4.1 Earth, Wind, and Fire

Ami was anxious to leave home and pursue her dreams of a better world and an understanding of why she could see ghosts, but she still had some time to kill before that happened. At least she had little Hugh to play with and Jasen was able to visit.

Tragedy struck the day of graduation. Maya shuffled off the mortal coil in her swim suit, which seemed fitting. She was ready to join Alex in the afterlife.

Despite the sadness of losing her grandma, Ami found something to be happy about when she was finally free of the tethers of high school! She could do anything now.

She was absolutely thrilled that Jasen seemed to share her views of things. They were determined to buy a plot of land with a small house and live out their lives being one with nature and trying to teach others about how better to treat the environment.

Before all of that, however, they took a trip to France on her father's dime. He wasn't exactly thrilled about his daughter leaving to become a 'gypsy'. He had hoped the trip would show her how good money could be.

Jasen spent a lot of time checking out the local foods and harvesting what he could to take home. He and Ami were completely serious about living truly off the land. He was going to grow the produce that Ami would later turn into delicious meals. There would be no wasteful, store bought business for them!

Ami brushed up on her fishing. She'd always loved it. A lot of her years as a child and teenager were spent at her favorite fishing spots for hours on end. It was a nice way to relax and feel at one with nature.

Of course, the couple spent plenty of time together. Phoenix had prodded about them getting married, but Ami hadn't said anything. They were happy just the way they were. If marriage eventually came up as something they both wanted, they'd do it. Until that time, they were going to enjoy themselves and not worry about society's silly need for labels.

Upon returning home, Ami was ready to leave. The plot of land was bought, the house was there, and it was time to move on. Phoenix gave her one last gift of the keys, followed by a small plea that she not take this too seriously and if she needed help, she should tell them.

Of course, that wouldn't happen. Ami would rather be poor than a spoiled rich kid!

Ami spent her days in the new house brushing up on her cooking skills and learning new recipes. She was excited at the prospect of cooking from only fresh produce.

Meanwhile, Jasen toiled outside at his garden. He started out small, but he was certain that one day it would be massive.

Life wasn't without issues. Jasen fell asleep in the rocking chair--as he had a tendency to do after a long day of gardening--and the fireplace erupted into flames. Ami was calm, saddened mostly by the fact that the incense burner they'd bought in France had been swallowed by the flames.

It was after the fire that Jasen realized he really needed to nail down his life. Robin had been left as a romantic interest, even though he wasn't even remotely interested in her. She was married now! He invited her over and they had a talk, parting rather amicably given the situation.

Ami continued befriending the unicorn she'd met as a child. It was her most fervent desire to convince it to join their household. Unfortunately, the unicorn needed to know that they were serious about their endeavors to be close to nature and to give back instead of taking.

So they adopted some pets. Jasen had been dying for a dog and a cat, but Ami had waved him off, worried that they wouldn't have enough time for them. Her 'job' (if you could even really call it that) kept odd hours. Still, Louie was a great addition to the family.

Ami enjoyed the pets more than she thought she would. It all just seemed to fit so perfectly with their lifestyle. They had plenty of room, after all. Darla the cat was probably her favorite. She was just so cute playing with her feather toy.

Their finances were a day-to-day struggle, but it didn't affect them. They were completely happy with the way things were. Everything they wanted, they had. It was better than being miserable and surrounded by opulence any day!

And Ami needn't have worried about Darla and Louie being left out. When their owners were busy, they were more than happy to entertain themselves.

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We're in the midst of moving--that part where you have some stuff at the new place and everything you need at the old place. Like eating utensils. Sigh! And my husband decided to do OT on our moving days, so I'm stuck here with nothing left to do until he comes home. Thus, update. :b

I had to wait to move Ami out so she could graduate and whatnot. I sent them to France because I wanted some 'exotic' fruits and Jasen had a wish to go there. Also, I wanted to test WA load times with my 64 cache HD. Really fast. Very nice!

I'd forgotten unicorns needed proof that you love animals and crap. Sigh. I've never actually adopted a unicorn before, so I'm looking forward to it! I will say, I was tempted to have these guys live in something that looked like a gypsy tent, but I decided against it. Too much of a pain! ;)

They are my first family to be consistently poor. They usually only have around a hundred simoleons available at any time. Wow!