CDBlair - March 2008

Chance is 29, Donna is 29, Emely is 9.

Chance and Donna Blair met at a football game in highschool almost 11 simyears ago. Separate highschools...opposing teams. Donna was a cheerleader and Chance was just some goofball student from the rival school making wolf whistles at her from the stands. She could hear him calling her name from the other side of the field.  Somebody had given him a megaphone.  Maybe this was the same guy who'd been trying to get her phone number, basically stalking her.  She remembered thinking, "Who is that creep?!" 


After the game, he caught up with her and asked her out. All he had to do was smile at her and she caved; she couldn't resist him.  The rest is history. These two have been married for nine simyears and moved to Simmington Hills for better job opportunities.  For good or bad, they've stuck it out because they're both sore losers.  They hate to lose at anything and that includes marriage.  So, this is the first house they've ever had together.  It's a win-win.  They get to feel like they've officially entered the secret society of suburbia; which was a distant dream to them a few simyears ago.  And Emely gets a chance to make all the noise she wants outside in her very own yard.  She can even have friends over now.

They found the 2 bedroom/1 bath home on 91 E. Cedar St. very inviting, even though it's small, it has a basement.  They feel they could grow here.  Nick Michels approved their request for a mortgage, although they could have paid for the house in cash.

They would end up with more simoleans left over if they mortgaged the house instead of paying cash for it.  A mistake a lot of young Sims make.  Sure Nick advised them as best he could, but who was he to give financial advice, right?  *shakes head*

What they didn't expect was how much even the cheapest furnishings would cost all together.  Throw in some new wall treatments and floors and their whole $15,000 budget was blown.  They had $730 simoleans left in the bank when the smoke cleared.  I guess they'll have to wait for a cheap little car to fight over.

Chance thought they should sell back their artwork and plants. "We don't need this stuff right now." he said over and over. But, Donna wanted to keep it. "It makes the house more charming and attractive, Chance." She pleaded.

So, they kept it all. But there was one thing they totally forgot. And when the notice came in the mail, they got a little worried..."Immigration Tax?!" They both said at the same time. "Who's got $1,000 bucks to pay that?!  Don't they know Sims need their simoleans when they're just moving in?!" Chance paced the floor.  It was times like these, he knew Donna was fuming inside over him not getting - correction - over him not wanting to get a job and help out. 

Donna has always been the breadwinner.  Truthfully, she has enough ambition for the both of them.  The first thing she did once her computer was set up, was get a job in Oceanography.  It's her dream job, but when she was told that the highest level she could attain without a college degree was a Dolphin Tank Cleaner, she immediately signed up for a college correspondence course (see Comments).  Immediately after that, she left for her 1st simday at work as a Fish Chummer.  Late or not, she had to go.  She dropped Emely off at school on her way, without saying another word to Chance.

"Bye baby, have a great day at school." Chance smiled.

"Bye Daddy!" Emely skipped to the taxi as her Mom yelled for her to hurry up because they were late.

Chance was relieved to have the house to himself until 11 am. It was during these moments when he felt the most comfortable in his own skin.  No judgements or rolling eyes, just a great book and the trusty TV.

***
Around 11 a.m., Donna returned from work with a co-worker named Kelsey, I believe that's her name.  Donna told Kelsey that she got to kiss a dolphin today while she was on break.  Her boss had allowed her inside the off-limits area where the dolphins swam and she kissed his nose.  She can't wait to get promoted to clean dolphin tanks.  But she really looks forward to the day when she can dive into the ocean and do research, demolition, and all the other interesting things Oceanographers do.

Kelsey told her she should also consider talking to Chuck Everett.  He cleans dolphin tanks.  Who knows...maybe he's also trying to get a degree.  Donna closed her eyes to remember his name.  She'd definitely have to look him up.

A few moments later, two Sims appeared from the sidewalk to welcome the Blair family to the neighborhood.  Keith Dalton and Stacy Masters introduced themselves and quickly broke the ice with the couple.  Donna was happy to meet them both.  She couldn't wait to find out all she could about the Sims living there and what the place has to offer.  She and Chance invited them to hang out for a little while.  It was great to learn that Keith lives right across the street with his doctor wife and nine year old twins. 

It tickled Donna to death and it was no surprise when Emely came home with Terryn Dalton.  The two adorable girls were dressed alike, only in different colors.

The small house was soon filled with chatter and play; something Donna's been looking forward to for a long time.  She loves being active and having lots of activity around her.

Chance began telling everyone that he had received a call earlier that morning from Earl Grainger, Resident Prison Cop at the Willow County Jail and was told that they had a sitizen coming by very early the next morning to fulfill their community service hours. He was hoping that Chance and Donna would be discreet and open their home to the Mayor's wife. Chance didn't know what to say to that. So he just stuttered out, "Ok."

"So what gives?" He asked his new neighbors. Keith goes on to explain the Cunningham vs. Masters case that happened back in October.

"So why couldn't she have just paid the fine and got off?"  Donna asked.

"That's how things are done here in the Hills.  Nothing is ever just plain simple.  She would have to go to jail for two nights..."  Keith laughed.  *I know he meant that as a snide remark to me.  I'll let it slide 'cause I love him. :P *

***
The next morning, around 5 a.m., Tomika Cunningham showed up.  Donna was already at work, having to leave around 3 a.m.  Chance wiped the sleep from his eyes and answered the door in his PJs.

"I hate having to meet you this way. It's so early, but I've got to be at work at 8 o'clock." Tomika said embarassed and worried about first impressions.

All Chance could do was put the nervous woman at ease. He told her to just go about it and he'd try to stay out of her way. He's home all day-everyday, and it's no problem that he had to get up so early.  He was expecting her.

So Tomika cleaned and straightened; made up the beds, and got to meet Emely.

Chance really liked her being there.  He'd never had anyone be of service to him like that.

I was surprised to see that Chance was the most charming gentleman, despite the hour.  He must've been concerned with first impressions, too, because he's usually such a grouch.  He and Tomika joked around before she threw that ugly orange jumpsuit in the garbage and left for work.

Tomika was glad that it was over with.  But, she also felt like she'd made a new potential friend, and looked forward to meeting his wife one day.

After Emely shuffled off to school, Chance felt he needed to do something about this Immigration Tax situation and called up Keith to find out what resources were available.  He got the directions to the Credit Union and went to pay Julien Cooke a visit.

It's always better to have a plan than to have no plan at all.  Donna would come home worried about it, and he wanted to be able to tell her he already took care of it.

***
When Donna got home, she noticed the place smelled like lavender.  The 1st Lady must've come because the place looked and smelled super clean.  She was hoping to tell Chance they didn't have to worry about that Immigration Tax, because she got promoted to Dolphin Tank Cleaner.  She bought a fun gaming system home as a surprise for her 'big kid' and little kid and she knew Chance would be more excited about it than Emely.  She couldn't wait to see his child-like face brighten with the news...

Oh well...

Despite being a little disappointed, Donna loves to make the most out of her day so she logged into her college correspondence course and attempted to get her first lesson started.   She was about 25% into it, when she felt she was going to pass out. This is not going to be easy. She's got a lot of lessons ahead of her.

***
Emely came home with both the Dalton twins this time and the first thing she saw was that new gaming system sitting on the table.  The kids screamed with delight and Terris wanted to be the first to challenge Emely to the snowboarding game. He's practically an expert at it because he and his Dad play all the time at home.

Terryn got so into watching the two of them, she got up to cheer Emely on. She wanted Emely to beat her brother, Terris, so bad.

The screaming jolted Donna and Chance awake. Chance jumped up and pulled his clothes on.

Chance got upset because Emely's usually not a loud child. They never had to deal with a house full of noisy kids in their apartment.

"You're gonna have to say goodbye to your friends, right now. Tell 'em you'll see them later. Your Mom and I are trying to sleep!" Chance shouted. He talked like the twins weren't even there.

Emely said goodbye to her friends, while Terris thought her Dad was a meanie.

***
Later that night, Donna and Chance had egg sandwiches and talked about his choice to apply for charity to pay for the Immigration Tax.

"Babe, you know I love you...but," Donna started. Chance already knows it's never good when a conversation between them starts out like that.

"Whaddya want me to do? Go out here and rob a bank?! I'm doing the best I can right now." Chance smiled trying to keep the peace.

"No, you're doing what you want to do and nothing else." Donna snubbed and rolled her eyes.

Chance wants to have another child, but he's not willing to at least try seeing her side of things. She needs financial help from him. Not just cooking breakfast and calling yourself a Dad. Emely's not even home all day anymore! So what is he doing with his time? How in the world can they bring another child into their lives right now?

We'll see what happens with this family.

---

First off, I want to thank Carla of Sullivan Sims, your blog has inspired me in so many ways.  I've had to grab all your goodies and run with them!  LOL!  I love your Sim Profiles set up and your College Correspondence idea, so I hope you don't mind me using these ideas for my own hood.  As I go through this rotation, I'll be updating all my Sim Profiles with the new format.  I've also decided to do the StretchSkeleton cheat in this hood.  I went through SimPE and changed the heights of all my Sims, adults too, just a little...so you'll see those subtle differences as I post updates.

A huge question I have, and maybe somebody out there can answer:  How can I make my pictures look better?  I post them at Photobucket...I know.  I've read you guys' "omgphotobucketsucks" stories...but I cannot pay for a picture host, so is there anything else I can do?  My pictures suck bigtime.

As of 11/30/09, I FIXED THEM!!  *DANCES*  I finally figured it out!!!

A few notes about this session: 

1.  I configured my RandomStuff file to include all my For Sale/Rent properties, including apartments.  I have the hardest time figuring out where a new family is going to live.  LOL!  So my randomstuff file rolls it for me.  I was pleased the Blairs got this house. 

I also put anything else I could think of in it, and all of my ROS scenarios are now in there; the ones from Jade, Laura and Apple Valley, making everything very concise and in one place.

2.  This couple tried for a baby twice on their own, with no luck.  Makes me think Donna is psychologically preventing it.  LOL! 

I created the Blairs back in 2005, in my first Simmington Hills hood. I never blogged about that hood, but I posted pics of it at N99 from time to time. So some of you might remember Chance and Donna from that. Emely was just a toddler back then.  I originally made Donna from a photo of a model I found on the internet. :P I really suck at creating Sims, so I needed the help. LOL!

I enjoyed playing them again. It's like seeing old friends. I kept their same personalities and aged Emely up to a child, as if they'd been living out their lives somewhere else.  But I struggled in writing this one because not much is going on.  I don't have an agenda, I just play their lives out and see what happens.

In my 2005 game, Donna ended up having an affair with another husband, Eldon Fuller, because she was so fed up with Chance's lack of ambition and because of ACR. *smiles* (I'll be introducing Eldon's family into this hood in August 2009. Some of you might remember his wife, Haydee. She was a former model.  They have a daughter named Faith.)

Other Sims that came from my old 2005 hood are Viv Everett, the Valdes Family, Maxine Wise, and Sabien and Tomika, of course.  In fact, this is the first time, I've seen Sabien and Tomika's kids grow up into teenagers.  They only had Rashid in that old game, but he never made it past a toddler. 

I have never played a hood this long before.  So, I'm very proud of myself for coming up on 3 years with this hood.  My real life hubby 'Sabien' never thought I would do it.  :P  I showed him.  hmmmph.