Monday 4 July 2011

Extra special bitter

Round 31: March 2034 (Autumn)
last update/next update

Charlie Benton is 22, Camilla Sitko is 21 and Grace and Everett are both 4.
(Tate is 64, Zelda is 59, Olivia is 37, Jacob is 33, Jack is 22 and Jacinta is 4)

Narrated by Charlie Benton

Grace and Everett are four years old now, which I can hardly believe. They just started pre-school and they both love it.

They're always coming home with all sorts of stories about their friends, their teacher and everything they did that day.

I'm usually at work when the kids get home from school but Camilla tells me that Everett's stories are always very lively.

She's not sure how much of them he makes up, so she just humours him.

The kids have some more independence now, which makes our job a little easier. Everett even brushes his teeth every morning without us telling him to.

I graduated last year, so now I'm working full-time. I'm happy to be done with studying but the mornings are so, so early! I usually end up waking poor Camilla up as well, so we're both tired at the moment.

I really like the guys I work with. Jacob is my cousin's husband. I didn't know him too well before this year but we've become pretty good friends over the past few months.

Jacob is a lot older than me but seeing Camilla and I got started on our family so early, we have quite a bit in common. Jacob and Claudia's daughter is only a year younger than Grace and Everett.

They're having another baby in August and Jacob is so excited about it.

We don't just hang out all day, of course. I'm a Driver/Operator, so it's my job to drive the fire engines and maintain them when they're at the station.

I love this job but the hours are so long. I'm working 10 hours a day, which is nothing compared to the 12 hour days Jacob was working when he first started.

I appreciate my weekends and days off even more now. I always try to drag Camilla away from her books to go and do something.

Grace and Everett love getting a chance to run around and play outside, so Camilla and I often walk them down to the park on campus.

It's not really set up for kids - there's just one measly swing set - but they seem to enjoy it anyway.

Everett has decided to start some kind of insect collection and he says the best ones are at the park.

I don't know where he learnt anything about insects but he's pretty into that right now.

He's even got Grace interested, though she's not as obsessed as Everett. She's only in it for the butterflies.

Cooking is more Grace's thing. I guess she takes after my dad.

Dad was thrilled when I told him about it.

The next time he and Mum came over, they brought a toy oven with them and Grace was just beside herself.

It was intended to be a gift for both of the kids but Everett has hardly touched it. Not that Grace has given him the opportunity.

Since the kids have been at school, we've had some of their friends over to visit occasionally. The most frequent is probably Grace's friend Jacinta.

We met Jacinta's mother Olivia at the twins' pre-school orientation last year and she and Camilla really hit it off. Olivia has become somewhat of a mentor to Camilla, seeing she's already fairly successful in the fashion industry.

So apart from being fun for the kids, the play dates give Camilla some time to talk about the business with Olivia.

Camilla is really excited about the prospect of getting into fashion next year but it's a little early to start looking for a job, so everything is still up in the air.

She's building up an amazing portfolio and I'm sure it'll be just a matter of time before she's snapped up by some fashion house.

Then we just have to worry about finding a place to live. This house is great but once Camilla is no longer a student, we won't be able to stay here. We need a new place to live.

It was pretty easy for Jack. He started dating Audrey in senior year, got friendly with her older brother and scored himself an invite to move into Dominic's share house. Just like that.

Grace and Everett make house hunting slightly more complicated than it is for other people our age. We could move into a place like Jack is living but we'd need the whole place to ourselves.

And Grace has been dropping some not-very-subtle hints that she'd like a dog. So maybe, if we can, we'll look for a place even bigger than Jack's.

It's going to be difficult but since the twins were born, Camilla and I have both been saving every single cent we can. With any luck, we've saved enough to get a nice place.

Notes:
  • Title is from Extra Special Bitter by Scott Lucas and the Married Men.
  • Camilla is all done with uni! Yay! She managed to graduate with honours, so I'm allowed to cheat her into her fashion career. It makes a lot of sense for her too, seeing she got her foot in the door by buddying up to Olivia.
  • I have my fingers crossed that the roughly $30,000 Camilla and Charlie have amassed is enough to move them into the new apartment building I've built. I decorated one of the units especially for them, so here's hoping.

28 comments:

  1. I can't believe the twins are four already. I remember when they were born. Oh, I *love* that picture of the guys on the fire truck. Nice job!

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  2. The kids are adorable, and at least Camilla has her foot in the door, and can start doing what she loves immediately. $30k is a good nestegg, but apartments have rent and utilities, Hopefully their salaries combined can pay all that.
    Wow, I'm all caught up! I guess I need to start working on my own badly neglected blogs now, lol.

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  3. Not to mention, if you have the apartment hack, then the "security deposit" sucks up a huge amount. I could totally see them in the apartment rowhouses that Apple Valley build recently; one of my residents just became a single mother and there are absolutely perfect! But I'm anxious to see what you built. Maybe a lot tour in the future?

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  4. I hope they can move into the apartment as well, maybe they can get some help from family as well :) I do love their student housing though, those white doors in the background are especially nice and their housing looks so much better than anything I've ever seen.

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  5. snarkysims, I know! Even though the twins have got more play than most kids do (once a year, as opposed to once a round), it still feels like they've grown up quite fast.

    The fire truck shot is a favourite of mine too. :)

    Thanks for reading!

    Fini, yay, congrats on catching up!

    Jumping straight into her chosen career is going to be a big load of Camilla's mind! It will mean she won't have to work a crappy job while she waits for an opening.

    And very true - sometimes $30,000 doesn't go very far. I'm hopeful that it will be enough this time though.

    Thanks for reading!

    LaurelCrossing, exactly! I use the apartment hack, so the security deposit is pretty hefty indeed!

    I actually have the rowhouses you're talking about in my hood, though I only have singles living there right now (playable NPCs). It's a great little lot but I have another one planned for this family. I did a lot tour at N99 a while ago but I'll see if I can get it up here as well, so non-N99 members can have a peek. :) In the next day or so, I can probably get it done.

    Thanks for reading!

    Apple Valley, LOL, well, if anyone's family is equipped to help out financially, it would be Charlie's! He (and Jack) will both get $100,000 from their parents once they turn 25. They have to tough it out until then. ;)

    I love their student housing too. I almost want another of my teen/YA Sims to get pregnant so I can keep using it. Almost!

    Thanks for reading!

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  6. I'm a bit late in the reading as I'm short of time, lately, but I couldn't resist to a Benton update! I so love this family. The kids are so cute, and it's adorable that they collect insects. *swoon*
    Congrats to Camilla for having graduated with honours! I hope they'll be able to get the apartment (that I haven't visited yet, even though I have access to n99! ;))
    will come back soon to read the two previous chapters I have missed! :)

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  7. Sandy, I'm glad you like this family because they've really grown on me too. I never meant Charlie and Camilla to stay together but decided to let them try once she got pregnant. But I think they're actually a good match or at least, they've grown to be a good match.

    I love doing bug collections with my kids in the game. It seems like such a kid thing to do!

    The lot tour is in the TS2 annex but it's going up here in about 15 minutes. So if you don't get a chance to see it at N99, it'll be here too.

    Thanks for reading!

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  8. Okay, Charlie is lookin' pretty cute here. I can't believe their kids are four already. But the whole family is really adorable. Look at them moving on and growing up!

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  9. Lunar, much as I love Jack, I am rather fond of Charlie as well. He's pretty cute too. He must have something of Zelda in him, because he's not quite identical to Tate.

    It's a stunning realisation for Charlie and Camilla too, to realise that they're 21 and 22 and the parents of 4-year-olds! They've had to grow up pretty fast themselves.

    Thanks for reading!

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  10. Great pic of the guys in the fire truck! It's great that he has a job, and that she did so well to be cheated into her career! They are such young parents, and have done so well with schooling, that they should be doing nicely now in their adult lives. I really like how it's worked out with their relationship, maybe a wedding will be in their future sometime soonish. ?!?

    Jacob has a small head, wanna know what it reminds me of...

    When Robert Pattinson is greeting my love, Hugh Jackman... looks like Robert could eat poor, sweet, handsome, Hugh... http://robertpattinsonwho.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/robert-pattinson-hugh-jackman-2.jpg

    Sorry, Charlie!! But he does have a big head too, I never really noticed until his photo with Jacob. Charlie's still sweet though.

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  11. I can't believe they are so big already! It seems only lil while ago when they were just babies. Uni times already being left behind and moving day reaching, they really have had to grow up fast with their kids.

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  12. Maisie, Charlie and Camilla got off to a bit of a shaky start, because Charlie had some growing up to do and Camilla had to make some changes herself. But they're doing pretty well now, relationship and career wise. As for a wedding, well, Tate would still love to see one! But you'll have to see what happens when they get back to the hood.

    LOL, I had to go back to look at Jacob's small head and Charlie's big one! I can see it but I just can't stop laughing at that picture of Hugh and Robert - that dude's head is enormous! Run away, Hugh!

    Thanks for reading!

    Speechless, Charlie and Camilla can't believe it either! Grace and Everett off to pre-school - four years just flew by.

    Thanks for reading!

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  13. Wow, time flies, Charlie is adorable, and I loved all the shots, at work, at the park, a real lushness to them! well done~

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  14. I love how these two gotten through college with 2 kids and still managed to stay together! When they get through this I'm almost sure they can get through everything, at least I hope!
    I like Charlie's new haircut, he looks much more adult now.
    I can't believe their twins are 4 years old already! Time really does fly!!
    Congratulations to Camilla for gradutating!!

    I really hope you don't mind, but I was wondering where you got Camilla's top.

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  15. Drew, college has gone by fast for these kids! I always love playing this house - it's actually very low-stress, even when the kids were little.

    Glad you liked the shots. I was pretty happy with them this time around.

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, Charlie and Camilla have done really well, for a couple I kind of just threw together when I thought "hey, Camilla hasn't had her first kiss yet!" I think their experience trying to grow up together and as a family has made them stronger, fortunately.

    Charlie does look older with his new haircut, which seems fitting, as he's a lot more mature than he was four years ago.

    I will check on Camilla's top for you. It definitely came in a big pack with other tops and it was either at LJ or GOS but that's all I remember!

    Thanks for reading!

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  16. Congratulations to Camilla! Funny how sometimes the couples you least expect work out really well. The kids have grown so fast... I love the pictures at the park. I hope everything works out for the apartment.

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  17. How great that Charlie has found a job that he enjoys. And Camilla will get cheated on her dream career. Congratulations to both :)

    Wow, the twins are in school already. The time has really flown for these kids.

    I hope they have enough money to move into that apartment building, it would be so perfect for them.

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  18. Blackcat, Finn and Victoria were one of those couples that I just threw together as well but then everyone, including me, kind of fell in love with them together. There's more than attraction scores to Sim relationships, I think!

    I think the apartment might work out for them. I moved another family in to that lot, so I was able to check out the exact costs and Charlie and Camilla should be able to afford it. If not, well...Charlie's parents are quite wealthy. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    Sari, yeah, I didn't know what I was going to do with Charlie! His LTW is to reach the top of the Entertainment career but I can't see him in that career at all, especially not now with the kids.

    I am really excited to get them back to the hood, especially now that I have a specific place for them. I think they'll do well and the kids will love the playground.

    Thanks for reading!

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  19. I love how far the social circles spread in your hood! It really interests me how people know each other and how they later affect their lives!

    I really liked the shots at the park, it's cute to see the children developing hobbies of their own.

    Great update!

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  20. Driftwood Valley, that's one of my favourite things about my hood, actually. :) Having my Sims maintain ties outside of their residential lots was a goal for me when I started Sullivan. It wasn't something I did much of before, funnily enough. But it enriches the game and story, I think.

    The park shots were fun for me. Had a few flubs but the good ones were...good, lol.

    Thanks for reading!

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  21. Thank you so much, there's no rush :) You always have great CC in your game!

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  22. Tanja, I'm glad you commented again because I completely forgot to check Camilla's top for you! Anyway, it's made by Mikexx2. I think this would be the set it's in:

    http://mikexx2.livejournal.com/185946.html

    There are almost 50 tops in total, so he didn't put up previews of all of them.

    If's not in there, you can have a look around the rest of his LJ and he also posts stuff under the same name at MTS.

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  23. No prolbem! Like I said there was no rush at all :) Thanks for looking it up though, you're the best!

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  24. Aww, I really feel for Charlie and Camilla. They've had to sacrifice so much to their early parenthood--I'm glad they're progressing fairly well so far, and I hope they have enough money to get the space they want and need.

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  25. Rachel, very true, Charlie and Camilla have had to give up a lot and grow up quite fast. There have definitely been some hiccups but on the whole, they've come through it all right.

    Thanks for reading!

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  26. Geez. I can’t believe I’ve fallen this far behind. Time to play catch up!

    I love this little family with the Charlie mini-mes lol. Everett looked so stinking cute in the pic of him brushing his teeth. And of course the pic of them at the park tossing the football and on the swings.

    I loved the pics at the fire station and I can’t wait to get back to mine now. The fire dept. t-shirts you had them wearing are great, too. I didn't think of that. Congrats to Camilla for graduating with honors and getting into the industry!

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  27. Danielle, Charlie mini-mes! LOL, they really are. These kids are lots fun.

    Glad you liked the fire station pics. The t-shirts are one of the uniforms for the lower levels of the fire service career but I use them while the guys are hanging around the station. I wish we had the TS3 fire uniforms though. They're very nice! Hmmm...wonder if anyone's converted them!

    Thanks for reading!

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