Friday 27 July 2012

Disciple of the sun

Round 15: June 2023


Max Fielding is 67 and Regan is 59.
(Nyah is 37, Erin is 28 and Lilly is 18.)


Narrated by Regan Fielding.

Two years ago Max and I were going through a particularly rough time. We just somehow lost our ability to communicate with each other and every conversation ended up in a fight. It took an intervention from our daughters to see that we were heading into a divorce.

It took months of couples counseling but we managed to pull through. We both agreed to compromise for the sake of our marriage. Our counselor really made us both see that we want to be together and that we have to work for our relationship. I feel that now we're stronger than ever. Life has definitely not been easy but we're celebrating our 30th anniversary this year.

The girls wanted to buy us a vacation but we told them not to. Nyah has a big family, Erin's pregnant with her second child and Lilly's just starting a life on her own. It would not have felt right to take money from them. The idea of travelling was so appealing though that we ended up booking a vacation at Kalaupapa Island.

We went to the beach as soon as we had checked into our hotel. The island weather is amazing. It's so warm but not too hot.

I wanted to sunbathe but was a bit hesitant to show up in my bikini. Max said that I'm crazy to hide my body. I guess he's right. I look pretty good for a 59-year-old. I tried to convince Max to join me but he said he would just get sunburned so he kept his clothes on all the time.

He did enjoy swimming in the ocean though. He loves to swim and he's often been talking about building a pool in our backyard. After this it'll be even harder to say no.

Our hotel wasn't very luxurious but I really liked the place anyway. Our room was spacious and it was a really quiet and relaxing place.

The fact that we didn't book the most expensive hotel meant that we had some spare money in our budget to order room service.

We probably could have stayed in a tent and still have a good time. The most important thing was that we were together.

People kept asking if this is our second honeymoon because we were constantly kissing and hugging. We told them that this is our first. We never got to go on a honeymoon when we got married. It was a long wait but it was definitely worth it.

I even learned some hula dance from a local woman. The people living on the island are so amazingly friendly and beautiful. Max watched me the whole time and smiled.

"Mrs. Fielding, I thought I'd never see the day you take the time to learn hula dance" he said after the lesson.

I felt like I could've stayed forever in our little paradise but our vacation came to an end. We came home feeling relaxed and happy.

We decided to enjoy the next weekend by inviting our children and their families over. I managed to catch some fish for grilling. Fishing is just one of the new hobbies I've taken on in order to relax and forget about the pressures of work.

I won the Nobel Prize last year for developing a new ground-breaking medicine that works well for alzheimer's disease so money is not an issue anymore. We were able to do a little work for our garden and we really enjoy spending time outdoors now.

We're all very excitedly waiting for the birth of Erin and Toby's baby. She only has one month left although she says she's ready to burst any minute now. Iona can't wait to become a big sister. The moment they walked through the door she announced that Greg and Malia are expecting as well so she's going to get two new siblings. I don't think they've told many people yet but Iona was so happy she couldn't hold it in.

Lilly also came from Brixton with Josh. I was hoping she would come home for summer but both she and Josh decided to stay on campus and take some summer courses.

It was so great to spend time with the family. I'm very proud of all my professional achievements but lately I've started to regret focusing solely on work. I'm very lucky that I have such good relationships with all my daughters.

I'm so proud of Nyah. She had all the odds against her when she started as a principal in her early twenties but nobody questions her abilities now. And the fact that she's managed to raise four beautiful children and still make a career for herself is just amazing. Next year she'll be teaching one of her own kids for the first time when Skye starts high school. She's still in denial when it comes to having a teenaged daughter although Lilly keeps teasing her that it's a clear sign she's getting old.

I'm so glad Max and I didn't traumatise Lilly with the fights that she had to witness during her last years living at home.

I'm happy she's doing so well. Her studies are going great and I absolutely adore that boyfriend of hers. I wasn't thrilled when she started dating Josh when she was just 13 but everything's turned out fine - for all of us.

Notes:
  • Title reference: Disciple of the sun by Von Hertzen Brothers
  • I think it was about time for Regan and Max to go on a honeymoon! My notes say that they got married in 1993 although it's a bit vague since I had a completely different calendar system back then. Anyway, they've been together for a long time. I'm glad they were able to overcome their problems.
  • Regan was promoted to the top of the Science career probably when I was preparing Lilly for college (applying for scholarships etc.). This session she got a hefty bonus of €55,000 from a chance card so their financial situation is a lot better than it was when I started playing them.
  • Greg and Malia's baby is due in February 2024.

15 comments:

  1. What a wonderful honeymoon, so glad they're back on track.

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    Replies
    1. It was a very enjoyable vacation for both Regan and Max and also me because my computer worked so well! I'm glad they're doing so well now.

      Thanks for reading. :)

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  2. Whoa, $55,000! That would be very welcome indeed.

    It's really wonderful to hear that Regan and Max are doing better and that she's going to focus on her family a little more now. Now that she's gone as far as she can with work, her career will hopefully be less distracting to her. She has so much to look forward to, with a new grandchild, another grandchild starting high school and watching what Lily makes of her life now.

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    1. Yeah, I wouldn't say no to that kind of money. I know the Nobel Prize is about 1 million IRL but I'm not going to give her that much money!

      I'm so glad Regan and Max are happy together again. It would've broken my heart to break them up. They actually have two grandkids starting high school because Iona will also age up, as hard as it is to imagine!

      Thanks for reading. :)

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  3. How romantic, to have them go on a honeymoon together! Seeing your pictures of the beach made me think of sending some of my Sims on a holiday, too - something I very rarely do.

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    1. Well, I thought it was about time to send them on a honeymoon. I love looking at the beach in the game, makes me almost feel like I'm taking a vacation as well. I could definitely send my sims on a vacation more often as well.

      Thanks for reading. :)

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  4. New reader. This is a lovely family and I’m glad Max and Regan were able to save their marriage with the help of their daughters. Based on their experience on vacation, it’s great that these two are still very much in love and will spend their remaining years left together. A divorce would have complicated a lot for this family, I think, especially with a grandchild on the way and balancing a divorce. By the way, Regan is one fabulous 59 year old; I didn’t know she was that age until it was mentioned when she went to sunbathe. Regan’s work ethic seemed to have rubbed off on her daughters; they all seem so driven. I don’t think it necessary detrimental to her relationship with her daughters but I can understand her guilt.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hello and welcome to Wellington, apples! :)

      I'm really glad that Max and Regan were able to conquer their problems.

      Sims age so well that I'm jealous! Regan looks good but having a superstar actress as a best friend would probably make everyone a bit self-conscious about the way they look.

      I think Regan mostly regrets all those things she's missed out on because she chose to put her career in first place for so many years. She has a good relationship with all her daughters though so she's obviously done something right. It's common that people start looking back at their lives when they're on the verge of a major change like Regan who's about to become an elder.

      Thanks for reading. :)

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  5. It's always nice with extra cash and I loved the honeymoon. :)

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    1. Yes, extra cash is always welcomed.

      Thanks for reading. :)

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  6. Glad they finally git their honeymoon! Their backyard looks great and the get together looked like lots of fun. I'm so.happy that they decided to work things out because it's obvious they are still in love.

    Can't wait for all the new age ups!

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    1. Sorry my comment is weird lol. Using my phone.

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    2. It really was nice sending them on that long-awaited honeymoon. I like the backyard now. I hadn't done much to the exterior before but with the extra money I was able to enhance it a bit.

      I'm really happy Max and Regan stayed together because they're so adorable together.

      I didn't even notice there was something weird about your comment before you pointed it out, lol!

      Thanks for reading. :)

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  7. I'm glad that Max and Regan were able to work out their problems. And that honeymoon seemed so nice!

    I'm sure that $55.000 came in handy! Their backyard looks great. It looks like a perfect place to have the entire family over :)

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    1. You and me both! Max and Regan are one of my favourite couples and it would've been heart-breaking to end their marriage.

      Most of my sims have had their fair share of struggling with money so I'm glad at least some of them get a chance to buy something nice for themselves. I like how the backyard turned out and I think Max might get that pool he wants so badly.

      Thanks for reading. :)

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