A New Chapter

Ryder had his first birthday.......it seems like yesterday, I gave birth to him. Of course, Tyson wasn't there. He still claims that Ryder isn't his son even though he looks just like him. I'm past all that now, though. Ryder is MY son and that's all that matters.

Look at that face! How can anyone look at him and not want to claim him? He's just perfect. My mom and dad have really gotten taken with him. They agreed to keep him with them while I went off to school. I got three scholarships, can you believe it? I sure as hell couldn't! Between work and school and Ryder crying nights, I thought I might not graduate at all!

Oh how I miss him! Ryder is such a funny little guy! He's really been good for my mom since grandmother died. They had such a rocky relationship and even their last conversation was an argument. Grandma wanted to blame mom and dad for me getting pregnant. I had to let her know it was my own stupid fault. Mom was pretty down about it but taking care of Ryder makes her smile.

I said that I would hang this picture in my room, and I did. I actually need an updated one because he has grown so much since then......and so have I......

I'm at college now and I gotta say, it's kinda cool. The older I get, the more people tell me I look just like my mom. But now it doesn't bother me so much to hear that....it's such a weird feeling to be out on your own, I call home sometimes just to hear my mom complain!

More than that, I call to check on Ryder's progress. He's learning to talk now and can actually say momma! My mom makes sure he calls her nana and not momma.....it would break my heart if he did! I go up every weekend to see him and I talk to him on the phone everyday even though he doesn't understand half of what I say!

I spend my days working hard to keep my grades up. I need to get the best education possible so that I can make Ryder's life better. By the time I graduate, Ryder will be starting school and I want to be able to provide a good home for him.

Remember my friend Arianna Ying? Well she came to Sim State with me! That girl is the best friend I've ever had! I even talk to Fallon more now. Even though we are at different schools, we try to get together as often as we can which can be hard. She has her responsiblities with Hoh Fruhm and I have Ryder that I have to go and visit. Arianna thinks that I have been working much too hard and insists that we go out tonight.

I'm not really in the mood, but I know better than to argue with Arianna. I don't know, it always feels like I shouldn't be out having fun, ya know? I should be here working on assignments and papers so that I feel like I'm not just abandoning Ryder to have a good time......but I guess it wouldn't hurt to go out this once........

Turns out that it was pretty fun! We go to this creepy looking spot called the Crypt O' Night club and dance the night away. My cousin Eliza Ambrel comes here alot and it's actually a cool place. Arianna has become a real party girl since we got here. She says that now is the time to get it out of her system and suggests that I do the same so I won't regret it later on.......

We get back to the dorms and have some mac and cheese that the cafeteria lady cooked up. That's one of the perks to staying in the dorms, the meals are provided! But I've been reading different cookbooks because I know that I'll have to cook for me and Ryder once I graduate......

Arianna gets up to go to her room and this random guy sits in her place......SO not interested in guys right now! So I get up to leave.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to run you off," he says.

"Don't worry. You didn't," I say as I walk back to my room. The last thing I want or need right now is to get involved with some guy. The only guy for me at the moment is Ryder Ray!

I wake up this morning with a bad feeling. I get those sometimes. I don't know what it is, but I know something bad is going to happen today. I try to shrug it off and get ready for class. Maybe I'm being silly.........

I've been working a writing a children's book......I know it's silly, but I don't know, I think it would be cool to have my own book out there. Ryder could even read it when he grows up. It's funny how having a kid can change you so completely........

Know that bad feeling I was talking about? Well guess who? Tyson Simpson actually has the balls to call my phone.....and I'm sure it isn't just to say hello...........

*I really wanted to send Ryder to school with Christa but I wasn't sure how well that would work out, plus I've heard aging can be an issue. With him at home, I can turn aging off and keep him a toddler until Christa graduates. It just seemed like it would be complicated to send him and I didn't want to bork my game!

The Honeymoon: Part II

We started our last day of our honeymoon by going to the spa at Three Lakes. Zoe decided to relax in the sauna before jumping into the hot spring. The subject of babies came up last night and Zoe is ready to start having them.......I kinda want to wait and just enjoy my time with her, but if it's what she wants.......we decided that she will stop taking her birth control when we get back home.....maybe it will take a few tries before she gets pregnant.....I hope so anyway!

I want to try out the swedish massage and let me tell you, it's wonderful! Zoe is interested in learning it which is great because now I can get massages at home! Man, this is the life!

After her time in the sauna, Zoe heads straight for the hot springs. She looks hot in her bikini huh? Hmmmm.......can't wait to get her back to the cabin!

As soon as my massage is done, I join Zoe in the springs. My muscles feel like linguini after that massage and I have never been more relaxed than I am right now. I kinda hate to go back home tomorrow.....our time here has been magical.....

Zoe takes her turn on the massage table and gets lessons on how to give one. It cost us a pretty penny, but I think that it's SO worth it! Soon I'll be coming home to soothing massages......I need to learn to do it too so I can give her some.....

After we were all relaxed we decided to head on back to the cabin to begin the last phase of total relaxation..........

And let me tell you, this is my FAVORITE part! What is more relaxing than making love to your wife? I hope that I always feel this way......I know some couples who have been married for a while would say that its just the newlywed syndrome, but I don't think so....I think we'll always be this way......

And so today we must return back to our regular lives.....it was a really nice getaway, though. But games don't design themselves and Zoe needs to get back to her job at the restaurant......

This cabin is a really nice investment......maybe when we come back, we'll be bringing along a kid or two......that's if Zoe has her way......which I'm sure that she will!

I think she's really sad to go as well. It was such a wonderful vacation......at least we'll always have our memories.....and it's not like we can't come back again when we have the time......

Ah, home sweet home! It's not the breezy, clean air of the mountains, but I did kinda miss our house........I guess now we are officially starting our lives together........

And I can't think of a better way to do that than this! Guess the honeymoon's not over after all!

*They both have continuous wants to have children so I'm going to just let ACR take control. I'm going to start linking to their profiles on their homepage so you can get a better understanding of their personalities. It's a work in progress so bear with me!

In Loving Memory

Things around the house have been pretty quiet. We try to get the kids to come over as much as possible, but they have their own lives. Kasha is busy running Picture This! and her teenage daughter recently had a baby. Aiden is at the top of his oceanography career and he and Kelly are helping their daughter Fallon get through college and getting their son Christian Jr. through high school. Anna spends her days painting. She's been feeling pretty down since her fight with Kasha's husband on Tyler's birthday. Anna just had such big dreams for Kasha and she feels like Kasha threw it all away for Craig. I've tried to tell her that Kasha made her own choices and it's not Craig's fault, but Anna won't listen. I hope she can fix this before she either breaks up Kasha's marriage or loses Kasha forever.

She really is a very talented artist. She always has been. That's what first attracted me to her in college in the first place. We have paintings that she has done scattered all over our house and every single one of them are beautiful.

Hersey is also getting along in age. When Aiden and Kasha went off to school, Hersey became our little child......he's such a good dog and is just so loyal and kind. My grandkids love to play with him when they come over.

Anna really does mean well. She loves Kasha so much and wants her life to be the best it can be. She was all ready to apologize for her behavior before we heard that Kasha's daughter Christa was pregnant. Christa is a junior in high school and the father is a young man in college. I've told her to stay out of it......I mean at least we got a great-grandchild out of the whole mess, but I know Anna will feel the need to say something.

We decided to invite over the kids and their families for dinner. Aiden and his wife Kelly are just as in love as they were when they met in college. We're all a little weirded out about her being a witch, but over time we have all just accepted it. It hasn't changed who she is inside.....she just has a weird glow about her.

The talk I had with Anna went in one ear and out the other! As soon as Kasha arrived, she lit into her about Christa. She started yelling about how she set a bad example by marrying Craig who was older than Kasha when they met. That she had made it ok for Christa to go out and do the same and that's why she ended up pregnant. Kasha didn't take to this too well.

Christa stepped up and told Anna that she didn't appreciate how she talked to her mom. She said that she loved her but that she couldn't stand to see her fight with her parents anymore. Anna felt really bad about upsetting everyone and promptly apologized. Christa told her that she accepted and gave her a hug......I guess we avoided another catastrophe!

Aiden stepped in to take some of the tension away. He talked with Anna about how his daughter Fallon was doing in Academie Le Tour. She has joined a sorority that was started by my niece Jayla. She's getting her grades up so she can remain a member of the sorority. Aiden and Kelly are very proud of her.

Christa and CJ have become quite close even though they attend different schools. Aiden got CJ into a private school while Christa goes to public school. She's very proud of her son Ryder and that's the basis of most of her conversation.

We never expected to sit down to dinner and have death arrive. My beautiful Anna......my sweet, beautiful Anna. She's only 73! I thought we would have so much more time left....we were even planning to take a vacation.......what am I suppose to do without her?

Aiden takes it very hard. It's just so unexpected......she wasn't sick or anything. I don't know what to say to comfort them all.....I'm not sure how to comfort myself....I've just lost my best friend......I feel like I'm not breathing at all.

Kasha feels awful because her last conversation with Anna with an argument. None of us were able to say good-bye, but I know it's hardest on her. Kasha hasn't been close to her mother in years but she always thought they had time to mend their relationship.....but she was wrong....we all were.......

I don't remember how to live my life without her. I met Anna when we were just kids in college, and she's been apart of my life every since. I don't remember life before her.......so how can I go on?
Even Hersey misses her......he sat in the floor rooted to the spot, as if he could still see her.......how will we move on without Anna?



*The dog really sat there howling her her ghost for the longest time! No one else seemed to see Anna's ghost but him!

The Honeymoon: Part I

This part contains mild nudity (it's their honeymoon for goodness sakes!). Just a friendly warning!

Today we are leaving for our honeymoon in Three Lakes. Zoe still doesn't know about the vacation home I bought there so she thinks that we are headed to a hotel! She's going to be so surprised! Our wedding went off without a hitch and everyone seemed to have a great time. Zoe and my mom did a wonderful job planning it.

As we get into the shuttle van, I can't help but think how lucky I am.....after all the girls I dated, to finally find one that made me want to settle down......well, I can't really describe it!

We arrive at the cabin and Zoe is squealing with joy! She loves it and can't wait to get inside to check it out. It has 2 bedrooms which is great. When we have kids, we can come up here for family vacations. I don't want to have kids right away........I want to enjoy being married for a bit before I jump into being a dad.

Zoe is so happy that we have our own little cabin......she really is very beautiful.....inside and out. I still can't believe she said yes to a big kid who still plays with video games......hell, I even DESIGN video games......but she did and I couldn't be happier........

Ok, well THIS makes me happier. I guess we're the token newlyweds because we didn't even make it upstairs to the bedroom. This is why I bought the house, so we could have some privacy! Couldn't do this at a hotel!

We eventually let go of each other long enough to take a shower together so that I could take Zoe sightseeing. I've actually been to Three Lakes before when I was little with my dad. Actually it was me, dad, Aiden, his dad Christian, and my uncle Damien.......We camped out and had a ball.

Ridiculous right? But I just can't keep my hands off her! I mean it's not like this is the first time we've been together this way, but man it just seems so much better now! Who knew getting married would change things for the better? All the stories I heard were of it making things worse!

We decide to get some log rolling in. Doesn't Zoe look good in her bikini? Ok, gotta focus! I can't let her distract me! If she rolls me into the water, I'll never hear the end of it!

Zoe seems to be honestly and truly happy. I'm very glad that she is. Her dad died when she was younger and I thought that it was so cool of my dad to walk her down the aisle. He said that she was his daughter now and he felt like it was his duty and his pleasure to give her away. Dad can be a big softy sometimes!

And me? Well I've already said how I feel. I'm the top game designer in Pleasantview, I have a gorgeous house that's paid for, inherited money, and the most beautiful wife in the world. Who could ask for more?

Log rolling tires Zoe out so we head back to the house so she can get some rest. I'm not tired so I decide to try out the pond on the side of the house. It would be great if I could catch some fish to cook for dinner.

Well took me all evening, but I finally caught one! I'm sure Zoe has eaten by now so I guess we'll have fish for breakfast instead......I had forgotten how much I actually love fishing! Yep, I'll definitely be coming back to the cabin on a regular basis!

I walk upstairs to see Zoe peering out over the balcony. She looks so peaceful. It really is nice here. I could have bought a place on the beach, but I thought the mountains would be better. We could drive up to LaQuest Beach back home anytime. But the mountains are a real getaway......

Zoe is very happy with how the wedding turned out. She thinks that it was very creatively done and that everyone enjoyed themselves. Of course they did! My family lives for weddings! Neither of my sisters had a big wedding. Rochella Jalise eloped with Donte and got married on the beach, and Gabby had a small ceremony in her backyard. But everyone else has had a huge wedding. It's an excuse for us to all get together and see each other. Life can get so hectic sometimes that we lose touch.

Man, I love this woman. Honestly, I was always scared of getting married. I could see that my dad would move heaven and earth for my mom, but he still cheated on her. They still ended up getting divorced. It made me feel that maybe not everyone is destined to get married. After seeing what my mom went through after the divorce, I never wanted to be the cause of that much pain to a woman. But then I met Zoe and she made me want to get married. And I know that I would never do anything to hurt her.

I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep alone again! I've gotten use to having her laying beside me. And the great thing is that I won't ever have to sleep alone again......because she said yes!

And every morning I get to wake up to see her sleeping peacefully, wrapped up in my arms.....I feel like my life has finally begun!

Yea, this newlywed stuff is great! My cousin's husband Craig told me at the wedding to get as much of this in as I can! He said that once the kids come and life gets hectic, the honeymoon is officially over and if you can get a few nights a week, you're lucky! Well, I plan to enjoy these times now!

I know that fish for breakfast may be a bit strange, but I'm so proud of my fish! Plus, we're going out again today, and Zoe likes to sample the food that the vendors serve. By the time we get home, she's not hungry anymore.......not for food anyway!

Yesterday was an amazing day and I know that today will be even greater. We decided to take a short vacation so we don't have much time left here. Oh, well we'll still have as much fun as possible!

Oh my God! I just installed ACR and these two are like rabbits! I had no idea they would be like that! As soon as they walked in the cabin, they were naked and trying to have a baby! But Zoe is on birth control at the moment so that won't happen for a little while. But it's really cute that most of their autonomous actions now deal with each other.......I'm glad that I didn't book them a hotel room! They would have had to stay in it for the whole trip!