jace and Magdalena are home alone right now and I'm already thinking about what I'll do with them when their turn rolls around!

    I think I'll have to make the campouts a tradition for the Kirby family. It was fun, even if poor Trent had to sleep on a bench. Maybe I'll buy him a hammock next time!

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  9. The campout was such a good idea, it was great seeing the kids and their grandparents.

    You're right, Rebecca is a clone of Trent-gosh!

    I love the pose with the couple at the beginning, which pose box is that? I've been looking for couple poses.

    I love Caitlyn in the kitchen with grammy-such cute photos, perfect for a memory book.

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  10. Apple Valley, yes, Rebecca got Megan's eyes but she's all Trent, otherwise!

    Trent and Megan are using poses from wuyi's posebox 2009.03. Check the GOS link I have in my portraits post to find the box - the link to the box should be in that long list and not too hard to find, seeing that's the exact name I've given you.

    I had a lot of fun thinking up things for the grandkids to do. I'm hoping it's not too hard for me to keep my other empty nesters busy!

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  11. Oh that's just a precious idea, with the backyard campout with their grandparents! Somehow I never even thought to have a campout in the back yard for my Sims - even though I used to have them all the time in RL when I was a kid.

    I'm glad you decided to do an update with them. I never even realize that I have empty-nesters once I invite all the kids back. But in reality, I suppose I have a good handful of them.

    Jacob's a cutie! Megan's probably thinking he can juggle whatever he wants, lol!

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  12. That Jacob has three bolts with so many women, and especially with Megan, is very fitting considering how early this one lost his virginity, lol. He's always been a smooth operator.

    Awww, Trent becomes an elder next round? Wow, I remember when he was a college student, lol. Ah Sims, how time flies!

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  13. Laura, LOL, I wouldn't have thought of it either, had Trent not rolled the want to buy a tent! It's not something I ever did as a kid (I had to go camping on a school trip once and I was such a princess about it!) but I think Trent is the type who'd enjoy doing that kind of thing. He's been on holiday so many times and he's only ever been to the mountains!

    As for empty nester couples, right now, I only have Owen and Naomi, Jace and Magdalena and these two. And yeah, you're right - once all the kids are back in the house, you don't notice it so much.

    LOL, Megan's kind of stuff but she's still a woman who can recognise a good looking man when she sees one!

    Lunar, I hadn't considered that but yes, you're right! A ladies' man from way back! He and Patience are the very reason I frantically turn off my Sims' woohoo tokens as soon as they turn 12!

    And yes, Trent turns 60 in 2030, which is not until halfway through next round but still! Crazy! I was just thinking about when I took Trent on spring break with all his dorm mates in college while I was replying to Laura. Definitely doesn't seem like so long ago!

    If I was still playing with my old aging system, he'd probably be dead by now!

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  14. LOL @ Megan swooning over Jacob. I think we found her weakness! ;)

    Yay for the random pics of Caitlin and Declan (yay I didn't call him Finn this time!). Caitlin looks like a red haired Megan from the side. It's mainly the chin that I'm comparing. I love their cheeks too. They're so pinchable!

    Now onto the actual update lol. Good to see that Megan and Trent are able to get out more now and enjoy each other's company. LOL @ her reaction to the tent. That would be mine too... you want me to sleep... outside??... in that?? Riiight. I love that the grandkids can camp right in the backyard. And cute that Caitlin and Megan are bonding over cooking. Cute pic of her on the counter. So true to life!

    And glad to hear that Megan has warmed up to Finn alot more now... 2 kids and a wedding later. But better late than never!

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  15. Danielle, yeah, I guess Caitlin does look like Megan but it's really mostly because Megan and Finn sort of resemble each other. I don't think features can skip a generation, which is kind of a shame, seeing eyes, hair and skin tone can.

    I love that I found something for Caitlin and Declan to actually DO with their grandparents. Usually, I just have the grandkids come over and everyone interacts for a while and the kids act cute. But Caitlin's a cuisine Sim, so she has that little bond with Megan and Trent had that tent want...it all snowballed from there!

    Yeah, it took Megan long enough, didn't it? Finn only started dating Victoria when they were 13! LOL.

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