1 [Report This]Date: June 13, 2021 03:41 am Title: We Are
Ah this was so lovely! I really really like the way you've written Cece in this, with the mix of Jim and Pam's attributes, and her having Jim's sass in contrast to Pam's quietness is such a nice touch. I love Jim comforting Pam throughout this: although I may have got a bit teary-eyed with him finally crying at the end as it sinks in. Jim and Cece's relationship is one of my favourites anyway, the flashes of it that Jim remembers here are just beautiful. I also really enjoyed the Dwangela in this, and the touch of Jim and Dwight's friendship still going strong (also lol at Phil definitely not being friends with Philip, and Angela failing to notice). This was such a brilliant look into their lives in future - I love it!
Author's Response:
Thanks so much - this one was near to my heart as my son leaves for his college experience soon. It was a lot of fun deciding who Cece would be and having her be a little of both her parents (the best of each of them). I think Jim was always good at being a comfort to Pam on the show and she did have a tendency to get emotional (there were lots of sentimental tears in season 8) but I missed a time Jim teared up after reading Ryan's poem (but I say that doesn't really count). I absolutely got teary as I wrote him finally breaking down - he's going to miss his little girl.
I always like to have a little fun in my stories - so the part at Schrute Farms was a hoot to write (in fact was the germ the story grew out of -the sentimental parts came later as I watched my 4-year-old son walk across the stage to get his high school diploma (you get my meaning).
Anyway, thanks for sharing your review. It means a lot.
Date: May 31, 2021 08:41 pm Title: We Are
"Cece was born with a strong will, the trait intrinsic, in contrast to her mother, who had spent years working to gain the confidence to say what she felt and go after what she wanted."
Forgot to follow this up with my comment (I wish we could edit these) which was just that I really love that your Cece has this trait and that Jim would think of it this way.
Author's Response:
So I thought I had responded so sorry for the delay.
Thank you Tinydundie for your review(s)...I loved glimpsing into the future on this one - thinking about who the kids would be (and decided Cece took on many traits of her dad, but would adore her mom much like her dad does - while still being a teenager).
As I watched a but of season 8 recently I felt I got the crying kind of right on - both Pam's and Jim's lack of in this instance, but Jim's empathy when she would. Of course Pam's dealing with hormones at the time but I can assure you hormones or not it is very emotional seeing your baby go off to school (and I'm tearing up again - personal story as know). It had to hit Jim eventually.
Glad you liked the silly parts too - I try to find that balance like the show did of silly and sentimental.
Thanks for your kind words.
1 [Report This]Date: May 31, 2021 08:40 pm Title: We Are
Cece was born with a strong will, the trait intrinsic, in contrast to her mother, who had spent years working to gain the confidence to say what she felt and go after what she wanted.
The cheesy pita joke was great! And I like the idea that the two Phillips wouldn't necessarily get along. Makes a lot of sense.
"Their regular room?!" MY HEART
"In this room, where they’d enjoyed a bedtime story delivered by Dwight and shared with Mose, they had their first conversation about the kids they one day would read stories to. Pam had predicted it right, first a curly-haired girl followed by a boy who would one day grow taller than his father."
I love this headcanon!
Okay you got me with that ending. Wow. As a parent myself I fear that day of saying goodbye to my kiddos. This was such a lovely was to bring that moment around for Jim.
1 [Report This]Date: May 25, 2021 08:20 am Title: We Are
That was beautiful and heart-aching. Thank you for sharing this story with us so much! My daughter is only four, but I've already apprehended the day she'll sail to her own journey...
P. S. For a moment or two, I believed that Cece was genuinely going to colonize Mars, and my heart nearly broke. Thank goodness that Pennsylvania is so much closer than the red planet...
Author's Response:
Oh Dernhelm, you have so much ahead and yet it goes fast. This one was my way of getting out some of the emotions I had as I watched a 4-year-old boy walk across the stage to get his high school diploma - and there I go crying again.
But as I say in the story - I want nothing less for him than to go off and have his own story (and hopefully not want to become an astronaut or even travel so far he can't come home from time to time).
That - the trip to Mars - is a whole different story.
Thanks so sharing your review. I love hearing from you.
1 [Report This]Date: May 24, 2021 04:03 pm Title: We Are
This is the sweetest thing 😭
Author's Response:
Well thanks so much. I've been very much like Pam and your emoji recently which is what prompted me to write. Love to think about what's going on with our dear couple and their family (even though this wouldn't have happened yet - but imagining some of the tech of the future is fun too) and this is what I was picturing as of late. Glad you enjoyed and many thanks for letting me know.
1 [Report This]Date: May 24, 2021 05:56 am Title: We Are
This was lovely. I get that it's Pam who is more often the more emotional one. Jim keeping it together exepct for the really big times also seems to fit. The glimpses of their future life were fun to see as well. However all the callbacks to the Jim and Pam we know and love were just as fun. Dwight telling a joke was another great moment.
Jim standing there lost in a sea of memories was the perfect way to end this. It all finally gets to him of the life he's led thus far and yeah it would make anyone feel like that.
Great job with this one. I can tell you put a lot of your heart and soul into it. It came across really well.
Author's Response:
I loved that Dwight told a joke too. In fact that part really was the most fun. I had the idea to have them go back to visit the Schrute's quite a bit ago. It was a notecard for a future fic that got pulled out again once my own emotions became very much like Pam's. The sentimental bits were straight out of my own heart.
There's something about a Dad and his daughter, that Jim had to come to this at the end, but I'll bet he does the same when it's Phillips time to go off too. But maybe he'll decide to be a Longhorn. Even so, watching the kids get older is such a rewarding but still a tough experience not matter where they go. I'm glad you felt that all came across.
Thanks for your great reviews always.
1 [Report This]Date: May 24, 2021 03:49 am Title: We Are
This was super sweet and I know it is a topic near and dear to you right now. It was fun to see them a little older and back at the Schrutes, and the Dwight moments were very funny. I also appreciate that little gold mention, tying this in with your other story. Very well done. :)
Author's Response:
Thanks so much. This one was straight out of my heart...I've very much been like Pam lately. However I will share the Return to Schrute Farms fic notecard has been sitting around for quite some time...along with bits of the conversation in that part. But it was the sentimental part I felt really rounded this one out.
Love that you picked out the gold mention - it wouldn't be a M. Abbott original without a little flash of metallic.
Thanks again for reading and reviewing. It means so much to get your thoughts.
1 [Report This]Date: May 24, 2021 01:50 am Title: We Are
Also, you deserve a jelly bean for the cover art.
Author's Response: Aww thanks. I work at and enjoy doing the covers too so it's nice to hear a little praise on them.
1 [Report This]Date: May 24, 2021 12:58 am Title: We Are
Good onya for references to both universities! That's a big compliment considering I'm an Aggie fan.
Your last sentence got me in the feels.
This “WHAT are you two doing in my room?” gave me a mind jump to another story here. Phone Calls by bkwrm
Author's Response:
Ah thanks - it would totally make sense she would not want to go to UT - way to close to home...The Penn State made sense for a lot of obvious reasons. (but Jim may have gone to Scranton- but for our purposes he's a Lion.)
Yeah, you could imagine the feels I've been having lately as my son prepares to be a Gator.
Thanks so much for the review.
PS I saw that one in random story or some search - the summary felt like it had a little similar feel, I will have to read it now. You are becoming quit the historian.
1 [Report This]Date: May 23, 2021 08:06 pm Title: We Are
You did a great job putting us in your and Pam's shoes on this one, her sorrow and her pride and her resistance and her need to accept what's inevitable, and letting Jim finally have his moment of accepting that his little girl has grown up.
Pam's love for yearbooks both works well for the story and as a callback.
I think in general, I just love all the little glimpses you drop of their life - hints of what Cece inherited from her parents and what the last 18 years of their life have been, tastes of the technological developments ahead. And in addition to feeling emotionally real, you've added some great real-feeling details - Cece interrupting their tender moment with outrage at her privacy being violated is perfect, as is Dwight *immediately* becoming a marijuana kingpin as soon it's legal. (I won't lie, I feel for Phillip Schrute here.)
I'm glad this was cathartic - and hope it brought you *and* Jim and Pam a little peace during this transition.
Author's Response:
Oh, I've been a big mush, especially the last month. I threw a lot of what I've been feeling into the story.
Yearbook- yeah it works on so many levels. Glad you pointed that out.
It was fun to think about who the kids would become - worked out well that Pam had the Volleyball in her history and Jim had the height so that I could model Cece after my Volleyball phenom niece. I only wished I could have expanded a bit more on Phillip but he was always meant to be left at home - in face the whole idea of returning to visit Schrute farms has been on a notecard for months - with bits of the Dwight conversation - the sentimental part got added more recently.
Of course, thinking about what's to come in the future was fun and glad you enjoyed that too.
Thanks for being a great reviewer and friend. I'm always so excited to get your take.
1 [Report This]Date: May 23, 2021 07:39 pm Title: We Are
Wow. I don't leave reviews as often as I should, but I had to for this one. I had flashbacks to my own college move in day, and I can't believe that was seven years ago this fall. I think a lot of people will find this story sentimental, for many different reasons. This was beautifully written and very touching on so many levels. I loved the little details with Alexa, and especially Mose jumping up and down - he was one of my favourite characters because his presence was just so amusing. Anyway, just wanted to drop a review, I have enjoyed all of the stories I have read from you, and thought I would let you know :)
Author's Response:
I was so thrilled to get your review and it brought such a smile to my face. The countdown to my own son's move-in day has begun and it was what inspired me to write. The funny thing is the idea of the visit back to Schrute farms came to me quite a bit ago but it wasn't until recently that I added the sentimental part of the story. I was pleased in how the two came together and more so to hear they did for you - and that it felt real enough to make you think of your own move-in day.
Yes, Mose was a funny character - he was fun to bring in here as well as some of the tech stuff that wasn't around on the show and isn't even around yet.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your review of this story and letting me know you have enjoyed others too. I really appreciate hearing from you.