Hey all! Adrianna here. So far we are loving our new town and our new house. Granted our house will be going through many changes before it's really home, but in due time. Our first full day in our new home started out like any normal day. Jules did some gesticulating in the mirror under the guise of improving his speech . . . or storytelling . . . yeah, one of those.
^Remember to click on images if you want to view them larger.
^Remember to click on images if you want to view them larger.
I already had ideas about the future of our new home. I found myself in front of a mirror as well, psyching myself up to bolster my confidence for the conversation ahead of me. Surely things would go as well as they played out in my head . . .
Though Ricky and Faon with little Jeanie followed us to our new town, they chose their own starter home, wanting to "make it on their own". Of course, John and Ashley are still home with us. First thing in the morning, before the dew had burned off of the lawn, John rushed out to the chilly pool to swim laps.
Ashley could be found in her room . . . with no lights on . . . playing guitar in the dark . . . you got that right? In the dark . . . Teenagers!
This is how big ideas begin. Very small.
I told Jules that I wanted to decorate the spare room for our future grandchild. After reacting negatively to the idea of Ashley or John having babies, Jules asked me if I didn't think that our children might want to decorate the room when the time came. I told him they will love it and, if they don't, they can redecorate later on. Then he started in on the costs . . .
But, eventually, he relented . . .
I told Jules that I wanted to decorate the spare room for our future grandchild. After reacting negatively to the idea of Ashley or John having babies, Jules asked me if I didn't think that our children might want to decorate the room when the time came. I told him they will love it and, if they don't, they can redecorate later on. Then he started in on the costs . . .
But, eventually, he relented . . .
I went all out! The extra money we had from selling the mansion came in very handy. I chose bold colors that weren't stereotyped to one gender. I found beautiful decorations and some fun toys that I wish I had had. As I suspected, Ashley and John like the renovation and decided they wanted to redecorate their own rooms very soon. What had I started?
This is how our evenings are usually spent. We will each be doing our own thing. I play with the new toys like the foosball table. Jules, on the other hand, spent his time reading away the evenings with books like "Untamed Treachery of the Heart", "Lord of the Swings" and "Orbital Pudding". That doesn't last long most nights.
Before long however, Jules and I end up playing together. Playing games. What starts as a harmless game with one another usually leads to something else . . .
Hey! We do have to break in the new bed . . . Really though, we do have to keep the romance alive despite the teens and the daily grind.
Ashley chose a rather subdued look for her new room which really surprised me. The change did nothing to dissuade her from playing guitar in her room all day . . . with the lights on, at least. She also found this very teen fascination with practicing how to dance in her new full length mirror.
John decided on a sparse and masculine look to his room. Jules and I agreed to allow him to have the new punching bag and treadmill (along with a small television) in his room so long as he made no complaints about the rest of the family using them . . . probably thinking we wouldn't want to. Out of sight, out of mind.
Jules and I are in the process of looking for new jobs during the day while the kids are at school. Most of my free time is spent honing my skills at cooking and baking. My family has no complaints about this pastime! Although my waistline does . . .
On a very rare occasion . . . usually involving a new delicious meal and a scrumptious dessert (yes, scrumptious) . . . we gather as a family in the new dining room and eat dinner together. And yes, Jules is desperate to finish his book before he digs in.
It doesn't take long before our first expansion to the house is complete. We added a large office type room with entirely too many computers . . . The room gave us the opportunity to add a deck off of the master bedroom. Jules takes advantage of the new space, abandoning his books to break out his easel and supplies to start painting again.
I find myself drawn to the spare room time and time again. It has nothing to do with the blob of clay I found on sale while decorating. Though it is quite addicting . . . Jules frequently finds me there when he tires of painting and picks up his books again.
The cleaning service sent over an eager young man, Raylan Miccio, to straighten up after us . . . and, let's be honest, to scrub the oven and swish the toilets. Strangely enough, he seemed to turn up in the room that Jules and I occupied more often than not. We abandoned our current activities and made our escape . . .
While waiting to hear back on our job interviews, we both decide to take this extra time to work off the weight we've both put on . . . more like the weight I've put on. I haven't had this much trouble staying slim in a long time . . .
The teens make use of the new office every day for their homework. After trying to recover their grades from the dive they took upon moving to a new school, they finally made it back to a B grade.
Meanwhile, my idea of keeping an eye on them to make sure they do all of their extra credit work is playing games in the same room with the volume turned up . . .
A message from ShayDLane:
Once again, this is from my previous play session and the stats haven't changed. I'll update them periodically as I play. I hope you've enjoyed having the Whittakers back!
Once again, this is from my previous play session and the stats haven't changed. I'll update them periodically as I play. I hope you've enjoyed having the Whittakers back!