Saturday, September 8, 2012

Dawn of Time

Round 6: January 2013 (Winter)
Jeff Reid is 61 and Helen is 59
(Paul Reid is 22 and Michelle Reid and Fidel Chessum are 20)
next update / last update 

Narrated by Jeff

Paul is almost all settled into his new apartment with his roommates so he invited me and Helen over to check their place out.

It’s not a place I’d ever move into, especially on this side of town. But Paul likes it and it actually suits him.

He was telling us that their rent wasn't too bad when they signed the lease but their landlord recently amended it and they’re paying less. Turns out that one of Paul’s friends from college also rents an apartment from their landlord so they got a discount.

Every little bit of savings will help them. We have a trust set up for the kids but they won’t get it until they turn 25. It’s not enough to buy a house but it’s definitely enough to get them started.

He still hasn’t had any luck finding a steady paying job yet but he’s not stressing about it. He’s just “going with the flow.” They have food in the fridge and the essentials they need for the apartment, so he’s not worried about the rest. So if he’s not going to worry about it, I won’t either.

Michelle and Michael were over the following day for brunch. They’re on their winter break right now and will be starting classes again next week.

Michelle is very excited to start the next semester because she gets to start student teaching.

She’ll be student teaching at the primary school under Helen’s direction, so she’ll have an advantage that most student teachers won’t.

I don’t think she’ll like every aspect of working with her mother, though. Helen does tend to force her opinion on how things should be done, especially when it comes to teaching, and I don't know if Michelle is prepared to deal with that at work.

Michelle finally decided to bring her boyfriend Fidel over to meet us. They’ve been dating for well over a year now and we’ve been wondering when she’d introduce him to us. She claims that she wanted to see where their relationship was going before bringing him over.

He’s a nice boy, I guess. She hasn't had many boyfriends that I know of but I think he's a major improvement over the last one she had.

Fidel is very goal oriented, which I like. He’s planning on getting into law enforcement when he graduates. 

Although things have been a lot quieter this year, I do have a little bone to pick with our police department with all the robberies we’ve had over the years. I hope he’s up for a challenge.

We have different opinions on capital punishment but he was willing to hear me out on what I think should be done to those criminals. Fidel's really passionate about the issue, which is a great trait to have in that line of work.

You can really tell that he's into Michelle. The way he talks to her and the way he watches her when she leaves or enters the room is very telling. 

And he seemed to genuinely want to get to know us. I think he mentioned that he's really big on family so it would make sense that he'd try his hardest to be friendly with Michelle's.

I think Michelle chose a good guy this time and I think she knows it. She seems really happy.

My birthday was last Saturday and Helen had a wonderful day planned for me.

First we went to the theatre downtown and saw the play Romeo and Juliet. We really enjoyed it.

Afterward, we had a nice, quiet, and delicious dinner at Giovanni’s.

And we ended the evening in Sim Towers. It wasn’t really necessary to spend the night in a hotel since we have an empty house but it was a change of scenery and was nice to spend an evening away from home having other people serving us.

And I was with Helen and that’s all that mattered. It was a really great birthday.

Notes:
-One of Paul’s “conquests” from his early college days called and said that she was going to tell their landlord to give them a discount on their rent. Paul appreciates it but he still isn't thinking about you, Lexie!
-Jeff and Helen had enough money to give each of their kids about $45,000 in their savings and still have plenty of money left over in their funds. So I copied the idea of a trust fund from Carla and they'll gain access to it when they turn 25.
-I almost didn't realize that Michelle is a junior at UCC and should be starting her student teaching this year. I’m glad I’ll be playing the primary school this round because I want to see her in action.
-Speaking of Michelle, she and Fidel are still going strong. They still roll wants for each other and they are always kissing and fooling around autonomously. They're not even a high bolt couple. I think maybe 1 bolt, possibly 2. I have to check again.
-The hotel Helen and Jeff were in was made by Dee in response to my request. I didn't have any functional hotels in my hood other than in the vacation areas, so I asked the N99ers to help me out with that. Dee made another one here and Starr from Apple Valley made one, too, and I hope to find reasons to use them both soon!
-Taxes: I was going to talk a little bit about tax collecting in this update since Jeff announced that 2013 would be the first tax collecting year, but too much other stuff was happening. But I used Laurel Crossing's tax form and the town collected a total of $68,644. I have no idea if that's high or low for my size hood. The only family that got a refund though was Kyle and Alicia because they have no assets and they have the twins.

16 comments:

  1. His birthday looked like a blast, loved the play scene. Also glad that Fidel looks like a keeper :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and commenting! I really wanted to do something different for Jeff for his birthday since I couldn't see them throwing a big party and I couldn't think of anything for her to buy him. And yea, Fidel seems to want to stick around for a while and Michelle seems to want him to. And he really does want to try to get to know the family better because he rolled a want to become friends with Jeff. :)

      Delete
  2. I love Jeff and Helen's reactions to Paul's new place. That second picture is awesome. You can tell Jeff is a little proud of his son for getting everything set up nicely anyway.

    Yay for a relatively successful first meeting of Michelle's folks and Fidel! A little disagreement isn't too bad; I'm glad Jeff didn't take it personally! Cute that Michelle and Fidel are so into each other; Sam and Julia are like that, actually. They're a high 1-bolt couple but clearly very in love.

    Glad George had a nice birthday. I saw some of the pics at N99 and wondered if the play was Romeo and Juliet! Dee's hotel is looking awesome in your hood too - the room looks very romantic.

    $45,000 is pretty good! It'd be enough to buy and furnish a starter house, at least. And if Paul, Michael or Michelle want something bigger, that's a great deposit to start with!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and commenting! Glad you like the second pic. I was playing around with the OFB animations and thought their expressions were perfect. I see them as too prim and proper to really appreciate the awesome warehouse. I think Paul really exceeded his parents' expectations by graduating college and getting his own place without even asking for help. They should be proud.

      I think Fidel could win Jeff over as long as he doesn't talk about crime! Their other conversations went well. I was just in the game today and forgot to check Michelle and Fidel's bolts. I'm really curious now!

      Yup, the play was Romeo and Juliet because those were the only outfits I had that vaguely looked like anything worthy of a play LOL. I'll be better prepared next time. And I just have to switch out a few more EA furnishings I don't like with other stuff and I hopefully won't have to tweak the hotel anymore.

      I bet by the time Paul, Michael and Michelle are ready to use the money in their trust, they will be able to afford mansions with all the interest! I wish my little bit of money built that fast! :)

      Delete
  3. LOVED this! !!! That hotel rocks my socks, as does the play! How fun is that! I downloaded a theater ages ago and never used and now I hate it; yours is awesome! I'm so excited to see michelle. Student teach under her mom, that could be stressful. Happy that Fidel was welcomed by the parents too, hes a curie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and commenting! Happy that you enjoyed the update. I was really dreading it at first but it turned out to be a very fun update. The hotel is great! I really love it. And I'd love the theater too if it just had a liiitle more space on the stage. But I definitely want to do more with a theater in the future.

      I hope that Michelle and her mom will be ok while Michelle gets used to being in a classroom setting. I think she'll be fine, though.

      I'm surprised that the meeting with Fidel went so well. Just a few not so good conversations with Jeff which happens with most. Fidel's a nice guy and he and Michelle seem to really like each other. I'm hoping he sticks around for a while :).

      Delete
  4. That apartment reall suits Paul.I can't imagine him anywhere else, but at least he's getting a discount on rent; too bad Lexie isn't on his mind anymore--the girl tried at least.

    The Reid's house is really nicely decorated and looks pretty spacious from the photos, so I guess that's why they wouldn't dare live in Paul neighborhood.

    Michelle and Fidel make a really nice couple; it must be an added bonus that her parents like him so much, too.I just read that Michelle seems really happy.I remember reading how much he's interested in her family and how much he likes her, but I had to go back and re-read whether she likes him.But I am glad she does and it seems like these two will be together for awhile at least.

    The theatre shot is really nice and seems fitting for Jeff and Helen.They look like they are having a great time and then to end the evening with a hotel stay, is too awesome.The hotel looks really nice, and it must be convenient to 'get away' but not necessarily have to book a vacation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and commenting! Once I saw Maisie's tour of this lot, I knew exactly who I wanted to move into it... Paul! I think I might have him keep it for a while. And yea, Lexie came out of nowhere with the call about discounted rent. Paul hadn't thought about her since she moved out of the dorms 2 years ago! He had his fun with her and moved on.

      Yes, the Reid's home is very spacious. I see them as my snooty rich family so they wouldn't normally step foot on the side of town Paul lives in ;). That will likely be the last time you see them there lol.

      Yes, Michelle is really into Fidel. She fell for him pretty early in their relationship but I still wasn't sure how long it would last. But they're still rolling wants for each other and the meeting with the family went very well, so you'll be seeing more of them together! :)

      The theatre was a fun thing for me to do. I want to do more stuff like that and hopefully be able to use some playables in the future. I really wanted to do a ballet but I wasn't really prepared. So a play had to do! And having those new hotels in the area are going to be very useful, I think. It is very convenient to not have to send them on a vacation since they had already gone not that long ago.

      Delete
  5. I like Paul's new place. It's very modern/urban and the shot out the window is great. Cool for Lexie to get them a discount even though it might not get anywhere.

    Jeff and Helen are too cute on their date and smart idea on staying in a hotel in the hood. Keeps things fresh!

    Michelle and Fidel look really good together and it's interesting that they're a low bolt couple. I wonder what that would mean for the long term for them...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and commenting! I really like Paul and gang's new place. I'm looking forward to playing them in it next round. I thought it was really interesting that Lexie called Paul to offer the discount because they hadn't talked in, what, 2 sim years? I'll have to pay attention to see if she calls again and what his wants are.

      Glad you liked Jeff and Helen's date. I really didn't want to send them on another vacation (I want to revamp my vacation hoods first) but I know people sometimes stay at a nice hotel just to get away. I can't wait to finish up the hotel so I can send more sims there.

      I wasn't sure about Michelle and Fidel either but they feel very strongly about each other right now. We'll have to wait and see what the future holds for them, but they sure don't act like low-bolters right now.

      Delete
  6. What a great update! The theatre is amazing, it made me so inspired to try something similar.

    I somehow lost my sim blog bookmarks so I've not been reading this blog as much as I should. But the order is now restored. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry for the delay! Thanks for reading and commenting. So glad you enjoyed the update because I enjoyed it, too. I'm glad when I can inspire others because I get so much inspiration from everyone else. It's nice to give back. :)

      Glad you were able to get your blog bookmarks back. That had to suck. Hope you were able to catch up on the past posts after you got everything restored :).

      Delete
  7. I've been reading your blog for a bit now, but I don't believe that I've commented as of yet. Great update and I love how you staged Jeff's birthday, looks so real. The parents faces when Paul shows them his apt is priceless. Love this family.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for reading and commenting! Always happy to see lurkers coming out to leave a comment :). I'm really going to have to have my empty nesters have nice birthdays like Jeff's more often because I enjoyed playing it and everyone seems to have enjoyed reading it.

    Their reaction to Paul's place was a picture I had in my head and was so glad to be able to pull it off in-game. It's not their style but it definitely suits Paul.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dani I loved the story. I really like the notes you put at the end. I didn't think of doing a trust fund sort of thing. Hmmmmm something to think about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading and commenting! It feels like so long ago since I did this update and had to reread it myself lol. But it was a lot of fun. A trust really is a great idea and I'm glad to have something to do with the Reid's extra money. Not sure any of my other families will have excess funds like that, but it's a good way to spread the wealth but keep the money in the family. And it's nice to know that some of my new grads won't have to struggle too long straight out of college since they'll have money waiting for them. :)

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...