Round 15: September 2023
Narrated by Dawn Whitfield
Finn and I have been talking a lot about where we're going to live next year. Shea will turn 4 and start pre-school and we both want her to go to Allerdale Elementary instead of some other school. It'll be a long bus ride every day and one of us will have to take her there and back. Finn's parents suggested that we could move in with them but to me the idea of living with my in-laws isn't very appealing and Finn's not too thrilled about it either.
Finn managed to get a job that doesn't interfere with his classes so during the days it's just me and Shea. He's working in an investment company as a mailroom technician. Extra money is always welcomed. We're trying to save as much as we can so that we can get a nice apartment or even a small house after graduation.
It's a pretty ideal situation for me. I get to spend all day with Shea and I kind of even enjoy doing all the household chores. Shea is pretty good at making a huge mess with her toys even though I always tell her to put them back in her toy box when she's stopped playing.
I also get to study while Shea's taking a nap. This year is still more theory than practice but that'll all change next year. We'll get to start working in a real kitchen in our faculty. I can hardly wait to get into intense cooking.
Finn doesn't like taking money from his parents but he accepted when they wanted to buy him a car so that he could drive to work instead of waiting for buses. I just wish he would've let them buy him a newer car because I always worry that the old beat-up thing will break and he'll have to walk home.
The only downside is that we don't get to spend much time together. We both have our classes in the evening this year and his lectures start just a couple of hours after he comes home from work. By the time we both get home we're usually really tired.
Last semester Finn got totally drunk one night while I waited for him worried and he didn't come home until 2 am. I told him then that next time I'm going to go out with my friends and he's going to stay home with Shea. I hadn't forgotten that so I called Lilly, Eve and Liv and they all agreed we should definitely have a girls' night out.
Liv looked so different! She had cut her hair and dyed it platinum blonde. She said that one record company who offered her a recording deal wanted to utilize the fact that she looks so much like
her mother. That's a real deal breaker for Liv. She wants to make her own music career and not just be seen as the daughter of the great Stella Harris.
We had so much fun. I haven't known Eve for a long time but she's kind of family and seems nice. And I think she fits nicely into our little group. I love Shea and I love Finn but sometimes it's nice to go out and pretend I'm like any 19-year-old girl who's just having fun.
I ended up having a bit too much fun - and too much beer. I saw this really cute guy and thought it would be a good idea to flirt with him. He seemed pretty embarrassed and so did I after I realized who he was.
He turned out to be that Jamie guy that Liv has been casually dating after she broke up with Niall. Luckily she wasn't mad at all. She just laughed and said it's only natural that other women find him cute too. I don't think I would be that tolerant if I caught someone flirting with Finn. Then again our situations are totally different.
I had a great time but the next day was horrible. I was so hungover that most of the day I just lay on the sofa and watched Shea play with her toys. It wasn't the wisest thing to go drinking so close to this semester's final exams.
Zach came over later and seemed to enjoy my misery.
I can't complain much though. He's more than happy to babysit Shea sometimes if Finn and I both have to go out. He's a really doting uncle too which surprised me at first. He has no intentions of settling down anytime soon but he absolutely adores Shea.
I asked him if he's dating anyone and he just shook his head.
"I knew Lilly would tell you that she's seen me with someone a couple of times" he said and laughed. "I don't have time for dating. There's this one girl but we're just having fun."
There's a very small part of me that's a bit jealous. I don't want to sleep around or anything but sometimes I can't help but wonder what it would be like if I didn't have a baby at 16.
But then I take one look at her face and I know I wouldn't trade it for anything. And it makes it even better to know that Finn feels the same way.
Grades, autumn 2023:
- Dawn, culinary arts (art), B+, GPA 3.8
- Finn, entrepreneurial studies (economics), B+, GPA 3.3
Notes:
- Title reference: Little dreams by Ellie Goulding.
- I think Dawn is going through a minor crisis. She's starting to see how different her life is compared to other girls her age. However I think she would make the same choices again if she could go back in time. Flirting with Jamie was all due to the beer BTW.
- I took a better look at Laura's notes on giving YAs real jobs so Finn is really working in the business career. I have to check his class schedule for the next semester to see if he can continue working.
- I toyed with the idea of moving Dawn, Finn and Shea to either Wellington or Exmoor but in the end I decided to let them stay where they are. I'll just imagine that either Dawn or Finn will ride the school bus with Shea so she doesn't have to go alone.
- I wanted to give Liv a new look (although you can't see it properly) because she really looks a lot like Stella. I'll announce news about her career soon somehow, most likely in the Wellington Gazette.
Having a baby at 16 and then regretting it... hmm... one could now say "you should have thought about that before you had sex without taking any precautions", but of course that wouldn't help anyone, would it :-)
ReplyDeleteHow awful for Dawn to have Finn come home totally drunk!! No wonder she feels entitled to drink too much herself, and then flirt with another guy.
I wouldn't go as far as to say Dawn regrets having a baby. She's just thinking about how different her life would be if she didn't. I think it's part of human nature to go on the path of "what ifs" every now and then.
DeleteDawn wasn't so much upset about the fact that Finn came home drunk than she was about the fact that he didn't even think to call her to tell he's coming home later... much later. But they've discussed it through and he knows better next time.
Thanks for reading. :)
I think it's normal for her to start to see how different her life could have been, but they're making it work and they have a lot of help which is good.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I think. She's happy with her life but sometimes she just thinks how different it could have been. I didn't expect for Dawn and Finn to be such a strong couple but they've done really well so far.
DeleteThanks for reading. :)
I don't know how I never noticed how much Liv looks like her mum! Wow! I can hardly blame her for wanting a drastic new look after that record company's suggestion. She's her own woman. I can't wait to hear her career news.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Dawn got her girls' night out, though flirting with Jamie was probably not her finest moment. Luckily Liv saw the funny side - I don't know if Finn would have, if he'd been there! It's definitely understandable that she'd want to cut loose a bit. Shea means she has to be responsible all the time, which is tough at 19.
Liv really looks like Stella. I think she might have Deacon's eyes but everything else is from her mother. She would hate for people to see her as someone who's just using her mother's fame to get ahead.
DeleteI think Dawn might remember next time not to drink that last beer, lol. I don't think Finn would've have seen the funny side like Liv though! I think it's good for both her and Finn to have some fun with their friends every now and then. And of course they need some quality time together as well.
Thanks for reading. :)
Dawn and Finn seem to be handling parenthood quite well for such young parents.Similar to what everyone mentioned, it's definitely understandable that every now and then, Dawn and even Finn, will sometimes wish they were the typical young adults their age.But, it's great to know that she comes to the realization toward the end that she loves being a mother and doesn't regret Shea.Additionally, it's great that these two are finishing college, despite having a child so young.I can't wait to graduation.
ReplyDeleteDawn and Finn are doing quite well. Dawn might doubt the choices she made sometimes but in the end she wouldn't do anything differently. It's the same for Finn too.
DeleteDawn still has two years and Finn has three years left in college but so far it's looking good. I'm pretty confident they will both graduate when it's time.
Thanks for reading. :)
I get Dawn wishing that she had another experience, a more carefree one. She's missing out on a lot but she's gaining too. Its' life.
ReplyDeleteIt's also great that she got the chance to go out with her friend, even if she did get a bit too drunk.
Yes, Dawn is missing out on something but you're right about her gaining too. It's not an easy path but it's the one she chose and she's happy about it.
DeleteIt was great sending Dawn out with her friends. She's been working so hard especially last year when she was on her own with Shea for the first time. She definitely deserved to have fun and be carefree for one night.
Thanks for reading. :)
It's so nice to see that Dawn and Finn are making it work. It can't be easy with Shea, but they make it work!
ReplyDeleteIt's good that Dawn had her night out, she deserved a break from it all. It may not have been very wise to flirt with another guy, but I'm glad there was no harm done.
I'm actually a bit surprised how well Dawn and Finn are doing. They have great families and friends who are willing to help but they're doing it mostly by themselves.
DeleteDawn definitely deserved a break. I'm sure next time she won't go flirting with other men, luckily this time it all went smoothly in the end.
Thanks for reading. :)
Oh I want to see Liv's new 'do up close! From what I can see, she still looks gorgeous! I'm glad Dawn got her fun night out but yea, definitely had too much fun and too much to drink. At least Jamie is a good guy and didn't take advantage of the situation. He scored points in my book :).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad these 2 are doing better living together than they did last semester lol. Finn's gotten used to the routine which is good and they really made a life for themselves.
I'll have to check out that post about YAs working real jobs. I thought about doing that at one point but didn't get around to it. Thanks for the link.
I really have to fire up my game and take a better picture of Liv's look... and get those career news online. I'm sure Dawn learned a valuable lesson and next time knows not to drink so much! I just adore Jamie, he's such a nice guy and I actually hope that Liv would settle down with him.
DeleteDawn and Finn have definitely gotten more used to living together now. They had never spent this much time together before so it was quite expected that it wouldn't go too smoothly in the beginning.
I've been wanting to get some of my students some real jobs. They just need a car to get to work (which meant I had to move Dawn and Finn out temporarily and modify their lot) but other than that it's really easy to set up jobs for YAs.
Thanks for reading. :)