John liked the fact that Smuggler's Cove also didn't have a boat launching ramp that smelt like three week old dead fish, it didn't have a main road nearby flooding the place with car noise, and it didn't have a lot of visitors.
Tamara liked the fact that the beach actually had sand instead of rocks, it also had clean neat tidy barbecue facilities and toilets, and the fact that Marvin had somehow managed to erect a beautiful heart shaped arch that looked almost like it had grown there.
John had met the the celebrant, one Marvin Parsley, celebrity impersonator, musician, part time magician, part time home makeover consultant, photographer, bartender, and registered celebrant one night at 'The Grind'.
John recited the simple vows that he and Tamara had written together.
Tamara repeated the vow back to John.
As soon as Melvin announced 'You may now kiss the bride', he snatched up his camera and attempted to be every where at once. John and Tamara had wanted to invite all of Johns family to attend, but if they had waited until every one was available at the same time, Tamara would be an old maid she had joked. Sophia was opening a marine salvage and dive tour company, Ceci was working in a hidden government lab somewhere, and Nick and Janet were backpacking somewhere in the mountains around Appaloosa Plains.
Emily waited patiently, 'Ma' and 'Da' might be all smiling and happy, but Dolly was home alone, and Emily worried that her dolly might be scared without her.
After the wedding ceremony, Marvin quickly dismantled the arch, packed into a box, and with a tip of his hat and removalist's trolley, disappeared up the path. The newlyweds changed back into their regular clothes, and went in search of a fast food solution for a wedding meal. The walk home past led them past the marina.
"What do you think of the houseboat?", John asked casually.
"Its a house. On a boat.", said Tamara cautiously, not sure what John was getting at. "What else?", John hinted. "Uh, its got a little deck on the front.", Tamara stated, trying to picture the view that they had walked past a few minutes ago. Tamara looked at the floating house and continued, "It's, um, got a lot of big windows to let in the daylight."
John had reached out for Emily, who was quite happy to jump ship now that her mother was too distracted to fuss over her. "Let's go for a walk down the dock and take a closer look.", John suggested.
"John, you can't just walk on to someone else boat without permission, what if the owner objects?", gasped Tamara. "What if I already have the owner's permission?", John shot back cheekily, disappearing inside with Emily. Tamara hastily crossed the gangplank to follow her husband. "Ooh, that's going to take some getting used to!", Tamara grabbed for the railings and mumbled as the houseboat gently swayed beneath her feet.
"Well, there is no wasted space in here, oh look at this workbench!", Tamara gushed as she poked her head inside the main hallway.
'Okay, its a boat, its on the water, and it's certainly not as big as the houses John and I grew up in, but it already looks bigger than our penthouse.', Tamara's internal monologue advised her. 'And if John brought me here, he obviously has already decided he likes it.', her inner councilor pointed out.
Tamara explored, building a list of pros and cons to decide, if she was going to agree with her husband or fight him on this one. The bedroom was bigger than the entire penthouse upstairs floor, despite being decorated in the style of internal organs.
The second bedroom was already decorated in a beautiful range of pinks, which reminded her of her own room when she was growing up, except that it was bigger than the almost broom closet she had been given.
John and Tamara had already agreed to leave the penthouse, as it was far to small for a couple plus one, and now that they were married, Tamara was hoping for a plus one, or two, or three more.
"The kitchen is full of all the modern conveniences, and it has solar on the roof if we decide to travel! It is so much more eco-friendly than the penthouse.", John gushed as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. "Other than the fact that someone needs to shoot the decorator and put them out of my misery, I like it", Tamara told John, trying to sound a little more enthusiastic than she really felt. Since moving to Bridgeport, they had lived in a penthouse, which was Tam's dream, but the reality of that dream had been far less practical than she had imagined.
The move was done the next day, and Tamara put in a postal redirection for the new address. Only Tamara seemed to notice the floor moving about her feet. John and Emily never seemed to notice, but Tamara felt every movement. Every movement. Tamara had hoped that the nausea might mean something other than a lack of sea legs, but every pregnancy test returned negative.
'At least this place is easier to keep clean.', Tam told herself. She turned her back on Emily for a moment to retrieve her coffee when...
"S'yucky Mama!", Emily called out as she sent her bowl of goo sailing through the air.
Tamara sighed, she took a deep drink of her now cold coffee and released Emily from the chair, "That was a very naughty thing to do young lady, go to your room, no 'Horsing Around' for you tonight", Tamara growled, referring to Emily's favorite TV show.
Emily went to her room to sulk and to tell Dolly that 'Horsing Around' was cancelled for the night, she was tempted to slam her door, but she knew that would draw her father's ire as well, and it was bad enough when she was in trouble with one of them. Emily aged up silently in her room. "I don't want cake anyway.", Em told Dolly.
***** BONUS PICTURES *****
(Or the part where I show you some of what went wrong)
So, I finally built my first house boat, I was quite proud of it, despite being an ugly box on box design, I moved my sims in and...
Pathing issues with John that require a 'teleport me here' escape.
The location truly sucks for screencaps with things constantly vanishing.
And the location truly sucks for screencaps with things constantly vanishing.
Did I mention the location truly sucks for screencaps with things constantly vanishing.
The slightest movement of the mouse or zoom means the difference
between the pictures above and below.
When I ask Tam to put Emily in her cot or in the high chair,
from anywhere on the ground floor, I get this...
So, ladies and gentlemen and non described members of my readership,
JON AND TAM ARE MOVING AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Author's Note:
My regular author's rants have been included in my bonus pictures section. There is nothing left for the notes except serenity and calmness.
