#freedomdiaries

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Dorothea’s POV

I have the most exciting news! Skye and I are expecting a baby girl, due any day! We’ve already decided to name her Autumn, since it’s my favourite time of year. This experience has been so different from my last two pregnancies, and I couldn’t be more grateful for Skye’s love and support. 

Faith and Juliet are both so excited - I was worried about Juliet, that she might feel like I was trying to replace her or have a do-over. But she’s excited to have another little sister, and she’s been such a good big sister to Faith. She still has bad days sometimes, where she forgets she’s safe and can eat as much as she wants, but we’re working through it. 

It finally feels like my little family is secure and complete! I can’t wait for what the next few years hold.

[yaarontravel-blog]

Azadi #yaarontravel #azadi #tiranga🇮🇳 #independenceday #freedom #freedomstories #freedomdiaries #tripotocommunity #tripoto #thrilophilia #storiesofindia #streetsofindia #villagesofindia #nationalflag #_soi #netgeoindia #natgeotravellerindia #nomadsofindia #indiandiaries #mypixeldairy #kesari #tripver #indiantravelgram #instatravel #instahimalayas #itshimalyas #himachal #instahimachal https://www.instagram.com/p/B1LrTX9hlkb/?igshid=1kx80gk77b0k

[advanturers-blog]

We’ve been away for a while because, well, we’ve found a place to settle down and call home for the time being. Our objective setting out from Illinois last year was to find where we wanted to be; and, so far, we believe we’ve found a place that has filled that spot for both of us. We lived 10 months in the van full time with our cat. Sold the majority of our things to have the freedom to travel. Made my parent’s address our permanent address in order to do all of this. Continued to pay off my student loan and other regular bills we had. We lived some exhilarating days and others we’d prefer to forget in the van. We learned how to live with what we needed, kept ourselves to a tight budget, worked together to keep things steady and had the time of our lives. We have one massive memory of the places we’ve been, people we met, the life we chose/choose to live and the van that got us here. Our journey is far from over, but for now, we have other passions worth exploring. We’d love to find some land, build a homestead, continue our soap/products business, go back to school, build out another vehicle and maybe even live on the road again some day. Whatever choices we face or difficulties we find ourselves wading through, we approach them together. Our understanding of and reliance on each other has only grown from this journey. At the end of every day, we know nothing else matters. People. Relationships. Memories. We can’t be completely sure of what’s ahead of us, only that the road looks long and winding and unpaved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #advanturers #vanlifediaries #vanlife #alwaysadventuring #vandwellers #oregon #oregoncoast #travelersnotebook #travelphotographer #tinyhomeonwheels #livelifefully #homesweetvan #homeontheroad #discover_earth #traveltheworldwithme #mountainview #abovetheclouds #beautifulsights #lifeinmotion #awakethesoul #freedomdiaries #ontheroad #seektheunknown #amongthewild #optoutside #getoutandstayout #theadventurehandbook #tinyhousemovement #themodernoutdoorsman #theoutdoorfolk #lovethislife #homeiswhereyouparkit #foreveradventure (at Oregon Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqF98JHny6v/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fsnbe6c3eevy

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Dorothea’s POV

We bought a house! And moved to a new town! It’s all a bit overwhelming right now, but also so exciting! We’ve been saving for a couple of years now - with Skye and I both working full-time and Faith in public school, we were able to save up enough to either buy an apartment in San Myshuno, or move out of the city and buy a house. We talked about it a lot, and as much as we love San My, I really wanted Faith to grow up in a smaller, safer area, so we decided to move to Brindleton Bay! It’s an easy commute to San My for Skye and I, and there are lots of great schools for Faith!

Faith is so excited to have a beautiful room all to herself - we did it completely pink since that’s her favourite colour. It even has a cute alcove for the bed that we added curtains to. Faith says it makes her feel like a princess in a castle!

There’s also a big backyard with plenty of space to play, and the first thing we did is buy a swing set! Every morning before we all go off to school or work, we have a swing for a few moments just to start the day with fun and smiles.

The house has a third bedroom, and we’ve set it up for Juliet... if everything goes well, I hope she’ll be with us very soon, and living happily in her own room!

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Dorothea’s POV

We got married! I was really hesitant about getting married again, but when Skye proposed it just felt right. The other hard bit was that first, I had to divorce Arthur. When I left him, I just... left. We never actually got a divorce. I didn’t want him to find our little family, so we mailed the divorce papers with the return address as Skye’s office. Thank the Lord, he sent them back signed. He didn’t even request visitation for Faith. 

We had a small ceremony in a park in San Myshuno, just us, Faith, and a few friends. It was really similar to my first wedding in that it was small and we planned it quickly, but I couldn’t feel more differently about my now-husband! 

Now that we’re married, Skye has started the process of adopting Faith. We asked her permission, of course, and she already calls Skye “Dad”. She’s so excited that he’s going to be “hers” now, as she says! Their relationship is so special. If only we had Juliet with us too... I’ve been praying that we’ll find a way to get her away from my parents and into our home! 

[sims-and-counting]

Dorothea’s POV

We did it - today we finally left Arthur, and we’re never going back. Faith just turned one and I want her to grow up in a happy family full of love, even if that family is just her and I. We snuck out early in the morning with just the clothes on our backs - I didn’t want Arthur to accuse us of stealing and come after us. Besides, if we took too much stuff he’d notice we were missing right away.

I stopped at my sister Abby’s house to get Faith some breakfast and maybe see if we could get a ride to the train station. Abby’s more sane than my parents, but even she chastised me for leaving Arthur and tried to convince me to go back to him. 

I told her about the things I’d found on his computer, the fact that he never prayed or read the bible unless he knew someone else was watching, how cruel he was to me and how I was scared he would treat little Faith the same way. Finally, it seemed she understood why I had to leave. 

Her husband was already at work, but we prayed together and Abby called us a taxi to take Faith and I to the trains station. She gave us some clothes and toys for Faith as well. Who knows how long it will be until we have enough money to afford toys again, but at least we’ll be safe and away from Arthur and my parents. I can’t tell Abby where I’m going in case she tells anyone and they come looking, but I promised her I’d write when I was safe somewhere. 

[sims-and-counting]

Dorothea’s POV

We’ve made it to San Myshuno! We were luckily able to connect with a women’s shelter here, and after a few days in the shelter they found us an affordable apartment. I’d never even been in an elevator before, so it’s such a huge change to live in a high-rise building in the middle of a big city. 

The apartment isn��t exactly clean or luxurious, but it’s ours! I tucked Faith into her own bed in her own room and red her a nighttime story, and she went straight to sleep. She’s been so good over the last few days. I can’t wait for her to get to do things that normal little girls do, like go shopping and go to school and play with friend that aren’t siblings!

The women’s shelter gave me some new clothes so I could get rid of those awful long dresses and long-sleeved, high-necked shirts Arthur insisted on. It feels so WEIRD to wear jeans - I only ever wore leggings as a little girl, and never after I aged up to a teen. I did something very bold and chopped half my hair off with kitchen scissors too - it’s not much of a change, but I feel so much lighter!

All of this is frightening - I need to get a job as soon as possible so we can afford this apartment, but I have no education to speak of. The shelter said they’ll help me find something, and I’ll need to get Faith into daycare ASAP... but it’ll work out somehow. 

[sims-and-counting]

What has Praise been up to? Gotta say she's still my favorite lol

Thanks for the Ask anon! Praise is one of my faves too :)

Praise and Gladys moved to Del Sol Valley to pursue careers in film and music, getting married on a trip to Sulani shortly after. They didn't experience a lot of success, but managed to get enough work to purchase a cute house and adopt their daughter, Jocelyn!

Unfortunately due to varying degrees of religious trauma, being cut off by their families (Gladys was completely cut off, while about half of Praise's siblings stayed in touch, including Ruby), and financial issues, Praise and Glady divorced, sharing custody of Jocelyn for a while until Gladys remarried, after which Praise secured full custody. After the divorce, Praise started having more success in her career and purchased a large home.

Praise and Jocelyn still live in Del Sol Valley, and Jocelyn is currently applying to universities and hopes to study environmental sciences at Foxbury! Praise is still performing, and has a great relationship with her niece Natasha, who is also a musician.

This was fun! If anyone else wants updates on any of the previous generation non-heirs, let me know :)

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Hosanna here! I am having the absolute BEST time on my first solo holiday! I decided to go to Mt Komorebi to get a completely new perspective on life, and to actually get to enjoy travelling without having to evangelize to anyone. My first stop was a bar, where I tried their special festival Margarita! It was SO good!

I was making a wish at the wishing tree when I ran into a reallllly cute guy! Even though I’m a bit of a rebel in my family, I never had a boyfriend or really talked to guys at all - I figured that was a line I shouldn’t cross or my parents would pull me straight out of school. 

Luckily he came over to me and introduced himself! His name is Austen Russell, and he’s actually from Evergreen Harbour too! I told him I just moved there and am working at the hospital, and he said he works there too! He’s a radiology resident! What an amazing coincidence!

We spent the rest of the festival together and had so much fun! He gave me his phone number and said to stay in touch. I’m heading back to Evergreen Harbour tomorrow, and I can’t decide if I should call him or not - would that be too forward? I hope he doesn’t forget about me!

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Tilly’s Tales

Hi everyone! This is Tilly Collins - formerly Kenney. I know my mom’s been saying crazy stuff about us online, so I just wanted to give you all a quick update on my family since moving to San Myshuno!

My two beautiful daughters are 7 and 3, and I’m so proud of the people they’re becoming! Zoe (7) currently goes to public school, and she’s thriving and has tons of friends! I love that she gets to learn about so many different things that I never had the opportunity to! Emma (3) is loving her kindergarten friends.

Edward and I had a lot of growing up to do after leaving our families and the church. Both of us dreamed of pursuing careers, and we’ve done just that! I’ve been painting and teaching art classes. I’ve sold many paintings to collectors and the local art museum so far! I have a beautiful home studio to work in. Edward has built a successful career as a DJ and composer. 

My little sister Maya came to live with us a year ago. This pic is from the day she showed up at our door with nothing but the clothes on her back. We got her into public high school and now she’s happy, healthy, and can dress however she wants!

(AN; LMK if you guys want more of Tilly’s Tales! I’ve been having so much fun with her little family as they escape from sim fundamentalism lol)