Summer 2012 - Thayer

Fawn (37), Gareth (37)

Whenever Gareth was in town, Fawn enjoyed hearing about his time on the road and in the studio and all of the venues his band played in different cities.

Of course, he and his bandmate, Trevor Yates often talked of their hometowns and Trevor had seemed interested in seeing Fawn's Art Gallery.

While traveling between gigs, Gareth and Trevor surprised Fawn by dropping in at the art galley before heading on to the next stop on their tour.

The guys seemed to have a fun time talking about their views on artistic expression.

Since the gallery wasn't doing very well financially just from charging entry, Fawn began putting some of her pieces up for sale.

Which meant the added expense of maintaining an employee.  Time would tell if the change would be profitable.

Fawn was excited to have the honor of displaying the works of a budding young artist from another hood, Veronika Kent of Apple Valley.

She was sure to mention that she went to college with Veronika's father.  He was a few years older than her, but she remembered him from the dorms.  She was excited to discuss painting techniques and sources of inspiration with Veronika.  She was always happy to meet another art aficionado.

Veronika's family, her aunt and uncles and cousins had come along to support her.

Fawn was pleased to see Veronika's uncle's brother, James, had come along too.

In addition to showing her work, Veronika was also excited to check out some of New Eden's historical art pieces. Many of them had been created by Fawn's grandparents who were among the original founders of Eden.

After exploring the gallery, she headed back downstairs to answer any questions visitors might have about her work.

When things quieted down in the gallery, Fawn and Veronika chatted about her work and her plans for the future.  Veronika couldn't help noticing the way James was looking at Fawn and wondered if the two of them might have a future together.  Fawn played the suggestion off and insisted that they were just friends.

Yet, when she kissed him goodbye at the end of the show, she thought maybe there might be a spark between them.

The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if there could be something between her and James.  She hadn't been blind to the way he looked at her sometimes and she had definitely noticed the chemistry between them when she helped him redesign his living room, of course she had been with Winston at the time.  James actually seemed like the type of guy she wouldn't mind falling in love with.

Winston still dropped by the gallery on a regular basis.  She couldn't deny that she still found him incredibly attractive.

They were still friends.  They talked about art, but it just seemed like any chance of rekindling their romance had faded away.

And Jimmy, who she saw everyday, was another man she was definitely attracted to, but it had never been anything more than just physical with him.  She had the feeling he was more into someone else.

So she wondered, why not give things with James a shot?  All it took was a little hint his way and he was eagerly asking her out on a date.

They went to Trevor's, a restaurant that had actually been started by a half-brother of Fawn's back in Eden.  They headed upstairs to the bar first and tried the karaoke machine.  Musical talent must run in the family, because Fawn's singing voice was impressive.  James, on the other hand, could barely carry a tune, but it didn't matter.  It was all for fun.

Afterwards James excused himself to stop by the restroom while Fawn took a seat at the bar.  Of all the sims to run into, Winston and his new flame, Lara, were there.  He seemed to sense her presence before he even saw her.

When he started to head over to say hello, Fawn quickly looked for an excuse to be somewhere else.  And they went down to the restaurant to see if their table was ready yet.

Fortunately it was.

"Do you two know each other?" Fawn asked, when she noticed Heather staring at James.

"Yes.  We're friends."

Heather winked at them.  "On a date?  Have fun."

In a small town like New Eden, it's difficult to go out and have any kind of privacy.  You always ran into someone you knew.  Fawn tried not to think about who may or may not be watching them and focused on her date with James.

She was having a great time.  The food was fantastic,

the company was great, and the atmosphere was totally romantic.

After dinner, they took a second turn on the karaoke machine.  Their small audience seem to approve.

Robin seemed to think that Fawn and James made a cute couple, while Gregory only had eyes for his wife.

Fawn thought it was nice to see a couple that had been married for a long time, out together and still so affectionate and in love.  She wasn't sure if she was suited for that type of life, but it was sweet to see.

James, being a gentleman, accompanied Fawn home and said goodnight to her at her door.

It had been a great night and Fawn was really begin to feel like this relationship could grow into something more.

Meanwhile, Gareth was spending some quiet time at home, in his studio apartment, enjoying the time to himself to play around on the bass and just relax.

Sofia was out of town.  Trying to launch her own solo music career, she was starting to live the type of lifestyle he was, home for short periods of time between touring and working in the studio.  Since he didn't have her new number, he wasn't able to reach her.  So he started thinking about who else in the hood he could take some time to get to know better.  He really wanted to build some new friendships.

He decided that instead of trying to get to know some of the new sims in the hood, he should try to restore an old relationship, with Heather.  She was the mother of his child and what had happened between them was so long in the past.  It was long past time to put hurt feelings aside and be on good terms again. 

It was important if he was ever going to have a relationship with their son and that was something they all needed.

Things had gotten much better between them, but that brought up new challenges. They found it difficult to find the right boundaries for what they wanted their relationship to be.

It was better for them, and better for Lance if they were somewhat close again, but not too close.  They had to make sure not to get too close.

 

(This was long, but I couldn't decide on a good way to split it up.  Thanks to Apple Valley for sending me the McMillians and Veronika for a visit.  Setting up the art show was fun.  Trevor's visit was a random surprise.  He's in my simbin from an earlier Aerial Bionic show and decided to come home from work with Gareth one day.  I actually just moved him into the simbin from the nightclub lot where I'd left him as a placeholder, because I didn't want him randomly showing up around the hood.  I guess he decided he wanted to show up anyway.  A bit of trivia - the sim in the purple sweatsuit is the original Suzanna Carr (McMillian).  She's still floating around my hood.  I may give her a new identity someday if she starts to form relationships with any other of my active sims.  She actually looks different than Apple Valley's version of Suzanna who is dressed in red and pink, so I didn't try to use her as the visiting Suzanna McMillian. Before the date, in his lot, James had rolled the want to go on a date with Fawn and Fawn rolled the want, on her lot, to fall in love with James.  Towards the end of the date he had the want to get engaged to Fawn (and the other wants were all about skill points).  It rolled away, but that's pretty big progress for him, since he hasn't expressed many wants towards anyone.  I may have to max out his skills and get him to the top of his career before he gets serious about settling down.  At one point, more towards the end of the round, Gareth wanted to talk to Sofia, but I forgot I moved her out of  whatever lot she was living on and she didn't have a phone.  Before that he wanted to be friends with Heather, Hope, and Alexis.  Heather seemed the most logical choice.) 

Spring 2012 - Spring Festival

Spring 2012 - Community Festival

Residents gathered at the local market square for the annual community together.  It was a beautiful day to enjoy the warm spring weather.

Some sims were excited to participate in the hood's first ever cooking contest.  Sophie Straight was the first sim to sign-up.  She could barely contain her excitement.

Fawn was a little less sure of herself, especially when she saw Ivy First's unique and exotic entry.

Rich Cormier filled out the list of contestants with a classic cherry pie. 

In the end, Ivy's stuffed cod wrapped in bacon took home first prize.  But the festival goers were happy to sample all of the entries after the final judging.

Festival time is always a great time to reconnect with old friends and meet new neighbors.

Of course, not everyone got along perfectly all the time.  There were always spats and misunderstandings

and bitter feelings that could not be completely put aside, even for a day that was intended for fun and building a sense of community.

Some single sims took the festival as an opportunity to check out the members of the opposite sex, even if they knew another sim was taken and completely out of their league.

And committed couples that only had eyes for each other were feeling frisky in the warm spring weather.  While some sims approved of the public displays of affection,

others were totally embarrassed and appalled by their uninhibited behavior.

Even though some sims found themselves not seeing eye to eye,

For the most part they were able to look past their differences and have a fun time.

2011 Year End Review

Education Notes: 

New construction is underway for both the upper and lower educational levels.  Starting this year, the old Jr./Sr. High building will be officially closed.  The building was too large for our hood's needs and difficult to navigate.  The building will still be kept intact, for now, and the auditorium and gymnasium will be available for public use.

The secondary students will share a building with the elementary students.  A second floor has already been added to the building with additional classrooms, a teacher's lounge and a state of the art computer lab.

We are short on teaching staff and are looking to hire at least one new teacher, as soon as possible.  If interested, please submit a resume.  We need to fill this position immediately.

The university students were welcomed to a new dormitory this year.  We are still experimenting with the possibility of having student housing in the main hood, but test runs have not gone as planned, therefore student housing will remain on campus, at least for incoming freshmen.

Community Events and Projects:

This summer sims met at the new public pool and beach for some fun in the sun.  Not many dared to get their feet wet, but we hope sims will take time to visit this new community fun spot in the future.

This winter sims gathered at the high school auditorium to recognize three graduating seniors, Violet Cormier, Geneva Rossi, and Owen Rossi.  We wish them the best in their future endeavors.  The students celebrated the end of the school year and graduation with a winter dance.  The dance was a huge success.  Students reported that they had a great time.  We hope this will become a continued tradition that every teen in the hood can experience at least once during their teenage years.

In more somber news, a memorial service was held at the newly created Estates of Serenity Cemetary for Ms. Jessica Ebadi.  Friends, family, neighbors, and students gathered to bid farewell to a beloved mother, dear friend, and devoted teacher.  Jessica will be missed.

Next year the hood will be holding a spring festival at Central Market Square.  Attention will be given to the community garden, lectures will be given on starting home gardens and using fresh produce and fish.  We are also hoping to have a cooking contest.  So all of you aspiring chefs out there who have been wanting to show off your cooking, start planning your entries now!

Also in the spring, a new exhibit will be shown at the Artisan's Museum.  We are delighted to have been invited to showcase the works of Veronica Kent from Apple Valley.  A prodigy artist from a young age, Veronica's art gives a unique insight into the creative mind of a child.  Some residents may remember Veronica's father, Jesse (Carr) Kent, an Eden native.

Renovation is slated to start on an office building this simyear.  The building will include space for administration and other business offices and meeting rooms.  We hope this new space will give residents another reason to get out of the house and interact with other members of the community.

Government Notes:

An official hood council has been established and will have its first meeting this simyear.  The officers and offices are listed and described below.

• Robin Harris will continue in her role as hood president and will be in charge of neighborhood administration as well as overseeing all other officers.
• Winston Crabtree will be the neighborhood treasurer, keeping track of the hood's finances, tax collection and loan repayments.
• Hope Miguel is in charge of the department of education, keeping track of school records, developing school programs, and seeing that educational needs of our students at all levels are met.
• Jane D'Sim is the community events coordinator, in charge of planning our yearly festivals and other events to promote a sense of community among residents.
• James McMillian is the community development officer in charge of building projects and developing and maintaining community lots as well as new housing.

Congratulations to all of our newly appointed officers.  We look forward to seeing what plans you come up with this year and during your term.  Officers will remain in place until the end of 2015, when elections for the 2016-2020 term will be held.

Financial Notes:

The first installment of loan repayments and first tax collection will occur this year.  If you owe money, please remember to make your payment in a timely manner.  If you lost your bill, please check the blog, amounts owed will be posted on a separate page on the sidebar.

Legal / Administration Notes:

Joy London has been granted temporary custody of Bridget and Bryce Ebadi following their mother's death.  A sim has stepped forward claiming to the the father of the two children.  A custody hearing will be held pending the results of the paternity test. Until a permanent arrangement has been made the former Ebadi household will be known as Ebadi/London on the official rotation for 2012.

Alexis Havers has submitted a request to be removed from the official rotation.  The Havers-Rossi household will not be listed on the official rotation for 2012.

The Year in Review:

Congratulations to the Cormier family on the birth of baby girl, Rosalyn Cormier.  Rosalyn is the first child of Tosha and Rich Cormier and first niece for new aunt Violet Cormier.

Congratulations to the Harris family who also welcomed a baby girl into their family this winter.  Savannah Harris is the second daughter for Robin and Gregory Harris and little sister to Melody.

Congratulations to Joy London and Alon Carlson who announced their engagement this fall.  A wedding date has not yet been announced.

Congratulations to the graduates!  This year three of our high school students are moving on to young adulthood. Violet Cormier completed high school with a B average and was awarded the Bain-Gordon Communications Fellowship.  Geneva Rossi finished with a B+ and earned the Will Wright Genius Grant.  Owen Rossi also finished with a B+ and was awarded the Tsang Footwork Award.  All three graduates will be attending New Eden University in the fall.  We wish them well as they continue their studies.

Heartfelt condolences go out to the friends and family of Jessica Ebadi who was tragically killed during a lightening storm.  Jessica leaves behind a young son and daughter, Bryce Ebadi and Bridget Ebadi.  She was a devoted teacher who served as the first headmistress in the Jr./Sr. High boarding school.  She finished her career as the hood's elementary school teacher.  Her loss has been deeply felt through out the community.  May you rest in peace, Jessica.  You are missed.