Honeymoon in France - Part 1

Kyle decided that he wanted to honeymoon in Champs Les Sims.  He wanted to see the vineyards and nectaries.  I, on the other hand, was excited about the famous art museum there.

We arrived in Kyle's beat-up Big Lemon (nice change of pace from mom's limos, right, lol) and saw the French countryside.

Mom had been here once, as a younger woman, before I was born.  She used to tell me stories about the shop owners and the haunted museums.

I took a deep breath and a long look at where we would be spending the next three days.

After relaxing at base camp with books,

Kyle decided he would make the nectary our first stop.  The nectary was a small, cozy building with barrels all around.

But the real attractions of the nectary were the huge vineyard out back...

...and, of course, the nectar itself, kept on shelves and aged to perfection.  There are samples of it for anyone to try.

Poor Kyle mistakenly tried the vampire plasma nectar and got sick.  For some reason I tried the same nectar and nothing happened.  Must be the Plumb blood, I guess.

After sampling nectar we went back out and picked grapes from the nectary.  There are several different kinds, exclusive to this part of the world.  They're mostly richer and darker than the grapes found stateside - which is why the nectars taste the way they do.

It was early evening when we left the nectary and decided to go grab a bite to eat at the Catania Cafe in the town square.

Kyle chatted up the clerk while he grabbed our meal.  His French isn't great, at all.  But luckily, the clerk spoke perfect Simlish.  The little bit of French I know, I do because Mom traveled all over and made sure we had a thorough grounding in world culture.  

After our meal, we returned to base camp and goofed off a little bit before heading to bed. 

Wedding (part 2)

With night falling, Kyle whispered to me that it was time.  I agreed.

I'd handmade both of our rings with the jewelry maker in Mom's spare room.  Kyle decided to put his ring on my finger first.  It was a nugget that he'd decided to engrave with our initials and an herb around it.

Then my ring was next.

"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Heilman!"

I could see Mom out of the corner of her eye standing and cheering.  Mom is not an emotional person by nature, so to see her smiling and happy automatically makes me happy.

Toward the end, when we were getting ready to do the first kiss, I could feel a few raindrops.

As the raindrops fell, my lips met his and he swirled me around.

 I saw my cousin Kaydence, who mom had gotten custody of a few months ago, out of the corner of my eye.  She's still very, very young, although she's seen more than most of us in our lifetimes, what with Uncle Bassy and Madison doing what they did.  She's a smart girl, though, so I've got hope for her. 

Someday, Kaydence.

Then I caught a glimpse of Uncle Bassy.  Who knows with Uncle Bassy, though.  When I was little he was basically like a big brother.  He's the cause I have Bitsy, my faithful golden retriever.   Anyway, I know that he got married on vacation and then had my little cousin Jazz Lyric (he's so cute with his blond dreadlocks) and then, I hear, he cheated on Jazz's mother and she filed for divorce.

Bassy, Bassy, Bassy.  I love you dearly.  I just wish you could be happy, too. 

I got a smile out of Grandma, though.  It's good to see her smiling again, ever since Grandpa died.

Even more miraculous was Mom and Grandma both smiling at the same time.  Just before the wedding, Mom had told me the story about how she and Grandma had a huge fight on her wedding day.

And Satis - yes that Satis - had been watching.

I asked Skylar to sing a ballad to end the wedding while people got their food for their reception.

Then Satis sat me down and told me that story.  She still remembered Mom and Grandma vividly, screaming their mouths off.   "You're lucky you didn't have that kind of drama," she said.

"Why were they arguing like that in the first place?" I wondered, curious to hear more.
"There was a lot Grandma didn't like," Satis said.  "Mom's job, for one."
I couldn't have imagined growing up any other way - without Satis and Imsety, or our Egyptian nanny Halima.  Yet, I was learning that if Grandma had had her way, none of this would have happened.

There was a question whether Sierra would show up or not.  Sierra, as you guys know, kind of does her own thing.  Always has.  Anyway, she actually did show - late of course - but she did come.

Even threw rice after we kissed. 

March 3: Has Mom jumped the shark?

I wonder if Mom has jumped the shark.
I read in the papers that she took full legal custody of my little cousin, Uncle Bassy's daughter Kaydence, who's now 13.

What I've heard and read is that Kaydence is extremely smart.  She scored in the 2000s on her college admissions test, at age thirteen.   (The max is 2400, which puts that in perspective.) That score is higher than any of our scores, and we were high school seniors when we took the test.  Mom now has her taking college-level courses at the university.  I've heard that she reads everything she could put her hands on, and she is writing a series of books based on a futuristic utopia she created.

The other thing I've heard that's incredibly stunning to me, is that she and my sister, Sierra, are pals and hang out a lot.

You've got to understand something about my sister.  My sister is a loner, she pretty much hates everyone.  So to see her connect like she has with Kaydence is unusual, indeed.

This move by mom came without warning, and even my dad seems blindsided by it.  But that is mom, though.  When she wants something, she gets it - no matter what.  I always admired that about her.

For one thing, I'm seeing stuff I've NEVER seen out of mom before.  Mom giving hugs and kisses freely?  Even when we were young, she never did stuff like that.  I wanted her to, but I accepted that she was more cerebral.  Dad was the one doling out the affection.

This mom is a completely different person - and I'm not sure I can get used to it. Kaydence has brought something out of her that I've never seen before.

I've spent most of my time lately in Appaloosa Plains with Kyle establishing our organic farm and our home for troubled youth, but I've been keeping up with the events in Sunset Valley through frequent phone calls, emails, and texts.

I've only met Kaydence twice, but I've heard from multiple people that she is very, very bright.  I've also heard that she's been hanging out with Sierra - Sierra, of all people.

Kaydence's mother, the international pop star Madison Avenue, has had little to do with her since Uncle Bassy won custody.  I can't imagine casting your own child away. 

I've also heard that Kaydence is an aspiring writer.  Which explains, at least at some level, her connection with Mom.  Our family continues to make writers, artists, and musicians.

 

Sometimes I wonder why my mom decided to do this.  But then I realize in my mind that the main reason is my uncle Bassy.  I mean, the guy, I love him to pieces, but he was not ready to be a dad.  

 

My uncle is still basically a kid himself.  And I don't mean physically.  (Yes in that pic he was temporarily turned bright pink by one of Kaydence's science experiments, from what I understand)

He left Sunset Valley and became a massive film star, before it all went south for him.  His fans still recognize him as 'that guy who was in those movies.'

The day Jazz Lyric came home from the hospital, we had a get-together at his rental.  And Uncle Bassy was the one kicking my brother AJ's butt in Madden football.

Oh, I fibbed.  I met Kaydence a third time, at that get-together for her half-brother.

Kaydence was talking randomly about constellations over Uncle Bassy's key lime pie.  (Another thing about Uncle Bassy is he is a fabulous cook) 

Wedding (part 1)

Hi guys!  Looong time no see! 

Guess what?

Kyle and I got married!  

After going over several potential wedding sites, we decided to do it right on the family compound, in the backyard of the house my grandparents built.  It overlooks the sea and has a view of the famed Sunset Valley lighthouse.

Kyle's not a hard to please guy.  He gets excited over folding lawn chairs.

Dad is dad, of course.  He wasn't very happy about the amount of money Mom spent on the wedding.  I told them I would have been happy with a simple ceremony in the park.

But because Mom is mom and she believes in the idea of a grand spectacle because that's who she is, she insisted on having something to show. 
Mom doesn't do anything small.  She never has. 

When we were planning the wedding, I tried to explain to Mom that I really didn't need her to go to all the trouble she was willing to go to.  After all, she was busy with three classes of university students to teach, and my sister Skylar's music career to guide, and my brother Sawyer to get through school without incident.  Not to mention she's now the legal guardian of my cousin, Kaydence.

 

Mom didn't react very well when I showed her my wedding dress.  In fact... I'm not too sure she reacted at all.  I couldn't see her facial expression too well.   In fact, of the two of us, I believe Mom was more nervous.

 Nevertheless, I tried to relax before the wedding by reading a book.  

Right before the wedding, Kyle tried to use the deep fryer... and it caught fire.   Right with my uncle Bassy standing right there.

Luckily, Kyle is a trained firefighter (he joined right after graduation) and got out the fire extinguisher to put it out.

While all this was going on, Mom was in the laundry room doing laundry.

And Dad was outside inspecting the setting.