boxes and squares #5.4: togetherness

November 2088. Colette Marin is 31, Jordan Graham is 28, Felix and Milo are 9, Maria Boone is 26, Jack Phoenix is 39, Sophie is 65.

“Whoa, look at all the bugs,” Felix said. “Mom, did you bring bug spray?”

“I’m hungry,” Milo whined.

“I told you to eat before we left the hotel. I paid for breakfast at the hotel. I’m not buying breakfast out here because you didn’t eat the breakfast I paid for.”

“Can we play on the playground?”

“We did not fly eight-thousand miles to play on playgrounds. Wow, thirty-dollars a night. I wonder what the ROI is on those?”

Colette got out her phone and browsed a few real estate listings. The apartments were small, but some of them were very stylish. Too colorful for Colette’s tastes, but she knew tourists loved color.

boxes and squares #5.3: hindsight is a bitch (2/3)

November 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Maria Boone is 26, Johanna is 4, Jack Phoenix is 39, Nessa is 38, Sophie is 65.

previously: invited to Thanksgiving // marriage is a cage, he said

warnings: just a peek of NSFW at the end 😘

As promised, Jordan brought his girls to San Sequoia to attend Thanksgiving with Jack’s family. “Bring the camper, stay a few days,” Jack told them. “Home on wheels, right? Why not?”

So they did.

“And this is their front yard,” Maria said, amused. “Their front yard is actually the whole San Sequoia Bay.”

“Holy cow,” JoJo shouted. “I see a boat! And another boat. And another boat!”



“How many boats does that make?” Jordan asked her.

“One, two, three!”

“Good, now tell your grandpa you learned math in homeschool.”

boxes and squares #4.3: then fall in love

October 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Jack Phoenix is 39, Nessa is 38, Maria Boone is 26.

previously: Micah Phoenix dies

Don’t worry about what Jack is doing, or how well, or how fast. Except that Jack just graduated onto the medium wall today, and his first attempt was going flawlessly. Jack was spritely, dexterous, and precise. He was actually ready for the medium wall weeks ago but probably didn’t want to make everyone else feel bad.

Envy never helped anyone, Jordan told himself. He hated to be like this. It made him feel ugly and unfair. So instead, he told himself that he was making progress, too. Slow, sure progress. Today, for example, he hadn’t eaten dirt all day.

Not yet, anyway.

Jack’s wife, Nessa, came to their evening climb session sometimes. They let their kids run wild around the water park, and Nessa came to check out Jack’s progress.

That damn envy again, as much as he wished it away. Jordan wanted his own kids to be here, running wild around the water park. They would love it here so much.

Nessa stood at the bottom of the cliff face and gaped in horror. Jack jumped up to the next hold, all hands and toes in the air. Jordan had seen Jack do that many times before, but this was a fresh nightmare for his wife.

intermission: when time runs out (Micah Phoenix obituary)

September - October 2088. Jack Phoenix is 39, Micah is 66.

previously: 12 months to live 

warnings: cancer, death

Jack Phoenix lived a pretty ordinary life. His brother caused all the drama that people talked about in their family. In fact, when all added up, Hayden had probably caused their parents enough stress for the both of them combined, so Jack felt it was his duty to be the stable twin. 

The biggest stir Jack ever caused was dumping his high school girlfriend in his sophomore year of college. He had met the woman who would become his wife, whom he married and remained happily married to for all their years since. He didn’t become a pro sports star after high school and became a cop instead. Like his father, like any other number of thousands of men just like him. Like it was a Phoenix family tradition to aspire to greatness and fall just short. They were family people, hard-working people, and their family was strong.

it's your day: Jack & Nessa

April 24, 2087. Happy 10th wedding anniversary to Jack and Nessa Phoenix! 

digging through the old family photo albums, from April 24, 2077

(click for bigger)

 

—

extended weekend

December 1, 2086. Lara is 33, Jack is 37, Patrick is 36, Ryanne is 15, Luca is 2, Piper is 32. 

it's your day: Riley (and Patrick)

November 29, 2086. Riley Hathe and Patrick Nova are 36. (Chad is 35, Lara is 33, Liza is 17, Shaun is 9, Raine is 8, Skye is 4.)


The move out west for the Hathe and Phoenix families came quicker than any of them were ready for. Chad and Hayden had a meeting with their lawyer in Catalina to claim that legendary business grant, and to establish their new gaming start-up partnership. It was a good thing these two have been best buddies since they were sixteen—they were about to marry two entire family net worths into this business. They both had property to sell back home in Lakeside Heights, and they co-signed on a business loan to cover what the grant left over.

At least they were taking it seriously. Maybe more seriously than they'd ever taken anything in their lives, including their combined three marriages and six children.

the baby shower

July 2086. 

* half commentary style just because I didn't want to spend an eternity on this. But I did give Stephanie a baby shower in my game, so I thought I'd share the pics and chatter here. 

The baby shower event is thanks to this mod by BrittPinkieSims. 


At thirty-six weeks, Stephanie's nesting instinct kicks in. Justin and the girls are fast asleep, but she's on a mad cleaning spree.