2.1 - Time to Fly

"Mom, I need help with my tie!"

I really hated ties.  I mean, I loathed them.  Part of the reason I didn't work for the newspaper office or the local TV station was due to the hatred of the uncomfortable accessory.

I fiddled with my tie a little more, but gave up quickly as I heard Mom coming up the stairs.  My mind drifted towards Esmeralda (though she let me call her Es) again as it did frequently these days.  She always seemed to be on my mind.  It was even hard to do my daily tasks without her jumping into my thoughts and distracting me.

Sometimes I'd see different members of my family smile and then shake their heads, but I tried to ignore them.  I'd fallen for her much harder than I thought possible and I couldn't get her out of my head.  I wonder if this is how it started with Mom and Dad.

After Mom fixed my tie, she quickly bustled off to finish the many other things before the big event.  You see, today was a special day.  My big sister, Caitlin, was getting married!

After some time, it was obvious that Caitlin and Felix were inseparable.  Though Caitlin was sure she'd wait longer to further her career before she married, she told us her love for Felix was something that would not waver.  So, because her schedule was starting to get busier due to her popularity, they decided to get married quickly. 

I had gotten to know Felix pretty well over the last year since Caitlin and him had started dating.  Sometimes Es and I would double date with Felix and Caitlin, which was very helpful for me in multiple ways.  I thought he was an outstanding guy, though he could sometimes be a bit too pretentious.  I tried to overlook those moments and take him for what he was.

In the end, I knew he would be the laid back guy who would support Caitlin's endeavors of becoming a star.  He also decided that if she were to travel, he would go with her and follow his passion.  He was quite the adventurer!

Caitlin and Felix had their wedding at our beach one night in late summer.  Everything came together well, though Caitlin looked like she was about to become unhinged.  She kept acting like the world was ending.  Whatever.  Everything looked good to me.  I pulled her aside and thought I'd tell her a few jokes to loosen her up.  It seemed to work.

I won't bore you with all the details since weddings are pretty much the same.  Caitlin hired a fantastic photographer, so here are a few pictures from their wedding album.

They are obviously in love here.  This is before the wedding.  They had a special time with each other before they walked down the aisle.  I guess it was mostly to soothe their nervousness.  It seemed to work!

Dad has a heart on his head, but I'm not sure from where it came.

Mom looked kind of mad here, but that could be just her zoning out.  She recovered quickly.

Finally, it's over!  Welcome, Felix, to the family!

Well, I'm laughing here, but it was a nervous laugh.  I felt a little awkward as Caitlin only had eyes for Felix.  To me, she looked a little goofy.  I moved on quickly after they drifted closer together.

Even when Dad started a conversation with Felix, Caitlin couldn't stop herself.  I wonder if Es would ever look at me like that.

The wedding reception did not last long and soon it was time for Caitlin and Felix to leave.  

I was actually quite sad to see her go.  I think it finally hit me that she would not be as easily accessible whenever I needed her.  She was an awesome big sister and I'd miss her.  Thankfully, they had decided to stay in town, at least for now.  This was their new home.

The next day felt weird without Caitlin in the house.  I think we all did our own activities to cope with it.

Dad had gone down to the beach.  I'm not sure what he was looking at on his phone, but it was obviously unpleasant.

Mom went jogging, though I'm sure mostly to keep her mind off of Caitlin's departure. But now that she was at the top at the agency, they expected a lot from her.  I knew she always worked hard, but lately, it felt she was pushing a little too much.

She explained that the agency had put a new athletic program in place and she needed to keep up with those young new agents.  Hopefully she could quit soon since she was nearing retirement age.  She seemed more tired and I noticed Dad was worried, too.

That week, though, she seemed a little crazier than normal. I think she was just using ALL her outlets to cope.

I have no idea where Sophie went or what she did, but for a few days, she hid somewhere.  When she finally came to light, she found Lynelle and they talked for what seemed like forever.  She seemed better after the long talk.  I never did find out what the issue was, but assumed it had something to do with Caitlin leaving.  

I caught Lynelle later that day hiding in a bush around the house.  She didn't look happy when I found her.

She confessed to me that Wiggles looked different and it scared her a little.  

I guess he was bugging her to find the rainbow gem to complete her special project.  I told her she was doing the best she could and maybe she was trying too hard.  She got this sudden scared look on her face, looked behind me, then turned around and ran out of the room.  I love her, but she does act strange sometimes.

I coped by seeking out Es which is why I found myself at the Macklamoor house that day.  Everyone seemed to be doing well and I arrived just in time for the family picture.

Nathaniel cracked me up with his face.  Jenni looked cute, but no one looked as beautiful as Esmeralda.  I still couldn't believe that she asked me to go steady.  

We talked and went out later for dinner.  It was nice to talk with someone outside of the house when it got a little crazy.

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Eventually things turned into a new normal.  Lynelle, Sophie and I continued to go to school.  I really liked the machine that Mom and Dad had picked up and used it as often as I could.  It made getting ready for school enjoyable!

One day, Lynelle and Sophie got off the bus.  Thankfully, I had ditched that scene when I got my driver's license. 

This specific day, though, I wished that I had ridden the bus and someone else had walked into the house before me.

"London, where's Mom and Dad?"

"Um, you didn't notice when you walked in?" I asked in disbelief.

"No, that's why I'm asking.  So, where are they?" she asked as she looked around a little.

I nodded in the direction of the dining room.  She turned around and made a not-so-subtle hiccup/snort noise.  I laughed at her as we made our way downstairs.

It was where Lynelle found us a few minutes later asking if we'd seen Mom or Dad. Sophie and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing.  I let Sophie explain the situation as I went off to work on my book for a few hours.

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Summer turned to fall and Roaring Heights turned red, yellow and gold.  It was a beautiful sight to behold.



Lynelle and Sophie kept begging Mom and Dad to drive and wouldn't let up.  It was strange and funny to see it happen, but it was something I could not stop.  Finally, despite my protests, they gave in and started teaching them.

Honestly, I was a little scared for my life.  If I knew they would be out, I made sure I stayed home.  It was a sacrifice I gladly made.  One of those times, I decided I wanted to learn how to use the jetpack.  

The initial take-off was easy and the rush was unbelievable!

However, it went down hill shortly after that...

...especially when the paparazzi started showing up.  How embarrassing!  

Finally, later that night after a lot of practice, I started getting the hang of it!  I kind of felt like a super hero!

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Dad invited his boss, Mark, over for dinner one September evening.  Mark was getting ready to retire and he wanted to discuss things with Dad.  Hopefully, this meant Dad would get the promotion he wanted.  He worked hard and practiced new meals all the time with us.  It was one of my favorite things about living at home.  I was a growing man and needed my nutrition. I knew I would miss it when I left, though.

Shortly after Mark left, Mom and Dad were alone in the dining room.  Their discussion revolved around grand babies.  Hopefully, they weren't expecting anything soon.  I overheard Caitlin tell Felix she wanted to wait a few years.

Caitlin called during October and mentioned that they had adopted.  Mom and Dad got really excited and started dancing around, but when Caitlin said it was a puppy named Morgan, they quickly stopped dancing and seemed a little sad.

I guess I was right and they'll just have to wait a little longer.  The puppy was adorable, though, and we all grew to love him very much.

Winter came somewhat earlier than any of us expected.  We received a dusting of snow while there were still leaves on the trees!

A week later, I came home from my job after school to find everyone around the table.  I thought it was...um...interesting.  The wonders of the electronics age.



My birthday came and I was excited when Mom invited Es.  I was thrilled to have her there with me.

Hopefully, Es would like my new look.

I graduated as the valedictorian, which my parent's seemed to be excited about.  I was just SO glad to finally be DONE with school!!  The hats were mandatory.

Shortly after that, I told Mom and Dad that I was ready to move into my own house. The royalties from my first book were coming in and I was almost done with the next book.  I was able to easily handle the financial responsibility of owning a house.

Most of all, I just needed to find a quiet place.  I loved my parent's house, but it could get crazy and it was hard to find time alone to work.

So, I found a place and told everyone when I was leaving.  While I was sad to go, I was also a little relieved and very excited.  I felt like it was my time to fly and be on my own.

On my last day, I told Mom that I'd play frisbee with her.  I'd never played before and she desperately wanted to show me before I left.  I wasn't sure why, but she was very insistent.  Maybe she just wanted to impart one last piece of wisdom...of any kind.

Mom was REALLY good....

...I, on the other hand, kept getting smacked in the head.

Mom finally gave up.  I gave everyone hugs and kisses, climbed into my car and headed to my new home.

I drove up and suddenly got a little scared.  How could I possibly be ready to take on life by myself? 

Come on, Ramsey!  You can do this!  The world is ready for you!

The pep talk seemed to help as I started my way up the walk, to the stairs, and into the next chapter of my life.

*lovesstorm's notes*

Well, here's the first chapter for Generation 2.  It's been a long road that was paved with computer/save file issues, time constraints and other things.

It's very difficult for me to play so many people in one house whether for a wishacy or not.  I constantly feel like I must ensure everyone is getting their wants/needs fulfilled, which entails CONSTANT pausing.  I knew if I could just get London OUT of that house, then things could start progressing quickly again.  So, hopefully, chapters will start coming a little faster now and we can get this generation on its way. 

Also, I do want to apologize for this chapter as I felt it was a little off kilter.  I am still trying to get into his character and I didn't have much material.  :(  I could have waited, but I really, really wanted to get the first chapter out.

Can I just say that getting that wedding set up was just a pain in the rear?  It took forever, then the game froze and I couldn't get it saved fast enough.  I had to start all over again and I almost didn't do it.  Finally, I compromised and ignored any posing that I wanted to do, which made it go much faster.  The hugs at the end took some time to get them synchronized, but I thought everything came out pretty good in the end.  #:-S

London and his jetpack skills were horrid.  I have had many sims play with that thing and never saw anyone fall and hit the ground as many times as he did.  I believe the last count before I made him quit was around 5 or 6.  Honestly, I kept expecting him to die.  That's how bad it was.  LOL!  :))

Of course, I will try to keep an eye out on everyone for updates.  I have SP, so it'll tell me when something happens and I can go immediately to them and take pictures.  :D I mostly want to concentrate on London, though.

Recently I heard a rumor that Lynelle wants to be on Survivor.  =D7  That may happen some day, but she'll need to try out and do some training.  ;) 

2.2 - The Blue Life