Fortune Shores

Goodbye Fortune Shores, Hello Brisbee Downs

2008-12-19T04:16:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone. Sad news. My game just couldn't recover after installing Apartment Life. I tried every fix known to man, but the Fortune Shores neighborhood and most recently my Harper's Cove neighborhoods just won't work with Apartment Life installed. Any new neighborhoods I have made for testing purposes seem to work fine. But my old ones don't. And like I said, I've tried everything. It broke my heart to say goodbye to Fortune Shores after 2 full years of fun, but it became a chore to sit down and try to get it to work. And I can honestly say I have no desire to package and rebuild all the sims and lots.

But don't shed too many tears, because I am starting a new neighborhood that is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Lakeside Heights. I really enjoy the way Laura has set up her hood and the guidelines she uses to play it, and I've decided to make that my next project.

I truly appreciate all of your comments and friendships over the years at Fortune Shores, and I really hope you follow me over to my new town: Brisbee Downs. We're sure to have tons of fun together over there too! See you in Brisbee Downs!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T14:40:00.001-05:00

Here's my little pumpkin! Can you believe my little boy is already 2 months old?!

By the way, I have an update ready to be written. Pictures are ready to go, expect it sometime this weekend! Happy Halloween!

The Leaves are Falling

2008-10-19T18:12:00.008-05:00

The Landgraab Family
7 Fortune Drive
$134,329
Title: The Leaves are Falling
September 2008

Lot: Landgraab- Malcolm is 40, Andrea is 53, Ruby is 13, Crystal is 9, Amber is 6, Maxwell is 2
Last Visit: A Son at Last

Summer has technically come to an end and Fall is in the air. The weather is starting to get cooler, and the Landgraab family is putting away their summer clothes and starting to break out their sweaters and jeans. Andrea encourages her kids to spend as much time outside in the nice weather while they still can.

Malcolm is still as busy as ever, and barely has time for his family. He works late hours and usually rushes out of the house without saying goodnight to his kids. But Crystal rushes out almost every night to give him a hug before he goes. Malcolm is working his way up in the crime world. He's currently a Cat Burglar and working for Ivy Linwood. She's more experienced than the other Criminal Mastermind in the 'hood (Xavier Reinhart), but Malcolm is starting to think that she's getting a little too old to keep it up. He has secret plans to take over the organization and become a Criminal Mastermind himself.

While Malcolm spends his night robbing innocent people of their hard-earned possessions, Andrea spends quiet evenings at home with the kids. She misses the days when her oldest daughter Jade lived at home. But she still has her hands full with her other 3 daughters and toddler son. Ruby is 13 now and is in the 8th grade; just one more year before she'll be in high school. Crystal is in the 4th grade, and is a sweet 9 year old. Amber is 6 years old and is the biggest tomboy you've ever seen! And little Maxwell is 2 years old and demands a lot of time and attention.

When Malcolm isn't working, he's spending time with his friends mostly. The girls are in school when he's off work, so he usually calls up Demi Go to come over and hang out. They don't seem like they would get along very well, but they're actually the best of friends. If Andrea didn't know Demi better, she'd be worried about Malcolm's relationship with her. But Demi is the sweetest lady in Fortune Shores and would never steal another woman's husband. Not like that tramp, Brandi Harris.

The Landgraabs have another tie to Demi Go as well. Demi's oldest son, Miles Berkley, is engaged to Andrea's oldest daughter, Jade. Well, everyone thinks they're still engaged. At Demi's other son's wedding, Jade was caught kissing Samuel Cox who just so happens to be Demi's daughter's fiance! Confused yet? Well, Miles is upset of course, and Jade ended up moving into a house all by herself when she graduated from college. So noone's really sure if they're still going to get married. Malcolm can't help but apologize profusely for his step-daughter's behavior.

Andrea's been telling Malcolm that he needs to spend more time with his family and less time at work and with his friends. He always let it go in one ear and out the other, until he overheard little Amber telling Demi that she hates her father because he never spends time with her.

So, Malcolm says goodbye to Demi and really makes an effort to spend some time with Amber and the rest of his kids. He helps Amber with her homework, teaches Crystal how to play the piano, and watches a movie with Ruby.

And he makes plenty of time to spend with his only son, Maxwell. Except he still can't get over how much Maxwell doesn't look like his other children. He either took completely after Andrea, or Andrea had an affair with another man. Malcolm doesn't even want to think about what the latter would do to his reputation around town, so he keeps quiet about Maxwell's lineage. The boy is awfully cute and Malcolm has always wanted a son.

Fall is not only a great time for being outdoors and spending time with family, it's also a great time for working on hobbies. Learning is just so much easier in the fall, it seems. Amber has found out that she loves sports of all kinds. And she's actually been able to get Malcolm to play catch with her in the evenings before he goes to work. That's probably why she never gets her homework done, and also why she's doing so bad in school.

And Andrea has found that she loves to cook. She's not very good at it right now, but she's trying. She can make one mean chips 'n dip platter!

Crystal isn't sure what her favorite hobby is yet, although she's tried just about everything. And as for Ruby, so far she just likes doing the typical teenage stuff. She spends hours and hours on the phone with her friends. Especially with her big sister Jade and her best friend Vance Linwood.

Speaking of Vance Linwood, when he's not hanging out at his cousin Mayer's house, he can be found hanging out at the Landgraab's. Mayer does live right next door to the Landgraab's so it's really easy for him to spend time at both houses. Ruby has no feelings whatsoever for Vance, not romantically anyway. But they're still awfully young for romance, so who knows where their relationship will end up.

A Note from Mandie: Vance Linwood sure is one popular dude! He pops up at everyone's house just to hang out. Ruby and Vance's ACR score is actually in the negative, so I doubt these two will ever get together. And Crystal doesn't like Vance either, so he's running out of luck in finding a future mate! There aren't that many other girls around his age in the 'hood! I'm trying to follow Laura's example and listen to my sims when it comes to who they want to fall in love with. I usually have mates all set in stone when the kids are born...but this time I'm just letting the sims (and ACR) tell me who wants to be with whom! We'll see how it goes!

Just Beachy

2008-10-18T18:52:00.003-05:00

The Linwood Family #2
6 Fortune Drive
$112,213
Title: Just Beachy
August 2008

Lot: Linwood- Richard is 63, Ivy is 47, Mayer is 17, Julian is 9Last Visit: Spring Rains

Note from Mandie: Hey guys! I'm happy to announce that I'm finally back to simming, although I don't have nearly as much time to play as I did before my son was born! Hence the change in Fortune Shores play rules. I'm switching to a system that I've stolen from Laura, the genius behind Lakeside Heights. Each play round is 2 simdays long which is perfect for when my son is napping! I've also adopted her calendar system so my sims now have real ages, birthdays, anniversaries and other trackable events! For more info on this calendar system, you can go to Laura's blog and read her post about it, or you can wait until I make a post with all the details. I'll post it soon after this update. I'm just too excited to be back, and I really don't want to put off this sims update! But I really do encourage you to check out Laura's blog. It's amazing and highly entertaining! Anyhoo, let's catch up with the Linwood Family #2!

Just to remind you about the Linwood Family #2 since it's been awhile: Richard Linwood was a CAS sim and one of the original founders of Fortune Shores. He is the brother of Marshall Linwood, and he met his lovely wife Ivy Copur during his second week in Fortune Shores (see Familial Additions). They have 3 wonderful children together: Georgia, Mayer, and Julian. Georgia is a recent college graduate (see Another Day, Another Class), and just moved in with her fiance, Benjamin Fairfax. Mayer is starting his senior year at Fortune Shores Public High School, and Julian is starting the 4th grade and happens to be the only alien in Fortune Shores!

A couple days before the start of the school year, the family suffered a tragedy. Their beloved wormrat, M.C. Hamster, was found dead in his favorite wheel by Ivy. It was a terrible sight, and Ivy was unconsolable. Both Richard and Ivy were not looking forward to breaking the news to their son, Julian. M.C. Hamster was Julian's first pet and his best friend. It's hard for Julian to make friends in town because he's so different than everyone else. He has always felt like he just doesn't fit in, and M.C. Hamster was his first real friend. Needless to say, Julian was crushed at the death of his best friend and wouldn't come out of his room for weeks!

With his entire family upset, Richard decided it was time to do something to cheer them up. Even though there were only a few days left before the start of school, Richard decided to take his family on a beach vacation. Everyone was super excited when he told them the news, and the sadness was finally lifted from the poor family. Richard also surprised everyone by telling them that Georgia was going to meet them at the hotel! Ivy was especially excited at the idea of seeing her daughter and having her whole family together for a fun-filled weekend.

Ivy rushed around trying to get the family all packed and ready for a weekend of beachy fun. She finally closed the last suitcase as the taxi pulled up to take them to the airport. This was a much needed vacation, and the entire family was looking forward to spending some time on the beach and relaxing in the sun.

Georgia met them at the hotel, and everyone was surprised to see her new short haircut. Ivy thought she looked much better with her long locks, but she didn't want to hurt Georgia's feelings so she kept quiet. The hotel rooms were nice and pretty soon the family was all settled in and changing into their swimsuits.

Mayer and Georgia headed straight for the ocean. It had been four long years since they had last spent some quality time together. Mayer had to admit that he really did miss his big sister. And even though she had graduated from college, he still didn't get to see much of her since she moved in with her fiance, Benjamin Fairfax. They just lived down the street, but everyone is so busy all the time that it's hard to spend time together. So this vacation was a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Ivy spent her time laying out in the sun. She loved feeling the warm rays on her skin while listening to the waves crashing on the shore and her family laughing in the background. Richard taught Julian how to build a sand castle, and Julian had a blast knocking it down after all that hard work! Thoughts of their beloved wormrat were far from their minds.

The family also took some time to go sight-seeing around the island. While out and about, they ran across a fire-dance show. Ivy desperately wanted to learn how to dance with fire like that. So she spent much of the day taking lessons from the native fire dancer. The family had a picnic on the beach while Ivy learned how to fire dance.

Before heading back to the hotel, they found a nice campfire on the beach and roasted marshmallows while telling campfire stories. Richard and Ivy looked around at their children and couldn't believe how fast time goes by. Their kids are growing up fast, and pretty soon their oldest child will be getting married and giving them grandkids. It was a sentimental yet happy moment, and they were so happy that they took this vacation.

On their last night, the family sat down to dinner at a nice restaurant on the island. Georgia surprised her mom by wearing a wig to dinner. Somehow she must have guessed that Ivy hated her short hair. They spent the entire evening talking about Georgia's wedding plans, Mayer's excitement of starting his senior year and his plans about college, and Julian's new toys that Richard made for him and how much he wanted a puppy. It was a wonderful dinner and a wonderful end to their amazing vacation.

When they got back home from their vacation, Ivy found out she was sick with the flu. Richard, being the retired Chief of Staff, was surprised that it was the flu since it isn't flu season yet. It's still summer time, albeit the end of summer. By the time the first day of school came around, the entire family was sick with the flu. Even Georgia called to say that she too was ill, and had already spread it to Benjamin's family that lived with them. Richard just hoped it wasn't some sort of tropical strain for which there was no cure...but he has always been a hypochondriac when it comes to medical issues. That's why he made such a good Chief of Staff.

Luckily enough, it turned out to just be the normal old flu. Everyone felt like crap, but they tried to stay positive by remembering the lovely time they had on their vacation. Richard tried to keep the vacation romance alive, and Ivy didn't seem to mind one bit...even though she had snot running out of her nose and hacking every 5 minutes.

Then it was back to school and work as normal. Ivy has big responsibilities in Fortune Shores, although most people would look down on her for it. Ivy is the Criminal Mastermind in Fortune Shores, and most people wouldn't believe that such a lovely and sweet mother of 3 could be such an evil person! But Ivy has always loved living on the wild side, and enjoys having a totally different side to her personality. She's a loving and caring mother and wife when she's at home, and a scheming and ruthless crime boss when she's at work. She goes to work everyday with a big smile on her face.

The boys also started back to school. Mayer loved being a senior, and even though he wasn't happy about being back in school, he was glad to see his friends every day again. He's in the same class as Rudolph Cox and he's also close friends with his cousin Vance. Vance just can't get over the fact that his Aunt Ivy is a criminal. He knows it's supposed to be a secret, but he can't help talking about it. He always worries about her, and tells Mayer that one day his mom is going to end up in jail if she's not careful. Mayer tells him that there's nothing to worry about since people would be much more likely to blame Xavier Reinhart for any crimes rather than his sweet innocent-looking mother.

Besides, Mayer has more important things to worry about right now. He's got to decide what he wants to do after high school. His parents are pressuring him to go to college just like his big sister did. But he's just not sure college is for him. The only thing that even appeals to him about college is that there's lots of girls in college that he can date. He knows he doesn't want to go to Academie La Tour, he's just not smart enough for that school. But FSTA wouldn't be too bad. And since they have a Music/Dance program there, Mayer thinks it wouldn't be too bad to go there. Mayer loves music and dancing, but he still has to pass the exam and the audition to get accepted at FSTA, and he just isn't sure it's worth all the effort. He'd much rather hang out and have fun.

And speaking of girls, Mayer isn't very good with the ladies. He spends all his spare time hanging out at the bowling alleys downtown searching for girls to date, which is probably why he isn't doing very well in school. But poor Mayer just can't figure out why all the girls he talks to end up yawning and walking away after giving him a disgusted face.

He's 17 years old and he still hasn't been on a single date. He's seriously worried that he'll never be able to meet his ultimate goal, which is to have 50 dream dates of course. But he just keeps going out and trying to talk to girls. So far, still no luck.

So he's enlisted the help of his best friend, Rudolph Cox. Rudolph just seems to have a way with the ladies, and Mayer asks him for a few lessons in flirting. Rudolph walks right into the bowling alley and strikes up a lively conversation with the same girl that just turned Mayer down. He even gets her phone number as they get ready to leave. Mayer can't help but be jealous at his friend's easy way with women. Maybe he should go to college after all...women don't like dead beats and he needs all the bonus points he can get.

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Linwood Funny Pic:

Julian is still fascinated with that Jack-in-the-box.

Baby Brendan is finally here!!!!!!

2008-09-14T08:08:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! I've been MIA for awhile and I have a very valid excuse! I finally had my baby! YAY!

Brendan Timothy was born on September 10, 2008 at 1:07 am. He was 8 lbs even & 21 inches long.

Here's my very last belly pic, taken the morning we were heading to the hospital for the induction. It's hard to believe my little man was still in my tummy at that moment!

I had to be induced two weeks early because last weekend I had some back pain. So I went to the hospital and they found out that my right kidney wasn't draining properly and was causing excruciating pain. They couldn't run the necessary tests to figure out why it wasn't draining because I was still pregnant. So they did a little surgery and put a stint in my right ureter from my kidney to my bladder. What an ordeal that was. I was released from the hospital on Monday the 8th (which just so happens to be my birthday!) and the doctor called me that night and told me he wanted to induce me at 6:45am Tuesday the 9th.

I was in shock, but in so much pain that it was totally fine with me! So, we went to the hospital Tuesday morning, got an epidural which helped OH-SO-MUCH, and went through almost 24 hours of labor and 2.5 hours of pushing. My epidural completely wore off after 1 hour of pushing, so the last 1.5 hour was completely natural! Let's just say that will never be happening again. Heh.

Anyhoo, here's my little boy! He just so happens to be the most handsome baby ever...in the whole wide world. So, be prepared to fall out of your chair when you see just how cute he is!

I told you! He's adorable! He's got dark hair and really tan skin. Still not sure what color his eyes are but I'll let ya know once the color comes in! Here's a picture of him in his car seat as we were leaving the hospital.

And this one was taken just this morning, only an hour ago. I just had to post it because it is of the two men I love most in the world, and I am just so lucky to have them all to myself. And hands off ladies, these men are taken!

So anyhoo, that's why I've been gone the last week. Updates will be non-existing until we get a routine established with the new baby, but have no fear, I'll keep you updated on what's going on and will be back with more sims stuff in the near future! Hope everyone is doing well and YAY for babies!

Harper's Cove Updates

2008-09-05T21:27:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! I know it's been a week or two since my last Appleby update. I live in Florida and we had that huge Tropical Storm Fay hit us pretty hard for about 3 days straight, and then my laptop just up and died one day. It's in the shop getting fixed, but it seems like my files are all safe, it just has a problem booting up.

Anyhoo, in the meantime I've been making quite a few updates over at Harper's Cove ....my sims-to-sims community. Check it out if you're bored!

Back from my fun weekend

2008-08-18T20:43:00.003-05:00

Welp, I'm back from my super fun weekend with the hubs and his family! We got lots of cute baby stuff from the shower, and now I've got nothing going on besides waiting for my baby to get here!

Anyhoo, I've got another Appleby update for ya. Hopefully there will be another one tomorrow! Enjoy!

Over the Weekend

2008-08-15T10:47:00.004-05:00

I just posted an Appleby update, and there will be another one posted later this afternoon. But I won't be able to post anymore updates until Monday or so. I'm leaving today to go out of town to visit my husband's family (and yet another baby shower) for the weekend! It's going to be a great time, as long as I can make it through the 4 hour drive to his hometown! Have a great weekend and see you Monday!

Appleby Updates

2008-08-13T20:29:00.002-05:00

2 more Appleby updates posted today! I'm really on a roll with this legacy family.

The Appleby Legacy

2008-08-11T16:17:00.002-05:00

I'm crazy, I know it. I just feel like I need a wide variety of things going on in my sims game to keep my interest. So, I've started a pseudo-legacy challenge. I'm not following all the rules, and I'm not keeping a real scorecard, I'm just keeping it as simple as possible (at least for now)!

If you're interested, check it out:

The Appleby Legacy

I'd love to see you over there and hear your comments and feedback! For now it's just simple gameplay notes/narration from me, but we'll see if I get any kind of creative-bug later on! And don't worry, I'm not stopping my other projects. Just adding more to my already full plate. Heehee.

List Update 8/7/08

2008-08-07T17:11:00.003-05:00

It's that time again to do some major house-cleaning on My Favorite Blogs List. I haven't updated this page since March (I think), and it is in dire need of an update! If I'm wrong about any of this stuff, leave a comment and set me straight! One other thing, I'm going to completely remove blogs that have been marked as *finished challenges* and have not been updated in a year or more.

I really don't want to get rid of blogs that haven't been updated in a year, unless they specifically say they are finished or have finished their challenge. I just can't help but hope that they get updated again! So, red blogs will still be on the list! However, I have gotten rid of the broken links.

2 Year Anniversary!!

2008-07-02T17:44:00.002-05:00

Two years ago on this exact day, Fortune Shores was born! I was brand new to blogging, my pictures were fuzzy but my excitement was high! Now, my pictures aren't so fuzzy anymore and I am still excited about this neighborhood and the game. It's truly amazing how fast time goes by. So, in celebration of this momentous occasion (heehee, ok...not so momentous but still special!) I have put together some family trees of all the major blood lines so you can see who's related to who, and just how much Fortune Shores has grown! We're currently on generation 3 of "born-in-game" simmies. And to get reminisce about all the good times that have been had in Fortune Shores, you can always read the past updates in the Entries by Round and Family links in the main navigation links bar. I hope you have enjoyed the last 2 years as much as I have, and I can't wait to make another 2 years of memories!

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Reinhart Family Tree

Marshall Linwood Family Tree

Berkley/Go Family Tree

Fairfax/Cox Family Tree

O'Malley Family Tree

Richard Linwood Family Tree

Landgraab Family Tree

Harris Family Tree

Another Day, Another Class

2008-06-26T14:11:00.005-05:00

Academie La Tour
$90,721
Title: Another Day, Another Class
Lot 1: Fraternity House - Georgia Linwood and Jade O'MalleyLot 2: Dorms - Heidi Cox and Julie Cox
Last Visit: Heart-Breakers

It's time to catch up with the kids attending Academie La Tour this round. From the previous round we had Jade O'Malley and Georgia Linwood who finished up their sophomore year and took their places in the Hoh-Fruhm fraternity house as soon as the previous class graduated and moved back to Fortune Shores (see Heart-Breakers). This round welcomes two new freshmen to the college: Heidi and Julie Cox. Heidi and Julie are the first two ALT students that had to go through the new application process, and passed with flying colors (see What's Taking So Long?!). Even though they have heard how much fun their friends are having at the new Fortune Shores Technical Academy, Heidi and Julie are happy to be attending the prestigious and studious Academie La Tour. Let's take a look at the girls in their new Young Adult-i-ness.

Here's Heidi Cox, first natural born daughter of Louise (Fairfax) and Kennedy Cox (see Changing Times). Heidi is a very ambitious Fortune sim who dreams of becoming a Business Tycoon. She has decided to major in Economics. She has always been close to her sister Julie, and is thrilled that they will be attending college together.

This is Julie Cox, adopted daughter of Louise (Fairfax) and Kennedy Cox (see A New Life Goal). Julie has loved being a part of a big family ever since the Cox's adopted her, and she was always worried that she would have to go to college alone. But now she has Heidi with her, and she is as happy as a clam. Julie is a very reserved Knowledge sim who wants to maximize all of her potential in life (max all 7 skills). She hopes that college will help her achieve that goal, and she has decided to major in Mathematics since math has always been her favorite subject. She has no idea what she wants to do for a living, but she's sure she'll figure it out.

Since both Heidi and Julie are very dedicated to their studies, they spent a lot of time doing just that...studying. They knew that coming to college was so that they could further their possibilities in the future (and in Julie's case, learn everything she possibly could), so they didn't spend a lot of time having fun at first.

But then they got a call from Lilah O'Malley, who attends FSTA and happens to be the girlfriend of their brother Blazej (see The First Class). Lilah is well known for being rambunctious and fun-loving, and she immediately convinced the girls to throw a party in their dorm. So, the girls invited all of the FSTA students (many of whom they went to highschool with and knew very well) to the party. It turned out to be a great night filled with lots of kegs of "punch" and dancing.

It was at this party that Heidi first fell in love...or at least she thought she did. She had known Lilah's twin brother, Linus O'Malley, since they were kids. But seeing him again in college changed something in her. Heidi was immediately attracted to Linus, and he seemed to return the sentiment. Maybe they had one too many cups of "punch", but before she knew it, Heidi was having her first kiss and then her first make-out session with Linus. They would have gone all the way to woohoo'ing had the cops not come to break up the party just in time. A fact that Heidi was grateful for not too long after.

And why was she grateful that she never got to woohoo with Linus, you ask? Well, she found out not too long after that night that Linus had begun hooking up with Abigail Linwood (see The First Class). She should have known that it was coming, seeing as how Linus and Abigail live in the same dorms at FSTA and see each other practically every day. Even still, it broke Heidi's heart that Linus had ditched her for another girl. And for a friend of hers, no less. It wasn't until she heard that Linus and Abigail were an official couple that she finally realized that Linus was not interested in her anymore.

She moped around for a little while after coming to this realization, but it didn't take her long to realize that she could find someone better than Linus. She was ready to get out into the dating world. She met a guy shortly thereafter who everyone called the T-man (mainly because I can't remember what his first name was!). He was very handsome with chocolate skin and beautiful blond hair, and Heidi was smitten almost immediately. Heidi and T-man started spending a lot of time together, and before she knew it they were a real couple. Heidi was finally happy again. She was really starting to enjoy college!

She tried to get Julie to come out of her shell a little, but Julie was just as content reading and studying as she was partying and flirting with guys. The girls even joined the Hoh-Fruhm fraternity just like all the other Fortune Shores kids who had attended ALT, but Julie still spent the majority of her time reading/studying. But they did enjoy an occasional toga party, or two!

Speaking of the Hoh Fruhm fraternity, Jade and Georgia were now the upper-classmen in the fraternity and were enjoying their time in the Hoh Fruhm mansion. Well, actually Georgia was enjoying herself...but Jade was another story. If you recall from the last visit, Jade and Miles Berkley (who had been dating since highschool) finally got engaged to each other right before Miles graduated and moved back to Fortune Shores. But if you'll also remember, Jade had a one-night fling with Samuel Cox during that time also, but Miles forgave her and proposed to her anyway (see Heart-Breakers). Everything was going fine for them until Jade attended Miles' brother's wedding. You see, Samuel Cox is now engaged to Tessa Berkley who is Miles' sister. So, naturally Samuel was at the wedding also. They had one too many glasses of champagne at the wedding, and all of a sudden there Jade was standing in the middle of the dance floor kissing Samuel Cox...right in front of Miles and the rest of their family. Needless to say, Miles was enraged and sent her back to ALT without even a word of goodbye (see My Boys Came Home). Anyway, she tried calling him when she got back, but he just wouldn't answer her calls. So far, they haven't broken off the engagement, but Jade is beside herself with remorse for what happened, and grief over possibly losing the love of her life.

Everyone could tell that something was wrong with Jade. She wasn't her normal crazy, wild self. At all of their fraternity parties, Jade would stand off by herself and drink all night long. The other girls in Hoh-Fruhm began to worry about her new drinking habits as well as her new antisocial behavior.

But it wasn't until right before graduation that Jade finally broke down and told her best friend Georgia all about what happened at the Berkley wedding. Georgia couldn't believe that Jade still had feelings for Samuel Cox after all this time, and that she acted on those feelings right in front of her fiance and his family. But she tried to be supportive and understanding. Jade wasn't sure about where she was going to go after graduation, and she wasn't sure if she was still going to be having a wedding. But Georgia was able to cheer her up enough and helped her get through the last few weeks of their final semester in college.

Graduation finally came, and both Georgia and Jade finished college with outstanding grades. Georgia threw a big graduation party for herself, and all of her favorite people came to it. Her mother and father (Richard and Ivy (Copur) Linwood) and her two brothers (Mayer and Julian Linwood) all came to congratulate her and to celebrate. She really enjoyed seeing them all again after so long. The last time she saw them was at her cousin Dustin's wedding, which seemed like forever ago (see Happily Ever After).

Her dad was so proud of her that he was in tears for most of the party. She is the oldest child in her family and therefore the first one to attend college and graduate. Her father just couldn't stop hugging her!

Georgia's fiance, Benjamin Fairfax, also came to the party. She was so excited to see him, and even more excited to be graduating because that meant that she would be moving in with him at the Fairfax cottage. Her mother, Ivy, watched on with pride as Georgia and Benjamin were reunited. Benjamin is the sole heir of the Fairfax estate and name, and her little Georgia was going to be his wife. She had definitely done well for herself in the spouse-department.

The party was also filled with lots of eating, chatting, and of course...smustling! Everyone had a great time and the party was a roof-raiser in no time at all. Even Jade came out of her depression for a little while to join in the smustle-fun. Jade didn't have a graduation party for herself. She was just too sad, and didn't really want to see her family since she knew there would be tons of questions about why Miles didn't come to the party and all of that. She just didn't want to face it.

So, Jade and Georgia said good-bye to their college years and prepared themselves to move back to Fortune Shores and begin their new lives as adults. But before they did, they left a gift for the future brothers and sisters of Hoh-Fruhm. They outfitted a game room out on the terrace of the mansion, complete with a bar, juke box, and pool table. Even Heidi and Julie were excited to see this new addition, although Julie really preferred the library upstairs that a previous graduating class had donated.

And on their last day in the Hoh-Fruhm house, Jade and Georgia finally got to hang up their pledge-class picture on the "Wall of Class". They were the fourth class to live in the mansion, and the 3rd pledge class to join the fraternity.

Here's Georgia Linwood all grown up. The first thing she wants to do when she gets back to Fortune Shores is get a makeover! But she is very proud to have finally graduated from college with a degree in Psychology. Even though she really just wants to get married, have 6 kids and watch them all get married one day...she can't wait to start a career too. She's not quite sure what job she'll choose, but she can't wait to find out. For now though, she's just excited about moving in with her fiance, Benjamin Fairfax, and planning their wedding.

And as for Jade, she's not really sure what she's going to do now that she's graduated. She's not sure where she stands with her fiance, Miles Berkley, but she's ready to find out. She figures that she'll just move into her own place until Miles finally decides to talk to her and either end things or make up. If he still wants to, she'd love to marry him and become his wife in which case she would end up moving into the Berkley household since Miles is the Berkley heir. But if not, she'll just keep her own place and move on with her life. As for a job, Jade dreams of becoming a Celebrity Chef and now that she has a degree in Art she is very excited at the real possibility of that dream coming true. Who knows, maybe she'll even become a culinary professor at FSTA one day. Either way, she's ready to start her new life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

University Funny Pic:

What is Richard doing to that cow?! I don't even wanna know...

Don't Fret, My Pet

2008-06-09T20:17:00.002-05:00

Hello! Once again, I have been so very terrible at updating. But have no fear, I'm not done yet. And probably won't ever be done since I am still crazy in love with the sims. So, let me just reassure you that I'm still around.

I'm due to have my baby in September of this year, so that meant that I had to double on my college classes over this summer so I can have the entire fall off with the baby. I'm currently taking Anatomy/Physiology 1 and 2 (yes, that's 2 different classes), Microbiology, Human Nutrition, and Developmental Psychology in a 12 week time period. So, along with my huge belly that gets bigger everyday, I am a super busy girl. I literally have had NO time to play the sims or blog about it at all. Even my baby blog that I started about my pregnancy hasn't been updated in a month due to my never-ending study times.

But, I've got 6 weeks of school left (after this week) and I plan on doing nothing but simming once that's done. Also, Fortune Shores is about to hit it's 2 year anniversary (was started on July 9, 2006) so I'm trying to work on a special update for that. It probably won't be any new pictures, but more like a re-cap of where we've been and what the wacky residents have been up to. But that will depend on time, although it is top on my priority list right now. So, definitely keep checking back. Sign up for email updates to be sure that you get notified as soon as there is an update!

In other news, I don't think I've mentioned that It's a BOY! Heehee, my husband and I found out that we are expecting a bouncing baby boy, and we are super excited! We've decided to name him Brendan Timothy, and we're working on his nursery too (it's a sailboat theme!). So, that's kept me busy as well! Anyhoo, just thought I'd give ya a quick update so you know I'm doing alright...just crazy busy! Hope all is well with you and yours!

The First Class

2008-04-18T18:50:00.002-05:00

Fortune Shores Technical Academy
$30,000
Title: The First Class
Lot 1: FSTA Dorms: Blazej Cox, Abigail Linwood, Aidan Linwood, Lilah O'Malley, Linus O'Malley, Cercie Reinhart

With the construction finally finished on the brand new Fortune Shores Technical Academy, the first class was eager to move in and get started with their studies. All of these students were very excited to be the first to study in the brand new facility. Allow me to introduce you to the first class of FSTA.

This is Blazej Cox, the adopted son of Kennedy and Louise Fairfax (see A New Life Goal). One of eight children, Blazej feels right at home in the bustling dorm life of the FSTA dorms. Both of Blazej's parents are professors at the new college; Kennedy is the Cosmetology professor and Louise is the Culinary professor. Blazej is majoring in Athletics with a Fitness minor. He hopes to one day become a Hall of Famer.

This is Abigail Linwood, daughter of Marshall and Caryl Linwood (see Baby Boom). With four older siblings, a twin brother, and six younger brothers and sisters, Abigail is no stranger to the hustle and bustle of dorm life either. Abigail is majoring in Culinary with a minor in Gardening. She hopes to one day become a Celebrity Chef just like her professor, Louise Cox.

Next up is Aidan Linwood. He is the son of Marshall and Caryl Linwood, and Abigail Linwood's twin brother. Aidan wasn't sure if he wanted to go to college at all; his lifetime want has absolutely nothing to do with furthering his education and does not require a college degree. But his twin sister, Abigail, talked him into going with her to the new college in town. Due to the awesome new majors/minors, Aidan just couldn't refuse. It also helped that his long time crush, Cercie Reinhart was attending FSTA as well. Aidan is majoring in Dance with a minor in music, although he dreams of having 6 pets reach the top career level. Is it a coincidence that his love interest is also majoring in Dance/Music? Or does Aidan truly love the subjects?

This lovely lady is Lilah O'Malley, daughter of Brandi Harris (formerly O'Malley) and the infamous Quincy O'Malley (see Change of Heart). Lilah's father died when she was still very young, and she grew up with only her mother and twin brother, Linus. She also has a half-sister, Jade O'Malley, who currently attends Academie La Tour but never even met her until she was a teenager. Lilah is used to quiet life, but she has found living with many other students (especially the male students) to be very exciting and entertaining. Even though she is as girly as they come, Lilah is majoring in Athletics with a minor in Fitness. She hopes to one day become a Hall Famer (as long as she gets to be surrounded by sweaty, shirtless men).

This is Linus O'Malley, son of Brandi Harris (formerly O'Malley) and Quincy O'Malley, and twin brother of Lilah O'Malley. Linus is a very fun and playful guy, although he does have a serious side to him when it comes to knowledge and studying. His lifetime dream is to enter the medical field and become a Chief of Staff, but was disappointed after he was not accepted to Academie La Tour. Thankfully, FSTA has a great medical program as well, and he is happily learning everything he can under the careful watch and instruction of none other than Fortune Shore's own Chief of Staff, Marisa Reinhart. Linus is majoring in the Medical Technician program with a minor in Tinkering (engineering).

And last but not least is Cercie Reinhart. She is the daughter of the famous basketball player Edwin Reinhart and the Chief of Staff Marisa Reinhart (see Time Flies By). Cercie broke her father's heart (and his high expectations) when she did not get accepted to Academie La Tour. But Cercie has always had a love for dancing and music, so FSTA was the perfect choice for her. Even though Cercie follows in her father's money-loving ways and has a lifetime goal of earning $100,000, she knows that the best way to go about doing just that is by following your heart and doing something you love. So, she is majoring in Dance with a minor in Music. It's rumored that Edwin only took the job as Athletics/Fitness professor at FSTA so that he could keep an eye on his only daughter, of whom he has always been very protective.

Speaking of Edwin Reinhart being a professor, he is a great addition to the FSTA faculty. As a Hall of Famer himself, he has attracted many athletics-degree seeking students to the new college. He is a tough professor, as his first two students Blazej Cox and Lilah O'Malley, can attest to. He is always pushing his Fitness students harder and harder in their workouts and even insisted that the dorms install a workout room so that his students could practice while in their off-hours.

The college also boasts about an impressive Athletics department, also headed by Edwin Reinhart. His two current students are majoring in Athletics and both hope to become Hall of Famers just like their professor. Professor Reinhart is always telling them that it is a tough road with lots of hard work and sweat, and that road starts now. The students learn everything there is to know about sports from basketball to soccer to even swimming. They even get to play their professor one on one, an opportunity that very few in Fortune Shores get with the famour sports star.

The Culinary Department, headed by Celebrity Chef herself Louise Cox, is also a very popular program at FSTA. Currently Abigail Linwood gets Professor Cox's entire attention since she is the only student. Already she has gained countless skill points in the Culinary Arts, and has added to her dish library by ten-fold. Professor Cox is always giving her hints and tips that make cooking the true art form that it is. With training like this, Ms. Linwood will be a Celebrity Chef in no time!

Gardening is a great minor for any student interested in majoring in Culinary. Growing your own food is much healthier than store-bought ingredients, and makes for better tasting dishes as well. Louise Cox is the head of the Gardening Department as well, and delights in teaching the students how to care for a proper garden. All food grown in the garden at FSTA is used in the Culinary courses, and any extra food is sold to the local farmer's market.

FSTA also has a state-of-the-art medical training facility, with Chief of Staff Dr. Marisa Reinhart at the helm. Linus O'Malley can attest to how strenous the course-work is, and how demanding Dr. Reinhart can be on her students. After all, medical training students are being trained to take people's lives in their hands. And noone knows how prepared you must be for that than Dr. Reinhart. Therefore, students must learn every part of the body and every known disease as well as their cure.

During clinical practice, she expects nothing but the best from her students, and is quick to point out their errors. Wrong answers in class are considered okay as long as you study to correct it, but wrong answers in real life could cost someone their life.

A much less stressful department, but still as strenous is the Dance Department. Professor Elizabeth O'Malley has agreed to teach at the college until a replacement can be found. She enjoys Dance/Music but has no want to teach it long-term. Nevertheless, her first two students Aidan Linwood and Cercie Reinhart, are thrilled with the education they are getting. They have improved beyond imagination in their dance knowledge and skill.

A great minor for the Dance program is the Music minor. Also headed by Professor O'Malley. In this program, students pick up various musical instruments and learn music theory and application. Cercie Reinhart has always loved the violin, and after only two years at FSTA, she is quite good. Aidan Linwood enjoys the piano, but his favorite instrument is the drums.

Of course, college life isn't all about going to class and studying. It's about having fun too! And the students of FSTA are not lacking in the fun department. Their new dorm facility is cram-packed with fun inducing activities to help take their minds off those up-coming finals. The main room is their favorite gathering place. Students can always be found playing pool and poker, dancing to the juke box tunes, or watching TV in front of the warm fire. It's a great place to socialize and relax.

While the girls, namely Cercie Reinhart and Lilah O'Malley, can always be found at the poker table, Blazej Cox is never too far from the pool table. He has fallen in love with playing pool, and can now beat anyone he challenges. He has also taught himself a few new tricks along the way, which is a great attention-getter at parties.

Cercie and Lilah have become best friends in these past two years. They can be seen constantly whispering about boys and other fun college topics. They have become inseparable. It's almost as if they are the sister's the other has never had.

Another great social gathering spot is the hot tub, which is always full of entertainment. Even adult residents of Fortune Shores have been seen stopping by to partake in the hot tub fun. Poor Margaret Berkley may not be back for awhile though, not after she was struck by lightning (the first human lightning strike since Seasons came out).

But that hot tub has seen much more than just lightning strikes. It has fostered many new love relationships, including Linus O'Malley and Abigail Linwood. The two love-birds were always hopping in the hot tub after a long day of classes. Finally, their relationship reached that next level in their favorite place.

Of course, don't tell Heidi Cox that. She's attending Academie La Tour and you'll see her in the next update. Before going to college, Heidi and Linus were getting pretty hot & heavy, and I'm sure she won't be too happy to hear that he has another girl in his life now. And I always thought his sister Lilah would be the one to break a few hearts in college. Heh.

But so far, Lilah has been perfectly happy with none other than Blazej Cox. They started to really get to know each other while in classes together since they share the same major. And they are the only two students in that major, so they had a lot of time to get acquainted. Their relationship blossomed, and so far she seems completely happy being in a committed relationship. She hasn't even looked sideways at any other guys since she started dating Blazej. Maybe she's not the typical Romance sim that everyone expected.

And then there is the budding romance of Aidan Linwood and Cercie Reinhart. I'm still not sure if her father knows about this relationship, and I'm not sure if he would approve or not. We'll just have to wait and see. Cercie and Aidan liked each other back in highschool, but at the time Cercie was dating Roland Berkley. But he went off to college and ended up getting married soon after he graduated, and poor Cercie wasn't even out of highschool yet. When she got to college and saw that Aidan Linwood was in her classes, she was ecstatic. The two fell for each other really fast, and are now so very in love.

And love isn't the only thing Cercie has been up to in her spare time. She also completed her very first novel! It wasn't a best-seller or anything, but it was published and she can now say that she is a Published Author. At least her father has something to be proud of her for now.

That's it for the first two years of the first class of FSTA. We'll finish them up next time! Stay tuned for the next update, which will be from Academie La Tour!

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FSTA Funny Pic:

My game always makes the walls eat people. Hmph.

Tour of Fortune Shores Technical Academy

2008-03-30T13:05:00.002-05:00

So, I finally got FSTA to work without any problems or bugs and finished the first two years of the first bunch of students! But before I post that update, I thought I'd give you a tour of Fortune Shores' newest custom college: Fortune Shores Technical Academy. To see what it's all about and the rules and admission procedures (text only) read this. If you want a complete tour of the campus and the dorms, keep reading!

Welcome to FSTA! I did not build the actual building that houses FSTA since I am not too good at building and I was too impatient! So, I found it at MTS2. It's actually posted as a highschool, so I was able to leave some of the rooms decorated the way they were. But I did tons of remodeling and redecorating on about 80% of the building. And I must say that I am very happy with the results!

Here's a full view of the college. It's a rather massive lot and runs kind of slow, especially after I added so much onto it. But it gets the job done and there are separate rooms for every major. Tons of space for lots of students, and very scenic. So far, I love it.

This is the registrar's office as well as the infirmary. The students come here to first apply for college and to sign up for their Academy Audition. The infirmary was necessary due to the fact that FSTA is not a normal college in the way of majors. With areas of study such as athletics and dance, there is plenty of opportunity for injury!

This is the computer lab and the library. The students spend time in between classes studying and writing term papers as well as doing assignments in this room. They've also been known to have fun in SSX2 competitions on those computers when the Librarian has left the room.

Here's the Lecture Classroom. Each major/minor have their own times to use this classroom, so only students of that major/minor are present during that area's lecture. The room can sit 8 students, although I doubt there will ever be a time when there are 8 students in one major/minor. But who knows?!

This is the Theatre. The College of Fine Arts often put on productions in this theatre, including plays, art exhibits, concerts, and dance productions. The Theatre is also used as the setting for most Academy Auditions, the only exceptions being sports auditions or other areas that require equipment to large for the theatre stage or that require large amounts of room. By the way, during any Academy Audition family is welcome to attend the audition and cheer on their hopeful student!

This is the Music Room where students can practice their musical skills. With all types of instruments available to the students, there's always something for everyone...no matter what type of music genre they are interested in.

Here is the Art Room, which includes easels, pottery stands, and sewing machines. The students artwork is displayed on the walls of the classroom each semester, and there are shelves in the corner where their pottery and sculptures are displayed. At the end of every semester, the Art Department holds an art show in the Theatre displaying all of the students' best work from the entire semester.

This is the Dance Room. Students learn all types of dance in this studio from ballet to hip-hop to jazz. Even some ballroom dancing! The students put on a dance production at the end of their sophomore year and the end of their senior year. All proceeds go to the Dance Program of FSTA.

Here is the Louise Cox Culinary Room (nevermind that the picture says "Louise Fairfax", I can't believe I forgot that her last name hasn't been Fairfax for tons of rounds!). This room is named after Fortune Shores' first Celebrity Chef, and also the first Culinary Professor at FSTA. All of the rooms will eventually be named in honor of prominent Fortune Shores residents who are pioneers in their career fields. Anyhoo, students here have the best facilities and equipment to use to hone their culinary skills! Bake-offs and Cooking Contests are the favorite events of the culinary students.

On the FSTA grounds, one can find the greenhouse and the fishing pond. Students of the College of Nature Studies enjoy being outside, especially in their very own garden and pond. Equipped with a large greenhouse, multiple composts, and tons of free gardening plots the students are sure to get a wonderful hands-on education in Gardening. The fishing pond is stocked with many types of fish and plenty of shade for the students who aim to be fishermen! All of the produce (and fish) are sold to the local farmer's market in the community.

This is the Crafting Room which houses stations to learn certain crafting skills such as Flower Arranging, Toy Making, and Electronics Manufacturing. There are also sewing machines and pottery stands. Tinkering students also find their equipment in this room as well. There are train tables, televisions and radios that are all available to be worked on.

Here is the Marisa Reinhart Medical Training Room, named in honor of Fortune Shores' first Chief of Staff and the first Medical Professor. The room is equipped with state of the art medical equipment to help students learn about the parts of the body and medical procedures. There is also chemistry instruments including a Biotech Station for students to learn about pharmacology.

This is the Kennedy Cox Cosmetology Room, named in honor of Fortune Shores' only cosmetologist and Cosmetology Professor. The Cosmetology Room is an actual salon that services clients in all sorts of cosmetology areas including hair services, massage and therapeutic services, nail services, and skin services. All proceeds go to the Cosmetology Department of FSTA, but students do get to keep the tips they receive from clients! The students love to put on hair shows, and to work as makeup artists/hair stylists for the College of Fine Arts productions.

Here is the Edwin Reinhart Fitness Center, named in honor of Fortune Shores' first Hall of Famer and Athletic and Fitness Professor. The fitness center is equipped with top of the line exercise equipment as well as a lockerroom with showers and lockers.

The fitness center also includes the Aquatic Center as another form of fitness and exercise. Fitness students can also take a break from their normally strenous activities and play pool games during their free time!

The fitness center also encompasses the basketball court and soccer field for those students majoring in athletics. Professor Reinhart has a great time challenging his students on the basketball court, which is of course the sport that made him famous!

These next pictures are of the FSTA Dormitory. Right now there is only one dorm which is able to house 8 students, but since 8 students are technically allowed in every round, there is a possibility that a total of 16 students might attend at one time. So, the picture above is the FSTA Dormitory.

The students have a pool and a hottub to relax in, and boy let me tell you! They use that hottub and pool all the time!

Here's the dorm rooms. Two students share a room and they share a bathroom. The rooms are roomy enough and they have plenty of space to decorate the room however they want to!

This is the computer lab. There's only 3 computers, so the students have to learn how to share! But with a hottub and a huge rec room right next door, the students are hardly ever in the computer lab unless writing term papers!

The Fitness Room. Edwin Reinhart insisted that the students have a fitness center inside their dormitory, due to the fact that his fitness/athletics students needed to work out every single day!

This is the Dining Room. The students have their meals here together, the kitchen is on the other side of the double doors. There's plenty of room for everyone, and a buffet table and a piano to make things more fun!

This is the rec room, the students favorite room in the entire dorms! With a pool table, poker table, chess table, juke box, and big screen TV..the students are never able to get bored! Here you can see a preview of all the new students chilling out in the rec room! The first FSTA update will be up soon. The pictures are all taken and edited, so stay tuned!

List Update 3/29/08

2008-03-29T11:24:00.003-05:00

Okay, time to do some house-cleaning on My Favorite Blogs List. I have been so busy lately that I have neglected this page...but have no fear, I'm cleaning it up with this update! I'm adding a couple of new blogs, changing a few addresses (yay Inge!), and posting about blogs that are "out of date" or not updated in awhile. If I'm wrong about any of this stuff, leave a comment and set me straight! So, here's a glance of what's changed (full reviews on the new blogs at the end of this post):

3 New Blogs (yay, I love new blogs!) :

After The Calling by Veron
Pine Hollow by Shana
Port Riverwalk by Laurie

Welcome to Fortune Shores btw Laurie and Veron, and I am so happy about your new blogs! And welcome back Shana to the Sims 2 world!

Changed Website Addresses:

Windlebridge by Ingeli

I love your new site Ingeli, very nicely laid out and so fun to navigate and see your town! If you loved Windlebridge before, you'll be even more amazed with what Ingeli has done to it lately! Amazing!

Welcome Back!:

Audrey's Legacy is back after a long break! It's so good to see the McNeils, Eversons, and the Legacy's again! Welcome back Audrey!
Life and Times in Coventry by Ruby is back! This is a great Soap Opera challenge that I am so glad to see back!
Rainbow Valley is back after an almost 7 month break! Check Issue 7 of the Rainbow Valley Chronicles to catch up with the residents of Rainbow Valley. Yippee!
The Pixelated Truth by Rome is coming back! Look for a real update sometime soon! Woohoo!

Un-Updated Blogs (please come back!) :

Aquarion hasn't been updated in a year.
Kingdom of Tapria hasn't been updated in a year.
Legacy Valley hasn't been updated in a year.
Love Island's Prosperity hasn't been updated in 3 months.
Margie Hunter hasn't been updated in a year.
Mayfield: A Saga hasn't been updated in a year.
Pleasantview Prosperity hasn't been updated in over 3 months.
Prosperity Bay hasn't been updated in over 3 months.
Rock Valley hasn't been updated in over 3 months.
Saoghal hasn't been updated in over 3 months.
Sariana's Sims hasn't been updated in a year.
Simaholic's Sim Site hasn't been updated in a year.
Tiffany's Sims and Stuff hasn't been updated in a year.

Goodbye (*cry*) :

Harry Potter Legacy by Kat has ended due to a computer meltdown, but you can still see her fabulous stories at Affluence Valley!
Jenn The Simmer Girl seems to have been moved...but no forwarding address. Anyone heard anything new about this one?
Prosperville by Laurie has closed due to a computer crash, but you can check out her new blog at Port Riverwalk!
Shana's Sims by Shana ended due to Shana's new famous author career (seriously, she got published!), but in between writing books like famous authors do...she has started a new blog: Pine Hollow.
Vivi's Sims 2 Ventures by Vivi has ended due to a computer error mostly. She may come back for the Sims 3, but otherwise you'll only see her when she comments on others' blogs. Will miss you Vivi!
White Horse Vale by Tanya has ended due to wacky computer jumping bugs, but you can see her new story-telling blog at Sims 2 Tales.

New Blog Reviews:

Blog Title: After The Calling

Where I found it: a comment by the author, Veron, on My Favorite Blogs List

Content:
"A story-telling blog that revolves around the lives of various psychics in a time of telepathic turmoil" -- Veron

Mandie's Thoughts:
The story line is well thought out, the characters are well developed (and the male characters are hotties!), and the pictures are great! Another sci-fi story thriller to add to my reading list!

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Blog Title: Pine Hollow

Where I found it: on Shana's old blog Shana's Sims

Content:
A prosperity challenge meets Sims 2 custom neighborhood, Shana follows some prosperity challenge rules but has an economically independent neighborhood!

Mandie's Thoughts:
The town is very cute and idyllic! Shana did a great job decorating the hood. The residents are colorful and full of personality. The economic system is unique and challenging since it runs entirely on its own! Very fun read and great pictures!

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Blog Title: Port Riverwalk

Where I found it: a comment by the author, Laurie, on My Favorite Blogs List

Content:
A second go for Laurie at the Prosperity Challenge, after her first one ended in computer crash! This time she starts with 4 starting families.

Mandie's Thoughts:
The residents of Port Riverwalk are very diverse and have tons of personality and character for a Prosperity Challenge. It's usually so easy to forget who's who in this challenge, but in Port Riverwalk you'll never forget who they are! Each resident is unique and Laurie spent a lot of time on her website and her characters! You're in for a treat!

What's Taking So Long?!

2008-03-19T09:51:00.005-05:00

Hey guys! This is going to be a rather long post with absolutely no pictures! It is my reason for being so delayed in updates. So, read on.

If you remember, the next update in my rotation is supposed to be the college years. I had a total of 10 kids to play through college (2 were already juniors), and it just wasn't as exciting for me as it used to be. And then I got Free Time, and fell in love with the new hobbies and objects (love the ballet bar and the violin!). So, I decided to take the huge risk of making a custom university in the main Fortune Shores hood itself. All inspiration (and important info on how to do this) came from Jade's lovely Isle of Thyme neighborhood. She is a pioneer in the Sims 2 world, and probably one of the most creative (and knowledgeable) simmers I have ever come across. Her lovely custom college gave me big ideas for a college of my own. So, here's what I came up with:

I'm having two colleges in Fortune Shores. The main university (the Maxis one) will still be used. And in case you were wondering, I use Academie La Tour or ALT. And a custom college will be used inside Fortune Shores itself. This new college is named Fortune Shores Technical Academy or FSTA. The two colleges are very different in their purposes. I really wanted my sims to have a choice about colleges, and since not all sims have lifetime wants of reaching the top in a career, I thought FSTA would be a great alternative to a big university.

Therefore, ALT is a major university for students who want to reach the top of a career or for knowledge sims that want to study to their heart's content. FSTA on the other hand, is more like a vocational college. It is for those sims who have more artistic, hobby-related, or other types of dreams in life.

That being said, there are different degrees or areas of study within each college. They are as follows:

Academie La Tour:
~all Maxis majors (Economics, Philosophy, Art, Biology, etc.)

Fortune Shores Technical Academy:
~5 different colleges of learning:
~College of Athletics
~College of Fine Arts
~College of Crafting
~College of Vocations
~College of Nature Studies

~each college contains different majors and minors
~College of Athletics
~Fitness
~Sports

~College of Fine Arts
~Art
~Dance
~Music
~Theatre

~College of Crafting
~Electronics Making
~Flower Arrangement
~Pottery
~Sewing
~Toy Making

~College of Vocations
~Cosmetology
~Culinary
~Medical Technician
~Tinkering (Repairmen)

~College of Nature Studies
~Fishing
~Gardening

~in FSTA, students can pick a major and a minor from any of the 5 colleges

Along with the different areas of study, the two colleges have different requirements for admission. They are as follows:

Academie La Tour:
~total number of students accepted: 8 (can be less if score on SST is under 400)
~must have a LTW to reach the top of a career OR earn $100,000
~knowledge sims can be accepted w/o meeting LTW requirement if they meet all other requirements
~must have at least a B in highschool
~must have at least 3 skills at level 5 or higher (15 points in different areas does not count)
~must take SST (Smart Sims Test) upon completion of highschool
~SST score must be a 400 or above
~this score is randomly decided by rolling a 100-sided dice and multiplying by 10.
~there are 3 tiers of acceptance:
~Tier 1: 800+ on SST
~Tier 2: 600+ on SST
~Tier 3: 400+ on SST
~under 400 on SST denied

**The Tiers for acceptance are in place because I expect a ton of applicants in the future due to the population expansion in Fortune Shores. So, if 15 kids apply and only 8 can be accepted the Tiers will come in handy. If there are 5 kids in each tier, then all 5 kids in Tier 1 would be accepted and the top 3 kids in Tier 2 would be accepted. Everyone else would be denied. Same goes for the FSTA tiers.**

Fortune Shores Technical Academy:
~total students accepted: 8 (can be less if A.A. score is under 40)
~anyone can apply regardless of LTW, although students without top of career LTWs are usually chosen first because they are not eligible to attend ALT
~must have at least lvl 5 in the skills pertaining to their chosen majors/minors, or a bronze badge in that craft
~must pass the Academy Audition (A.A.) for their chosen area
~For example: A student chooses Art as their major. Their audition is that they have to submit a painting for grading. (A 100-sided dice is used to grade the piece randomly)
~Tier 1: 80+ on A.A.
~Tier 2: 60+ on A.A.
~Tier 3: 40+ on A.A.
~under 40 denied

So, to explain the college application process for highschool students, I used the 8 new college students to test my ideas. I'll show you an example so you can see how the application process works:

Cercie Reinhart
~LTW: Earn $100,000
~can choose either ALT or FSTA
~if she chooses ALT, she needs 3 skills @ lvl 5
~her SST score = 190 (rolled the dice)
~denied for ALT due to SST score
~if she chooses FSTA, her chosen major/minor = Dance/Music (her favorite hobbies)
~she needs lvl 5 in creativity and body
~A.A. score: played a piece on the violin, score = 98 (I actually played out her audition in the FSTA theater...it was so fun!)
~so, she is in Tier 1 for FSTA

I did that process for each of the 8 applicants and here were the results:

ALT:
Tier 1 -- noone
Tier 2 -- Heidi Cox, Julie Cox
Tier 3 -- noone

FSTA:
Tier 1 -- Cercie Reinhart
Tier 2 -- Aidan Linwood, Linus O'Malley
Tier 3 -- Abigail Linwood, Blazej Cox

Lilah O'Malley failed both the SST and the A.A., so she was unable to attend college. Instead she would stay living at home as a YA until the rest of the kids her age graduate and become adults, in which case she would have her adult birthday as well. I also would probably have had Aidan Linwood choose not to go to college, because his LTW is to get 6 pets to reach TOC...and he could start on that as a YA living at home.

However, I was so excited about this new college system, that I bent the rules (just this once!) and let Lilah O'Malley and Aidan Linwood attend FSTA...mainly because I wanted as many sims to try it out as possible!

I guess I should also say that I've changed the rotations for college as well. Instead of having a college rotation for every 5 houses I play in the hood (which would eventually lead to a bajillion university rounds), I've decided to go back to one university round per rotation. That's why I anticipate having a ton of applicants. Eventually all teenagers from 30-some odd houses will be applying for the same university round, and their will only be room for 16 students...if all 16 pass the SST or A.A. It seems a lot more fun to me this way, and more realistic since not everyone goes to college or gets in!

So, I'm tweaking FSTA a little bit, and playing out the first two years of those kids. Then I'm gonna finish up with my two juniors at ALT. After all that, I'll have a real update for you. Oh yeah, and the exciting part....The teachers at FSTA are all notable residents of Fortune Shores that you will recognize! For example, the Sports and Fitness professor is none other than Edwin Reinhart (because he's the only Hall of Famer in Fortune Shores), and the Culinary professor is Louise Fairfax (Celebrity Chef) while her husband Kennedy Cox is the cosmetology professor!

So, to Jade, thanks for the inspiration...and you are sooooo right. Custom colleges are waaaaaaay more fun than Maxis! But I still enjoy my Maxis college...I just like having it a little more realistic with options and requirements for my simmies! Hope you all enjoy it too!

List Update 2/15/08

2008-02-15T10:09:00.002-05:00

4 new blogs for you to enjoy today! By the way, my next real update is coming soon...university has been a doozy this time around. I finished the play session for the EIGHT new freshman, now I just need to play the two juniors and I'll have it ready. Things have been quite crazy for me lately....I've started back to school hoping to get a bachelor's of science in nursing, and just recently found out that I am about 9 weeks pregnant! Woohoo for my first real life baby! I feel a lot like my poor simmies that I constantly make have babies...lots of time spent hanging over the toilet! Anyhoo, here's the new blogs and expect a real update soon!

February 15, 2008

Blog Title: Boreal Springs

Where I found it: from Mao's DHW challenge finale

Content:
Mao's Prosperity Challenge with 4 lovely starting families!

Mandie's Thoughts:
It's no secret that I love anything and everything that Mao puts in a blog for me to read! Her families are always so cute and full of unique personalities and quirks. I just love her writing style, and end up falling out of my chair with laughter most times. She also has way cool custom content that is worth a peek at just because! And she's already on Round 4! That's only one round behind me! Sheesh, I'm slow! Lol.

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Blog Title: My Ugly Sim Kids

Where I found it: from a commenter on theStratton Legacy blog

Content:
Annie's unique legacy challenge starring some very ugly sim kids!

Mandie's Thoughts:
This blog is absolutely hilarious! The writing is fabulous and Annie does a great job of giving each character a personality and story line. I can't believe I didn't know about it sooner!

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Blog Title: Legecci Legacy

Where I found it: from a commenter on theWintersmith Legacy blog

Content:
ChillyzGrrl's vanilla, base-game, no CC legacy challenge.

Mandie's Thoughts:
One of the reasons why I love this blog is that there is no CC in it! It is so cool to see how ChillyzGrrl decorates the houses, and dresses her sims up without any CC. I guess I just take CC for granted in my game and have never really used the maxis content to its full potential. Another thing I like is that she lets you vote on who gets to be the heir!

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Blog Title: Lake Crossing Chronicles

Where I found it: from her other blog Gethane Sims

Content:
A very unique custom hood where updates are in scrapbook format!

Mandie's Thoughts:
Okay, you all know Gethane from Gethane Sims, the fabulous house builder. Well, she also has this blog about her custom 'hood and it is absolutely wonderful! Each sim gets a profile which she makes to look like a page out of a scrapbook. It is so creative and very cool to look at!

Favorite Blogs List Update

2008-01-29T14:07:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I figured that I would take my Favorite Blogs List idea one step further, and feature an update section with new blogs as I find and add them to my list. It will be just to highlite the blog and let you know what it's about as well as their content and my personal thoughts and comments about the blogs. By the way, I have never found a blog that I had anything bad to say about...so don't worry about negative comments, you won't find them here! But this Update section will also let those of you who check my list frequently easily see what the new blogs are that I've found! (I'll also give credit to the person or blog who pointed me in the direction of the new blog.) If none of that makes sense, just read on because this is the first update entry and it will show you exactly what I mean.

Oh yeah, and if you found a blog that I need to add to my list, just leave a comment on My Favorite Blogs List.

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January 29, 2008

Blog Title: Adele's Blog

Where I found it: from Jade in this post

Content:
The link above takes you to Adele's new blog that features her production notes about her new Sims 2 movie: Undead. But that blog is not the extent of the awesomeness that is Adele! You can also check out her movie called "Undead" here , her forum with all sorts of cool topics here , and her custom content site with free downloads for your simmies here.

Mandie's Thoughts:
Adele's Blog gives some great behind-the-scenes notes about how she made certain parts of the movie and where it all came from. It's a great read even if you don't like the more technical stuff of the Sims 2 game. I always find it amazing how people figure out how to make items or mods or manipulate the game to do what they want!

The Undead movie is simply amazing...a true Sims 2 masterpiece! It looks so professional and you won't believe the special effects and sets that she created! It's also suspenseful, and I found myself wanting to cover my eyes during one of the scary parts!

Adele's custom content is great too. I particularly love her individual tops and bottoms. Good full outfits are always easy to find, but separate tops and bottoms can be rather tricky. But these are great! She's got some great eyes and eyebrows too, not to mention some cute little dresses.

Moving On

2008-01-22T17:37:00.000-05:00

The O'Malley Family
5 Fortune Drive
$106,167
Title: Moving On
Lot: O'Malley- Brandi, Linus, Lilah, Benny, Cleo, Rocky, Rover, BelleLast Visit: Doggy Daycare

Brandi: Welcome back! It's been awhile since I've last seen ya. Not too much has happened around here really. This week started out as usual; Linus, Lilah and me doing things that families do. I know it sounds crazy but it's been kind of lonely around here. I mean, I know that I have my two wonderful kids...but it's like something has been missing ever since Quincy passed away (see Romance: Dead or Alive).

I guess it's also crazy that I felt lonely due to the fact that I was surrounded by dogs! You remember from last time that our two dogs Benny and Cleo had three adorable little puppies? Rocky, Rover, and Belle. Heh, sometimes I felt like I lived in a pet store!

Especially when those cute little puppies grew into full grown dogs. Talk about a pet store! It was crazy around the house with five big dogs and two teenagers! But all three of the dogs turned out to be very cute.

But there was chaos all the time. It was impossible to train that many dogs in my spare time, and the kids were so busy with school and studying for college. And the barking...oh the barking. These dogs were definitely howlers...but they did look really cute when they were doing it!

But it just got to be too much to handle for us, and I decided to put Rocky, Rover, and Belle up for adoption. Linus and Lilah were so upset when they came to take the dogs away. But I told them that there are tons of growing families in Fortune Shores that want a good dog, and they'll all find wonderful homes. But it didn't help much; it was terribly sad.

Soon after the dog chaos was over, Quincy started coming around again and giving us a new kind of chaos. I don't know what got into him, but he started coming out every night and scaring poor Linus. Linus couldn't get any sleep, couldn't do anything really without Quincy scaring the daylights outta him.

But seeing Quincy made me realize what I was missing in my life. Companionship and romance. That's why I was so terribly lonely. And with the kids leaving for college soon, I was terrified at the idea of being alone. That's when I started talking to our maid, Remmington Harris.

Remmington is very handsome, and he's always been asking me out on dates and showing interest; but after Quincy passed away I didn't think I'd ever be able to fall in love with another man. But Remmington soon changed my mind. Before I knew it, I was in love.

I decided to ask Remmy to move in with us. It was a tough decision because I wasn't sure how the kids would take it. But I felt that I had let enough time pass for us to mourn the loss of Quincy, and it was now time for me to move on with my life and find happiness once again. So, I invited Remmy over to have dinner with us and kind of let the kids get to know him before he moved in. Linus didn't look to thrilled to see Remmy, but Lilah welcomed him very nicely. It was much the same reaction when after dinner I told them that he was moving in. Linus was so upset that he went straight to bed, while Lilah welcomed him.

So Remmy moved in that night, and I was finally full of happiness and joy. My world felt complete once again. Remmy really is a wonderful man, and he loves me and my kids very much. I'm so lucky to have found love once more.

We found out unexpectedly soon after Remmy moved in, that I was pregnant. Neither of us were planning on having any children, especially so close to my elder birthday but there you have it. Remmy was thrilled of course, and he proposed to me that same day. We got married in a very small reception in our backyard under the same arch that I first married Quincy so long ago (see Change of Heart). Only the kids were there and some of our other friends, but it was nothing special so I won't bore you with the pictures.

And now my name has changed once again. I am now Mrs. Brandi Harris. And I couldn't be happier! Remmy is so wonderful to me and he's a wonderful father to my kids!

Remmington Harris
Aspiration: Family
LTW: Raise 20 Puppies/Kittens
4 sloppy, 6 outgoing, 7 active, 0 serious, 8 nice
Zodiac: Cancer
Turn Ons: vampirism/red hair
Turn Off: full face makeup

Having Remmy around was so great. He really helped out around the house, even though he's not the neatest of sims. But he sure does have a lot of energy! We've decided that he's not going to get a job until our new baby is in school, that way he can stay at home and take care of him/her. In the meantime, he keeps the house clean, cooks dinner, helps the kids with homework, gardens, and trains and washes the dogs! We don't even need maids or gardeners anymore! He's so wonderful!

My pregnancy was progressing right along. Lilah was super excited to be getting another sibling, and even Linus forgot to be upset about Remmy for awhile. They were both so happy about the baby. Even though they wouldn't be around long after the birth, because they were slated to go to college soon.

But, the big day finally came and labor started for me. It was excruciating as always, but I had my family (and the gardener whom we had already fired but whom kept showing up for whatever reason) around me. Of course, I think they were panic-ing more than I was!

And then it was all over, and my new little boy was finally here! Remmy and I decided to name him Isaac. He's got the black hair that runs in my family and Remmy's gray eyes. He is so handsome and Remmy was so proud to have a son to carry on the Harris name. We were lucky because I'm not going to have anymore children. I'm just getting to old!

The kids were so excited to see their new little baby brother! Lilah of course was gushing over little Isaac, but even Linus congratulated Remmy on having a son. I think they were both very happy.

Then the moment I dreaded finally came, my two oldest children went off to college. It was so hard because I barely remember a time when they weren't in my life, and now they're gone. But they're both going to have tons of fun in college with all of their friends. And they both got numerous scholarships so I don't have to worry about money!

And now all I have left are Remmy and my new baby Isaac. Now I really understand what Demi Go meant about "a new family" (see A New Family). I started out in this house with Quincy and our two kids Lilah and Linus, and now here I am in the same exact house with a new man and a new baby. I feel like a totally different person living a totally different life. But I honestly can't say that I'm not happy. I am so in love with Remmy, and even more in love with my little Isaac. I truly have moved on.

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O'Malley Funny Pic:

You'd be an angry ghost too, if your grave was getting pooped on!

Old At Last

2008-01-04T21:59:00.000-05:00

The Fairfax Family
4 Fortune Drive
$81,902
Title: Old At Last
Lot: Fairfax- Benjamin
Cox- Kennedy, Louise, Heidi, Blazej, Julie, Charlotte, Rudolph, Powder
Last Visit: No More Babies!

Louise: Hello again, dear friend! It is wonderful to see you once again. I didn't think you were ever gonna make it back around to the Fairfax Cottage! But now that you're here, why don't you come in and have a cup of tea with me. I've got so much to tell you about my dear family. I suppose I ought to remind you all about us...it has been too long for you to remember it all I'm sure. So, I moved here to Fortune Shores with my mother Gwen, my aunt Peggy, and my two daughters Claire and Elizabeth. I met and married Kennedy Cox during that first week...we moved fast, I know! We had our first child, Samuel, soon after (see A Promising Beginning). Shortly after moving here, my mother married Quincy O'Malley and passed away not too long after the wedding (see Life Goes On). Meanwhile, Aunt Peggy realized that there were no male heirs to carry on the Fairfax name, so she adopted a little boy named Benjamin and Kennedy and I had another child, our little girl Heidi (see Changing Times). Aunt Peggy died not long after Benjamin became a teenager, which meant that Kennedy and I were left to raise him. We also adopted 2 more children, Blazej and Julie. I also got pregnant and had our little Charlotte (see A New Life Goal). We later adopted another little boy named Rudolph, and cute little puppy named Powder (see No More Babies!). Whew, remember all that now? Heh, of course you do! Now then, Benjamin and Samuel just graduated from college (see Heart Breakers), and Benjamin has decided to move back here to Fairfax Cottage. Since he's technically the heir. Kennedy and I will move out into our own home once Benjamin gets married. He joined the Military when he got back, and he has since become a Flight Officer. We're very proud of him.

I don't think Benjamin really remembered what it was like to live here at the cottage. Life is very lively here due to the fact that we have 3 teenagers, 2 children, and a puppy. Although, I'm sure life in college wasn't exactly quiet either. But there's never a dull moment in this house. Someone's always fighting, or playing the drums, or jumping on furniture. But I think that Benjamin has re-adjusted himself to it. He wants to have a lot of kids one day anyway, so he better get used to it!

In other news, I finally got old! Yup, I finally had my elder birthday and I must say that I am so happy! It means that I cannot have anymore children! And Kennedy can't even say a word about it. I'm finally too old to have anymore kids! Speaking of kids, all of my wonderful children got together and threw me a huge birthday party! That's right...every single one of my kids came home for the party. I even got to see my grandkids!

Want to see pictures of them all? You'll love these! This one is my oldest daughter, Claire and her family. Claire married her highschool sweetheart Dustin Linwood, and they have two very handsome sons: Slade and Troy (see Happily Ever After).

And this one is of my second daughter, Elizabeth and her family. Elizabeth married her highschool sweetheart as well...Evan O'Malley. Elizabeth and Evan have twin boys: Mason and Logan (see Family Life).

And this is our son, Samuel. Looks just like his father, doesn't he? Heh, I get confused sometimes and call him Kennedy. And that's Samuel's fiancee, Tessa Berkley. Samuel and Tessa have been dating since highschool and they just recently graduated from college and moved in together (see Heart Breakers). I'm sure you'll be seeing them again soon, you ought to add them to your visitation list!

Also in attendance were Benjamin of course, and his fiancee Georgia Linwood. They actually didn't start dating until Georgia got to college during Benjamin's junior year. She's still got two more years of college, but then she's moving in here and they're going to get married. They're such a cute couple. She's also the cousin of Claire's husband Dustin Linwood. Small world isn't it?

I tell ya, it was so good seeing my whole family together. It really made my birthday wonderful. It was especially good to see Claire and Elizabeth. They're my daughters from my first husband, you know. And they're much older than the other kids. I don't get to see much of them anymore because they are so busy with their own growing families.

And it tickled me pink to see all of my grandkids together in one place! Four beautiful grandsons, what more could a woman ask for? I try to see the boys often enough, but I very seldom get to see them altogether at one time. It warms my heart!

And this one is of my actual transition into elderhood. You can see my big family all around me! It sure makes birthdays a lot better when you're surrounded by your loved ones.

I do make a pretty old lady, don't I? You know, my neighbor and best friend Demi Go just had her elder birthday too (see My Boys Came Home). And I thought that she aged very well. I'm glad I did too! We're going to look pretty snazzy going to play BINGO and garden club meetings!

My dear Kennedy became an elder soon after I did. He's still handsome as ever, even though he insists on wearing a silly kilt.

Kennedy and I like to look back on our life together, now that we're old. I have pretty much accomplished everything I've ever dreamed of. I became a Celebrity Chef not too long ago after all. But Kennedy still has a ways to go before he can reach his dream. He wants to see all 6 of his kids get married. And so far he hasn't even seen one get married! Samuel is getting married pretty soon, but the others haven't even been to college yet! But I have faith that he will live long enough to see all of them get married. They'll just have to hurry!

Kennedy and I weren't the only ones who had birthdays lately. Our pure white puppy turned into a very handsome dog...although his name "Powder" no longer fits him. But he's cute just the same. He does a lot of howling though, which drives Kennedy crazy!

Rudolph turned into a teenager. He looks very dashing with his blond hair and blue eyes. He can't wait to go to college and party hardy! Or so he says.

Rudolph Cox
Aspiration: Pleasure
LTW: Become Game Designer
5 neat, 8 outgoing, 6 active, 3 serious, 3 grouchy
Zodiac: Aries
Turn Ons: face paint/artistic
Turn Off: formal wear

And our baby Charlotte had her teenager birthday too. She decided that she wants nothing more than money, money, money! I'm hoping she gives me some grandbabies one day, because she is so pretty and will pass on those pretty genes!

Charlotte Cox
Aspiration: Fortune
LTW: Become Hall of Famer
6 neat, 9 outgoing, 8 active, 3 serious, 3 grouchy
Zodiac: Aries
Turn Ons: formal wear/hats
Turn Off: glasses

Now that Charlotte was a teenager, it was plainly obvious to see how close her and Heidi really are. They spent hours hanging out together and going into town to go shopping. It was so cute to see them spend so much time together.

It was also pretty amazing how they look so much alike. Almost as if they were twins. There are subtle differences in their facial features, but for the most part they look alike! It really is cute. Even Kennedy has a hard time telling them apart sometimes!

And remember how I just said that Charlotte wants nothing but money in her future? Well, she also wants to become a Hall of Famer, just like Edwin Reinhart who lives down the road. So, she got a job for the Fortune Shores Fighting Llamas (the team that gave Edwin Reinhart his start). It's not the most glamorous job, but she seems to think that it's going to get her where she wants to go eventually. But I just can't help but smile everytime I see her walk out the door for work in her cute uniform.

As for the other kids, it was time for them to move off to college. Heidi, Blazej and Julie all got scholarships and have already moved out! I'm sure you'll see them at school when you stop by to visit, so please say hi for me. And make sure they're behaving themselves! It was wonderful seeing you again! Please stop by again soon!

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Fairfax Funny Pic:

I don't know why this picture struck me as funny, but there ya go!

New Feature

2008-01-02T15:00:00.001-05:00

Hey there! I felt like doing some spring cleaning today and have made a new list that is crucial to Fortune Shores! Well, crucial to my blog-reading enjoyment anyway.

I have made a Blogs Links list which includes all of my favorite blogs, both inactive and active. You'll see blogs on this list from years ago which are no longer in use, as well as blogs that are brand new and trucking right along!

The list is color-coded based on activity, and separated into categories based on blog content. Also, my links list on the main page will only feature those blogs that are considered "active" (or in green) on the Blogs Links List page. So, if you don't see your site listed on my main page....it's b/c your blog is inactive. So make a post and it will be back on there! Heehee. (I will say that I was really sad at all of the inactive and ended blogs I found.)

One last thing, if you don't see your blog on the list...leave a comment on that page and I will add your blog. If you see your blog but it is considered inactive or ended when it shouldn't be, leave a comment as well and I will change the status!

You can find this page here, as well as in the General Links list on the side of the homepage, under "Favorite Blogs List". Thanks again and I hope this new feature helps you as much as it helps me!

~Mandie

My Boys Came Home

2008-01-01T12:05:00.000-05:00

(A Note from Mandie: Hey folks! Guess what, it's a miracle! I got Fortune Shores back after much stress and heartache. Everyone is doing well and living happily as if nothing ever happened. I got a new memory card for my computer and it doesn't run as slow now with BV. I had to re-install it to get the families back. But for some odd reason, Fortune Shores is the only one that came back. But more on that in a later post. For now, I want to enjoy this time with the Berkley/Go's! There are lots of links to previous posts in this update, due to the fact that it's been so long since I last played them! Hope it helps you remember who everyone is! Enjoy!)

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The Berkley Family
3 Fortune Drive
$160,576
Title: My Boys Came Home
Lot: Berkley- Miles, RolandGo- Jeff, Demi, Philip, Phoebe
Last Visit: A New Family

Demi: Oh my goodness, it is so good to see you again! How long has it been? Too long, that's for sure. Things have been going crazy around here since you last came by. I guess I ought to remind you about who my family is; it's been so long ya know. Well, my first husband was Howard Berkley; one of the founders of Fortune Shores. I met him through the town matchmaker and fell in love instantly (see The Knowledge of Life). I know we didn't exactly look like we made a perfect couple, but I loved him and that's all that mattered. We got married and had three beautiful children: our daughter Tessa (see The Knowledge of Life) and our twin sons Miles and Roland (see Birthday Central). When the kids were still young, Howard passed away from plain old age (see Big Luau in the Sky). It was rough for all of us to get through that time. But we made it. I ended up meeting the second love of my life and my current husband, Jeff Go. Jeff and I had two beautiful children: twins Philip and Phoebe (see A New Family). Shortly thereafter, my older three children went off to college and I felt like I was living a totally different life. A new husband and new children, in the same house that I lived with my old husband and other children. It took me awhile to get adjusted, but now I am happier than ever. Especially since my two boys have graduated from college and moved back in with us. It almost feels like old times!

The boys (well, I guess they're men now!) had a great time in college, from what I hear. But I am happy to have them home. It's almost as if they never left! They still sleep in the same bedroom they did when they were kids. We haven't even re-decorated it or anything! But they're all grown up now and I am so proud of them. Miles got a job in Show Business. He didn't really have a preference as to what job he got. He just wants to get married and have a big family. But he's been promoted a few times now and is a Supporting Player! My little boy is gonna be famous! And as for Roland, he decided to get a job in Law Enforcement. He's done really well at his job and is now a Lieutenant. He didn't have a preference either, he just wants to make a lot of money. Heh. Both of my sons have a bright future ahead of them.

The boys bought themselves a car when they first moved back home. It's nothing special, but it's definitely convenient. They go out all the time together, and it warms my heart to see them so close. I know Howard would be happy to see his boys now.

They like to go downtown a lot. As I'm sure you remember, they both had girlfriends before leaving for college. Miles was seeing Jade O'Malley and Roland was with Cercie Reinhart (see A New Family). Well, those two girls were a bit younger than my boys, and didn't go to college at the same time. Jade O'Malley joined them when the boys were starting their Junior year (see Heart Breakers), but Cercie Reinhart just left for college a few days ago (see 3rd Generation). So she is way younger than Roland. So, since their girlfriends are not around, the boys have been having a good time going out and being "single".

Roland really started thinking about his relationship with Cercie, which was non-existent at the moment due to the fact that Cercie was still technically a teenager (although she became a Young Adult soon after). However, Roland couldn't stand being alone, and he actually enjoyed going out and meeting other women. In fact, he met one woman that he liked very much. Her name is Margaret Benson, and she made my Roland forget all about Cercie Reinhart. I'm sure this made Cercie's father, Edwin Reinhart very happy. It was no secret that he thought his daughter was too good for my Roland (see Growing Pains). That pompous jerk.

Roland and Margaret became a couple real quick. They spent all of their spare time together, and I just knew that she was the one Roland wanted to be with forever. It was so good to see my son so happy.

Meanwhile, Miles was still going strong with Jade O'Malley. She only has two more years left in college, and Miles is determined to wait for her. Although, between you and me, I don't know why. You'll see why I think that later on.

Anyway, before I knew it, it was time for my birthday. I really didn't want to become an elder quite yet. I still had dreams I wanted to accomplish before I got old, but there's no stopping time. So, we had a family birthday party and everyone cheered for me as I blew out the candles.

And just like that I was an elder. And I think I aged pretty well, if I do say so myself! Barely a wrinkle on my face!

It didn't really sink in for me that I was an elder until the next morning at breakfast. I got up early to make the kids cereal before they went off to school, and I just felt...old. I never used to have a problem getting up that early. I was always full of energy after a good night's sleep, but that morning I was tired and ache-y. I could barely keep my eyes open as I poured the kids their cereal. And then I looked at the table where my youngest children sat. Philip and Phoebe were the age my other kids were when Howard died. I couldn't imagine leaving my children at this age without a mother. It was all I could do to not cry and have breakfast with them.

But that same day, I realized that I might be an elder, but I've still got a ways to go before I join Howard in that big luau in the sky! What changed my mind so quickly you ask? Well, I achieved my lifetime dream of becoming a Mad Scientist! I didn't think it would be possible now that I was old, but sure enough I got that promotion and I felt twenty years younger! You can't believe how happy it made me! I still feel ecstatic just thinking about it.

And then I got an even bigger shock later that night. Roland and Margaret sat me down to have a "talk" with me. It was then that I noticed something different about Margaret. She looked...fatter. I could barely believe my ears when Roland told me that Margaret was pregnant and that he was the father. I just about fell out of my chair. I mean, they weren't even married! Or engaged for that matter! What would the neighbors think?! How could he put our family through so much embarrassment?! I was just about to voice these panicky thoughts, but the joy of having a grandchild hit me instead. I was going to be a grandmother! And my Howard was going to have a grandchild, if only he could be here to see it!

So, after the initial shock wore off it was obvious that Margaret was going to have to move in with us. I wanted my grandchild to be as close to me as possible, even before it was born! So, she moved in (and brought a whopping $16,000!) and for the time being slept in Tessa's old bedroom until we could build them a room of their own. She actually looks a lot like Tessa if you really take a look at her.

Margaret Benson
Aspiration: Knowledge
LTW: Become Mad Scientist
4 sloppy, 8 outgoing, 4 lazy, 4 serious, 5 nice
Zodiac: Pisces
Turn Ons: stink/custom hair
Turn Off: swim wear

It wasn't too long after that when Roland finally proposed to her. It was nothing special because we really wanted to keep everything low-key. Fortune Shores is known for its conservative ideals, and we just didn't want to make a big fuss. Although I think every family in this town has had it's share of scandals, from what I hear.

We had a quick wedding soon after. Nothing big or spectacular like some of the other weddings that have been going on lately. Roland and Margaret had their wedding in our backyard, mainly because Roland wanted his father to be there for it and Howard just so happens to be buried in our back yard! Anyway, just the family came to the wedding, with their significant others of course.

Thankfully, Margaret was only in her second trimester of pregnancy, so we were able to find a beautiful wedding dress to fit her, and you could barely tell she was expecting a baby. Roland and Margaret looked so happy and the wedding turned out to be beautiful.

Of course, I had the photographer take some formal pictures of us all. Even though it was an impromptu wedding for the most part, I still wanted it to be remembered. So, this first picture is of the Bridal Party. Since Margaret has no family members, they decided to have Roland's brother and sister in the wedding. Tessa was the Maid of Honor and Miles was the Best Man. This, of course, made me very happy.

This next picture is of me and the three children I had with Howard Berkley. Tessa, Miles, and Roland. And of course, the lovely bride Margaret. I thought about having us pose around Howard's tombstone, but thought that would be a little too depressing and just a bit odd for a wedding picture. So, it's just us...Howard's beloved family.

And this picture is of our entire family. All five of my kids and all of Roland's siblings. His twin brother Miles, full sister Tessa, half brother Philip and half sister Phoebe. Also, his step-father Jeff Go. And myself of course as well as his new bride. The whole family. I really couldn't imagine what this wedding would have been like had Cercie Reinhart been the bride. I would have had to put up with her parents, and that would have just been terrible. I am so glad Roland chose Margaret instead!

There were two other guests at the wedding. Tessa insisted on bringing her boyfriend, Samuel Cox. He's the son of Kennedy and Louise Cox who live just next door to us. They've been together since they were teenagers (see A New Life Goal) and went to college together too (see The Next Bunch and Heart Breakers).

And Miles brought his girlfriend Jade O'Malley. They've also been together since they were trouble-making teenagers (see A New Family) and went to college together for two years until Miles graduated (see Heart Breakers). Jade is the daughter of Quincy O'Malley and Andrea Landgraab, the only couple in the history of Fortune Shores to have gotten a divorce (due to the fact that he was sleeping with another woman), which was big talk around the neighborhood for weeks (see Change of Heart).

The wedding was beautiful and romantic, right up until the very end. Evidently, Tessa's boyfriend Samuel and Miles' girlfriend Jade, had some sort of fling in college (see Heart Breakers). We of course didn't know about this until it came out at the wedding when Samuel thought noone was looking and kissed Jade! A horrible battle ensued. Miles and Tessa were crushed of course, and they both lost control. Tessa attacked Samuel, and Miles' yelling could be heard for miles! Honestly, I expected this kind of behavior from Jade O'Malley...her father's knack for heart-breaking seems to have rubbed off on her. However, I was completely surprised by Samuel. I always thought of him as a respectable young man, and I just know his mother is going to have a fit when I tell her what happened. I really don't know what's going to happen to all of them. I mean, Miles can easily move on with his life if he wants to. Jade's still in college and he can easily break off the engagement and find someone else. But Tessa...that's a different story. Tessa and Samuel moved in together after they graduated college and are in the middle of planning their wedding. I don't know what she's going to do. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

However, life went on and we all settled back into a normal routine. And then the moment we had all been waiting for finally arrived! Margaret went into labor! Of course, we all panicked and ran around the living room not knowing what to do. It was quite a sight.

Before we knew it, Roland and Margaret had a new baby daughter! She looks just like my Roland (which means she also looks just like her grandpa Howard)! She's got a dark skintone with black hair and brown eyes, just like her daddy! They decided to name her Cheyenne...Cheyenne Berkley, has a nice ring to it don't ya think?

I obviously had to hold my granddaughter right away. I couldn't believe (and still can't) that I'm a grandmother! As I looked at my son and my new granddaughter, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness that Howard couldn't be here to see this beautiful new baby. She is the beginning of Generation 3 for the Berkley family, and Howard would be so proud of his legacy.

I have a feeling Howard was with us in spirit when his granddaughter was born. I can almost see his great big smile!

Oh yes, and one more thing before you go. My younger twins had their birthday finally! They're now teenagers, and I still can't get over how quickly they grow up. They are both beautiful, and already planning the fun they're going to have! I look forward to seeing you next time! Say hello to Tessa for me when you see her!

Philip Go
Aspiration: Family
LTW: Become Captain Hero
5 neat, 9 outgoing, 7 active, 3 serious, 7 nice
Zodiac: Aries
Turn Ons: hats/athletic
Turn Off: good at cleaning

Phoebe Go
Aspiration: Romance
LTW: Have 20 Simultaneous Lovers
5 neat, 3 shy, 7 active, 3 serious, 7 nice
Zodiac: Pisces
Turn Ons: charismatic/mechanical
Turn Off: formal wear

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Berkley Funny Pic:

(Not really about the Berkley's, but Miles and Roland saw this when they went clubbing!)

"Watch out Dustin, Malcolm is about to take your wallet!"

Help!!! Please!!!

2007-12-13T12:02:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I'm panic-ing at the moment...big time. I need some serious help with my game or Fortune Shores (and my other sites including Harper's Cove and Tumbleweed Gulch) will be gone forever!! So, read on just in case you can help me!

Backstory:

It all started when Bon Voyage came out. I, of course, had to have it immediately. So I went right out, bought it and installed it. I played it for maybe an hour before I got fed up with how slow and blurry it made my game. It was seriously unbearable. So, over the next few weeks, I kept trying to send sims on vacation...thinking the slowness wasn't that bad. Well, I was wrong. I just couldn't stand how slow it was so much that I would just turn the game off half way through their vacation. So, after much thought and deliberation...I uninstalled BV.

The Problem:

After uninstalling BV, I went into my game's files and saw that all of my neighborhoods and custom content folders were still there and in perfect order! Woohoo! So, happier than ever, I fired up the game and got ready to play out the Berkley's Round 5. But when the Neighborhood Selection Screen came up, there were no neighborhoods!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!! I thought, maybe I looked in the wrong folder or something. So I exited the game, and went back to the game files. But there they all were. Every neighborhood and character info, as well as saved lots and custom content is all there. And in the game, the custom content still shows up and works fine. But none of my neighborhoods show up in game...not even Pleasantview, Veronaville, etc.

How to Help:

If you have any idea what could be wrong with my game, or if this has happened to you and you know a miracle cure...please please please email me with the solution! If there's a button I forgot to press or a file I should have or anything you can think of, please please please email me! I'll be trolling around on all of the TS2 community forums and see if this has happened to anyone else and if it can be fixed w/o losing everything. Thanks for your help in advance and please email me at fortuneshores@gmail.com with any help or advice! The future of Fortune Shores depends on you! *cry*

Too Many Children

2007-10-07T19:09:00.000-05:00

The Linwood Family
2 Fortune Drive
$145,985
Title: Too Many Children
Lot: Linwood- Marshall, Caryl, Aidan, Abigail, Nathaniel, Nicholas,Vance, Vincent
Last Visit: Linwood Daycare

Marshall: Well hello again! I haven't seen you around here for quite awhile. Things are moving right along in the Linwood house. We've all been doing extremely well, which is a blessing. I'm sure you've heard that my four oldest children are all married now. Pearl married Randy O'Malley and gave me three beautiful grandchildren (see The First Wedding). Paris married Kent Haggerty and gave me three more grandchildren; although she's been through a rough time because of her mysterious illness which turned her skin green and made leaves grow out of her head (see Long Term Effects of Pesticide). Dustin married Claire Fairfax and gave me two handsome grandsons (see Happily Ever After). And finally, Melanie married Xavier Reinhart and they gave me two more grandchildren; they also put the Linwood name in the history books as welcoming the first children of generation 3 in Fortune Shores (see 3rd Generation). As for my other kids, Aidan and Abigail are enjoying their teenage years. They sleep in late, and eat all the food in the house.

And the four younger boys are having fun being energetic and loud children. Caryl and I finally saved up enough money to add on to our house again. We re-did the upstairs and added two bedrooms and a bathroom. The boys got to pick out the "themes" for their new bedrooms. Nathaniel and Nicholas picked a space theme for their room. They were inching closer to their teenage birthday and felt that they needed a "cool" room. Well, they sure got it.

The youngest twins, Vance and Vincent, picked a race car theme for their room. We found these great race car beds and the boys went wild! You should see them now, they are constantly jumping on those beds. I sure hope they're happy with their choice, because they'll be sleeping in those beds until the day they move out for college!

So, the house was very full for awhile. With two teenagers and four kids, you can just imagine the noise! I can't remember what it was like to live in a house and have peace and quiet. Even things as simple as dinner time are quite an event. I feel like I'm at a perpetual kid's birthday party.

The other thing is the radio. With all these kids there are very few things that can keep them all entertained. That radio was the worst and the best idea we ever had. Sure, it keeps them all entertained for hours on end, but it can also be heard all over Fortune Shores. We've had several noise complaints issued to us, and my old ears will never be the same.

But seriously, all the kids are doing great. Nicholas was struggling in school; for awhile there he was pretty darn close to failing. But with a little extra help from me and Caryl and his older siblings, he's now got straight As. You should have seen how excited he was when he got his first A+ report card.

As for me, I finally decided to retire. It was a hard decision for me, but I just realized that I'm an old man now. I've got 10 children and 10 grandchildren, and working was just getting to be too much on top of it all. So now I've got plenty of time on my hands during the day when the kids are all at school. I usually make my rounds to check on all my grandkids and then spend time around the house cleaning and fixing stuff.

Before we knew it, our house got two empty beds. Aidan and Abigail finally went off to college. It was a sad night when they left. They both got plenty of scholarships and they'll be going to live in the dorms with some of the other kids from town. We all gathered in the kitchen and said our goodbyes.

Caryl took it the hardest, though. She really had a hard time letting them go. She's a true family sim, and it is so hard for her to watch her children grow up and move out. But I told her that it is part of life, and they can't live here forever. But she just couldn't get over how "empty" the house felt. Nevermind the fact that we still had four children living there. I knew I was in for trouble when she started talking about having another baby.

I tried to tell her that I am just way too old to be raising more children. I also tried to tell her that I have already raised 10 children now, and I just want to spend my golden years relaxing with my wife by my side. But she pointed out that she's only raised 6 of those kids and she's always wanted more children. And also how she is still a young woman and has more than enough energy to raise more. Well, I'm a pushover...what can I say. Caryl found out she was pregnant again not too long after that discussion. Oh boy, here we go again.

Meanwhile, our last two sets of twins had birthdays. Nathaniel and Nicholas had theirs first. Aren't they handsome? They really got a lot of the Linwood genes, besides their hair color obviously.

These two are about as close to identical twins as they get. The only real difference that I can see is that Nathaniel has a little bit more of a square jaw than Nicholas. But other than that, they look exactly alike. But their aspirations are much different. Nathaniel has become obsessed with sports. Ever since Melanie married the son of a famous basketball player (Edwin Reinhart), he's decided that that's what he wants to be.

Nathaniel Linwood
Aspiration: Popularity
LTW: Become Hall of Famer
10 neat, 1 shy, 6 active, 8 playful, 10 nice
Zodiac: Cancer
Turn Ons: facepaint/hard worker
Turn Off: blond hair

And as for Nicholas, he's gone a different route entirely. Talk about puberty. He's obsessed with women. Nicholas is a true ladies' man. I worry about him. The last thing we need is another Quincy O'Malley running around this town (see Change of Heart).

Nicholas Linwood
Aspiration: Romance
LTW: Woohoo with 20 Different Sims
6 neat, 3 shy, 9 active, 7 playful, 6 nice
Zodiac: Cancer
Turn Ons: jewelry/athletic
Turn Off: hats

The youngest set of twins had a birthday as well. Now we've got four teenage boys in the house. And I thought have four children was bad! Ha! You can almost feel the testosterone moving in the house! Vance and Vincent look almost identical as well, but they take more after Caryl in their features. They look nothing like Nathaniel and Nicholas. It's the nose.

Vance, the older of the two, has been influenced greatly by his mother. He is a family sim too. Luckily, he doesn't have dreams of having ten children or anything like that. He just wants to find a nice girl and settle down and grow old with her. Let's hope he finds her in college.

Vance Linwood
Aspiration: Family
LTW: Reach Golden Anniversary
10 neat, 3 shy, 9 active, 9 playful, 1 grouchy
Zodiac: Scorpio
Turn Ons: swimsuit/athletic
Turn Off: stink

And as for Vincent, he's decided to follow in his old man's footsteps and join the pursuit for knowledge. He also has decided that he wants to join the science frontier and become a Mad Scientist. I am so proud of that boy.

Vincent Linwood
Aspiration: Knowledge
LTW: Become a Mad Scientist
6 neat, 3 shy, 6 active, 4 serious, 6 nice
Zodiac: Cancer
Turn Ons: cologne/red hair
Turn Off: charismatic

So, four teenage boys can be quite entertaining. For the most part, they all get along. I guess they're just so used to being together that they do pretty well. There definitely is never a dull moment, that's for sure.

But it's not always puppies and rainbows. The boys have such different personalities and opinions, and sometimes things can get pretty heated. Especially between Vance and Nathaniel. Those two can get into some pretty bad fights.

But Nicholas is hardly ever around anymore. He seems to always be spending his time with people other than his family. I can't even tell you how many girlfriends that boy has. He's constantly on some kind of date, and he asks permission to go out all the time. No doubt taking girls downtown for some dancing and dining. Heh, to be young and free again!

And my dear Caryl was still very pregnant during all this. She was remarkably calm and happy during this pregnancy. Even though we had so much going on. She got her old craving for cheesecake again, and was eating it pretty much for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I just know she'll complain to me about how fat she looks after the baby is born. Heh, women.

But, as is usually the case with Caryl and her pregnancies....it didn't turn out to be just one baby. Can you believe that we had another set of twins?! I swear, it's just plain wierd! That makes four sets of twins (if you don't count Dustin and Melanie which are not Caryl's biological children). This time though, we had a boy and a girl. Caryl has been wanting another girl for so long. Both of these babies have black hair just like Caryl and all their siblings. And they have the blue eyes too. We named them Keegan and Kelly.

So, we have a full house once more. Too many kids, I tell ya. At least this time we've got a lot of help. The four older boys are so good with the new babies. They really do help out a lot, which is a good things since I'm getting way too old to be keeping up with babies.

But the baby years flew by as they tend to do, and we were singing double "happy birthdays" to Keegan and Kelly. It was time for their first birthday.

And here they are as toddlers. They're just as cute as all their brothers and sisters are. The crazy part is, Caryl is already talking about wanting another baby. But I've told her that she has to wait until after the four older boys go off to college. We just don't have the room for more kids right now. But hopefully by then, I'll be off to that big luau in the sky. Let's hope so anyway. I just can't bear to be the father of 13 kids!

Keegan Linwood
6 neat, 3 shy, 10 active, 6 playful, 10 nice
Zodiac: Pisces

Kelly Linwood
9 neat, 3 shy, 9 active, 10 playful, 1 grouchy
Zodiac: Scorpio

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linwood Funny Pic:

Whoa, look at that nose! Yowzers!

3rd Generation

2007-08-28T17:27:00.000-05:00

The Reinhart Family
1 Fortune Drive
$101,893
Title: 3rd Generation
Lot: Reinhart- Edwin, Marisa, Xavier, Melanie, Cercie
Last Visit: Growing Pains

Edwin: Well, here we are. It has been quite awhile since I've last seen you. So much has happened to this little family since last we spoke. Let's see, where to start? Ah yes, my son Xavier Reinhart, heir to my name, estate and fortune, has graduated from college (see Heart-Breakers). Suma Cum Laude might I add. He moved back home and his fiancee Melanie Linwood moved in with us as well. She's the daughter of Marshall Linwood. Lord knows I had to help fund the wedding, seeing as how the Linwood's have so many children to pay for (see Linwood Daycare). We spent some time planning their wedding, and the big day finally came. It was the wedding of a lifetime, nothing but the best for my son. Melanie wasn't too happy about us paying for it at first, but she came around. Even her father seemed to be in awe when he saw the finished product.

When I saw my son, my flesh and blood, standing up there at the altar, I couldn't believe how big my little boy has grown. It seems like just yesterday, I was talking to Marisa's belly...and now here I am watching him get married.

Anyway, back to the wedding. Melanie chose four bridesmaids. I told her she could have as many as she wanted, but she said four was plenty. I was envisioning the grandeur of a procession of 20 bridesmaids down the rose-strewn, gold-embroidered walkway...but my vision was lost on her. She finally chose her two sisters Pearl O'Malley and Paris Haggerty, her half-sister Abigail Linwood, and of course her soon-to-be-sister-in-law Cercie Reinhart. They looked lovely in their gowns.

Melanie also chose the groomsmen, since there are no other male Reinharts. And there is a plethora of male Linwoods to choose from. So the four groomsmen were Randy O'Malley, Dustin Linwood, Aidan Linwood, and Mayer Linwood. Luckily, Xavier went to college with Dustin Linwood, so he had at least one friend up there with him.

The time finally came for my son and Melanie to exchange vows and rings. Of course, I offered to buy Melanie the biggest diamond ring available, and the highest carat of gold. But Xavier insisted that he purchase the ring on his own, with his own savings. And much to my astonishment, Melanie seemed to love the ring he bought her. Well, we'll have to see about that. I can't have my new daughter running around with a sub-par diamond on her finger.

And then the moment arrived. The kiss that sealed the deal. My son and heir now has a wife. And a beautiful wife at that. I couldn't have wished for a better daughter-in-law. Sure, I wish her family was a little more distinguished and from more of a fortune, but she is beautiful and classy...and she will learn how to live the rich life.

And now for the obligatory wedding pictures with family and friends. Here's one of the bride and groom. Aren't they the best looking couple in Fortune Shores? The city ought to put this picture on a billboard somewhere.

Here they are with their bridal party.

Ah yes, and here we are. The Reinharts, the wealthiest and most famous family in Fortune Shores. My wife and I never imagined the day that our children would be all grown up. And here they are. One is married, and the other is heading off to college.

And here are the Linwoods. This is the whole brood of them. Marshall Linwood had four children when he moved to Fortune Shores: Pearl, Paris, Dustin, and Melanie. Then he met Caryl Jalowitz and together they now have six children (see Baby Boom). Not to mention the fact that Pearl, Paris, and Dustin are all married and have at least two children a piece.

Of course, Melanie wanted to get individual pictures of her and Xavier with her each of her brothers and sisters. Well, just the ones that have their own kids now that is. So here is Melanie's sister Pearl with her husband Randy and their three kids: Hannah, Camden and Campbell (see The First Wedding).

This one is of Melanie's sister Paris (the green lady) and her husband Kent Haggerty with their three children: Nora, Lilly, and Micah. It's common knowledge now (and so unfortunate) that Paris was infected with some horrible disease that has turned her into a living plantsim. Lilly (the little green girl) seems to have contracted the same disease from her mother (see Long Term Effects of Pesticide). How utterly sad.

And this one is of Melanie's brother Dustin and his wife Claire Fairfax and their two sons: Slade and Troy (see Happily Ever After). As you can see, Melanie hails from the largest family in Fortune Shores.

Oh, but I'm not even done telling you about her family. This next picture is of her uncle, Richard Linwood and his wife Ivy Copur with their kids Georgia, Mayer and Julian (see Visit from Another World). Although, I'm not entirely convinced Julian is their biological child. He looks awfully alien-esque to me. Not that I'm saying such things exist, mind you.

I won't bore you with pictures from the reception. Just envision a huge ballroom with embellishments from floor to ceiling, lots of dancing and good times. Now then, what else has been going on, you ask? Well, needless to say, Marisa and I were so very excited that our son was moving back home. He will inherit this estate one day, so it seemed only proper that he start his family here.

It felt like old times, having him home. I got to spend some quality time with my son, something I was afraid I would never get the opportunity to do again. We spent hours and days catching up, and doing things that we loved to do when he was a boy. Like play catch.

I also forgot to mention that Marisa and I spent a good piece of our hard earned fortune fixing up the house. It is now what I like to call "The Reinhart Estate", and I couldn't be happier with it. We've added on to the house, and it is now the largest house in town.

We also spent money on furnishings and decor. We completely renovated our dining room and decorated it more to our liking. It is the ideal place for classy gatherings and dinner parties.

Our kitchen also got a much needed renovation, and we enlarged it. With Xavier and Melanie living with us, we definitely needed more space.

It is such a pleasure to have them with us. Melanie is an exceptional young lady, and I am so proud of my son's choice in a wife. She decided to give herself a makeover after the wedding, and she now fits the perfect picture of a Reinhart woman. All elegance and style.

Meanwhile, Xavier has been spending quality time with his little sister. Cercie was so very lonely when Xavier was away at university. She has been the happy little princess that I've always remembered since he came home. I'm hoping he'll be able to talk some sense into her about her relationship with that Berkley boy (see Growing Pains).

Xavier also spent some time catching up with our dear cat, Bonkers. We adopted Bonkers right before Xavier went away to college, so he didn't get much time to become acquainted with the newest member of our family. But they get along just fine now.

Meanwhile, Marisa has been working really hard at the hospital. Her dream was finally achieved when she was announced as the new Chief of Staff at Fortune Shores Memorial Hospital. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy.

Speaking of achievements, Xavier has had his share as well. After only one day of work, he was promoted to the top of his business. He told me that he is a CEO of sorts...which means my son is the Boss! I couldn't be prouder! Although, this job has had him working some weird hours. Overnight mostly, but he assures me it is necessary for his line of work. (A Note from Mandie: Xavier is a Criminal Mastermind, but it's a secret!)

Melanie has had a job also, although hers isn't nearly as distinguished as the rest of the family. She wants to be a famous actress one day, but I suppose that is like any other job in that you have to work your way up to the top. Right after the wedding, she landed a part in a commercial! It just so happened to be the same commercial that her twin brother Dustin got a role in. Some fast food company it seems...since she had to dress up like a giant box of french fries. But since then she has landed a voice role in some cartoons. So we won't be seeing her as a giant french fry anymore. Thank goodness, I hated to think of her walking around town in that outfit, now that she has the Reinhart name behind her. Although, it is sort of reminiscent of my mascot days (which I try desperately to forget) (see Money Isn't Everything).

But before Melanie could get her big break in show business, she had a little surprise for all of us. She was pregnant! That's right, I, Edwin Reinhart, was going to be a grandfather! I was so excited that I was going to get a grandson to ensure that the Reinhart name carried on into the future. Xavier was excited too.

While we were anxiously awaiting the birth of the third generation of Reinharts, my lovely Marisa joined me in the elder years. She aged even more gracefully than I did. We threw an intimate birthday celebration in honor of my wife in our new dining room. I think we really impressed our guests.

And then my love and I danced the night away. Our passion was rekindled that night. With the coming arrival of our grandchild, and the feeling that our life's dreams were finally complete, it was the perfect ending to a wonderful evening. And my Marisa can still...what is it the young kids say...bust a move!

Before we knew it, it was time for the arrival of the 3rd generation of Reinharts! Technically, it is the very first birth of the 3rd generation in all of Fortune Shores, since Xavier was the first born baby in the 2nd generation. Anyway, Melanie went into labor early one morning before any of us had headed off to work. And my granddaughter was born! Xavier and Melanie named her Olivia.

Now, I know that I had my heart set on a grandson to carry on the Reinhart name. But I took one look at my little granddaughter, and my heart just melted. She's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. She's got her grandma Marisa's blond hair (okay, I guess she has Melanie's blond hair too), and the Reinhart green eyes. Marisa and I were in utter bliss.

And we weren't the only happy ones. Cercie was so excited about being an aunt. Poor Olivia must have been so tired of being held, considering the fact that there were five people passing her around. I don't think she's gotten any down time since she was born!

And then Melanie gave us another surprise. She was pregnant again! This time I just knew it was going to be a boy! It had to be!

We had another birthday to celebrate while we were waiting for this latest baby to be born. Olivia had her very first birthday! I couldn't wait to see who she was going to look like the most.

Turns out she looks just like her grandma Marisa! Boy is she a cutie pie! Definitely a Reinhart. That's my grandbaby!

Olivia Reinhart
5 neat, 9 outgoing, 9 active, 3 serious, 1 grouchy
Zodiac: Gemini

The fun really began once Olivia became a toddler. I forgot how much fun having babies in the house can be. What can I say, she really brings out the family sim in me! It was ol' Grandpa Reinhart that taught Olivia how to walk.

But it was her daddy who taught her how to use the potty and how to talk. He really is great with his little girl. I never thought I'd see the day when Xavier would rather stay home and play with a two year old instead of hanging out with friends. I am confused about the outfit he wears around the house though. Melanie seems to have a problem with it, and has forbidden Xavier to wear it around Olivia. It is a bit...scary looking. Especially for kids.

With his big sister growing big and strong, my little grandson finally joined the family! That's right, Melanie gave birth to a very handsome baby boy. He's got blond hair just like his big sister, and the same Reinhart green eyes! They named him Cedric, a noble name I think.

So, now I've got a beautiful granddaughter and a very handsome grandson to carry on the Reinhart legacy. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it was to hold my grandson, the third generation of Reinharts and know that my family's future would continue with him.

Marisa thought it was a great thing too. She gave Melanie a thumbs up in congratulations.

Here's a great picture of the three generations of Reinharts. Edwin, Xavier and Cedric Reinhart. How wonderful does that sound? Nevermind the fact that Xavier is in his undies.

Meanwhile, in all the chaos of babies being born and birthdays, my little Cercie headed off to college. She received numerous scholarships, and she is very excited about joining the fraternity that her big brother was in. You'll keep an eye on her in college for me, won't you?

Well, I've talked your ear off for long enough, I suppose. But I'll leave you with one last picture that is sure to make you say "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww". The newest Reinharts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reinhart Funny Pic:

Forget about roaches, we've got bigger problems!

Score -- Round 4

2007-08-25T08:15:00.000-05:00

Round 4 is all done! Yay! I've already got Round 5 under way and can't wait to make the first post! But here's my score so far for Round 4:

Number of sims in game: 68 = 68 points
Neighborhood Net Worth: 900,000 (rounded up) = 9 points
Number of sims achieving Top Career: 7 = 7 points
Number of CAS elders achieving impossible wants: 2 = 20 points
Number of impossible wants (excluding CAS elders): 3 = 9 points
Number of sims achieving Big Sim on Campus: 17 = 17 points
Number of sims achieving Summa Cum Laude: 15 = 15 points
Number of platinum graves: 3 = 3 points
Number of sims reaching top influence lvl at death: 2 = 2 point
Number of homes w/ gen. 3 or more: 1 = 1 point

--------
Round 3 Total: 151

Sorry it took so long for this scoring! I have the first update of Round 5 that I will post tonight! I'm going to go write it up right now! Stay tuned for the Reinhart's Round 5!

Heart-Breakers

2007-08-12T15:58:00.000-05:00

Academie La Tour
$59,982
Title: Heart-Breakers
Lot 1: Fraternity House - Xavier Reinhart, Tessa Berkley, Miles Berkley, Roland Berkley, Samuel Cox, Benjamin FairfaxLot 2: Dorms - Jade O'Malley, Georgia Linwood
Last Visit: The Next Bunch

Jade: Well hellloooooo there! It's me, Jade O'Malley. Comin' at ya straight from Academie La Tour! Bet you thought you'd never see me here in college, eh? My friend Georgia Linwood is here with me. Say hi Georgia.

Georgia: Hi Georgia. *evil grin*

Jade: Haha, very funny.

Georgia: Where's everyone else? They're late as usual.

Jade: They're probably still packing before they move back to Fortune Shores. Let's just tell our friend here all about our first two years in college, while we wait for them. I'll go first!

Jade: Like I said before, I'm Jade O'Malley, daughter of Andrea Hogan and Quincy O'Malley. I know, I know. I could hear you grumble when I mentioned my father's name. He's got quite the reputation in town. So I'm sure you know all about how he cheated on my mom with Brandi LeTourneau, forcing my mom to divorce him (see Change of Heart). So my mom took me and moved out. She got remarried shortly thereafter to Malcolm Landgraab IV and they've had 4 kids together (see An Unexpected Turn of Events). I always wanted brothers and sisters and now I've got a whole bunch, because dad's new wife gave birth to twins right before he passed away (see Romance: Dead or Alive). Anyway, I've come here to college so I can train to be a Chef. One day I want to be a really famous chef, and maybe even own my own restaurant. Unfortunately, they don't have a cooking major, so I'm majoring in Art. Ok, your turn Georgia.

Georgia: Finally, Jade. You sure do talk alot! Hehehe. Okay, I'm Georgia Linwood, oldest child of Richard and Ivy Linwood. My dad came moved to Fortune Shores with his brother, Marshall Linwood. He lived with Uncle Marshall and his family for the first little while here, and then he met and married my mom, Ivy Copur (see Familial Additions). They had me and then they finally got a house of their own, where they later had my two younger brothers (see Living A Dream). So anyway, I really just came to college for the experience. And to say that I've done it. Okay, okay...and to find a husband! Heehee, all I really want out of life is to have a big family with at least 6 kids and see them all get married. So I doubt I'll have a lot of time to work when I've got that many kids!

Jade: Yeah, just ask your Uncle Marshall. Doesn't he have like a bajillion kids now?

Georgia: Haha, yah he had four kids with his first wife, and now he's got 6 more with his new wife (see Linwood Daycare). But anyway, I doubt our friend came here to listen talk about our families. I think they want to here all the juicy details about our college years!

Jade: Well it wasn't so juicy in the beginning. I mean, you didn't even like me when we first moved here!

Georgia: It's not that I didn't like you, you were just a little over the top. I mean, you ran over to me on that first day and tried to hug me! I'd never even met you before!

Jade: Not true! We met at the Little Miss Buttercup Pageants when we were kids (see Little Miss Buttercup Pageant)!

Georgia: Yah, well you beat me in the pageant...so of course I didn't like you!

Jade: I think it was Benjamin's old pet bird, Petey, that finally brought us together.

Georgia: *giggles* Oh yeah, Petey was so cool. Remember how we taught him to talk?

Jade: Yeah, I think that's when you figured out that we have something in common. We both got a kick out of teaching a parrot certain four letter words! Ha!

Georgia: I'm still surprised that Petey never knew those words before we moved in though. Benjamin bought him two years ago when he was a freshman in college. Then he gave him to the dorm when he moved into the Urele Fruhm house (see The Next Bunch).

Jade: Anyway, ever since then, we've been best friends!

Georgia: Yup. We do everything together now. Even dumb stuff...like homework.

Jade: And we both joined Urele Fruhm together too.

Georgia: Yeah, that's the greatest part about our whole two years in college. That fraternity is sooo much fun. And talk about cute guys!

Jade: Well, I knew all along that I was going to join it. My boyfriend, Miles Berkley, is in it. We've been dating since we were both in highschool (see Malcolm Needs an Heir).

Georgia: Yah, I've always known I would join it too. All of my older cousins have been in it. And two of my cousins were actual founders, Pearl and Paris Linwood (see Love and Wisdom).

Jade: And there's tons of cute boys in the fraternity right now!

Georgia: Yeah, like Benjamin Fairfax!

Georgia: But you're totally right! Tessa Berkley is the only other girl right now.

Jade: I still can't get over how much you two look alike. I swear, you guys could be twins. I bet that's why Benjamin did what he did...

Georgia: Jade! That's totally private and I don't want to talk about it.

Jade: Oh come on Georgia, I'm sure our friend here is going to hear all about how you started dating Benjamin Fairfax, and then he cheated on you with Tessa...

Georgia: Shut up! That's none of your business. Besides, he was drunk off punch...he wasn't totally in control of his actions.

Jade: Oh sure, keep making excuses for him Georgia. You totally deserve better. And drunk off punch?! What an excuse!

Georgia: Oh yeah? Are you denying the infidelity-causing side effects of punch? Because I seem to remember one of our very first parties where you had a similar experience with it.

Jade: Don't say another word!

Georgia: *in a mocking tone* Oh come on Jade! I'm sure our friend here heard all about the time you cheated on Miles with none other than Tessa's boyfriend...Samuel Cox!

Jade: You swore by the Secret Handshake that you would never tell that to anyone! Besides, it was just innocent dancing at a party.

Georgia: Oh sure, it started out that way. But then everyone left the party, and you two were still dancing...outside...alone.

Jade: We just like to dance, okay?!

Georgia: Mmmmhmmm. Suuuuuure. But it sure didn't look like "just dancing" to me. Unless his tongue was doing the Smustle in your throat!

Jade: Oh, you're one to talk Georgia! I seem to remember a certain dormie whom you got to know quite well...

Georgia: Don't you dare!

Jade: Tell me, did you even know his name?

Georgia: ....

Jade: Didn't think so.

Georgia: Can we just talk about something else please?

Jade: That's what I thought. Now then, where were we?

Georgia: I think we're up to the part about the Secret Society kidnapping us.

Jade: Oh yeah! We got accepted into the Secret Society! But that's about all we can say because...well...it's a secret!

Georgia: And I guess the last bit of news was that Petey finally kicked the bucket.

Jade: Ah yes, it was a sad, sad day.

*the Seniors walk up*

Benjamin: What was that about Petey?

*Jade and Georgia exchange worried glances*

Georgia: Well, erm, honey...Petey is uh...dead.

*Ben's mouth falls open in a horrific, silent scream*

Miles: *laughing* Hey guys, that's what Ben looks like everytime he watches TV!

Jade: Ummm, hey guys. Nice to see you finally show up!

Tessa: Sorry we're late. We were busy packing. We move back to Fortune Shores today, ya know! I can't wait to get back home!

Roland: Yeah, me too. These past four years in college have been great. I'm really gonna miss you guys. *starts tearing up*

Miles: Suck it up bro, we'll all keep in touch. We've been through too much together to lose touch now.

Jade: Awww sweetie, I didn't know you were such a softie!

Tessa: I'm gonna miss you all too. We've been like one big happy family for the last four years!

Tessa: Awww guys, that's the last picture we'll ever have us all together!

Xavier: Yeah, but's we're now on the wall of the frat house, so we'll always be remembered as the third and best Pledge class ever!

Samuel: Enough mushy stuff. Let's tell our friend about all the fun stuff we did these past two years.

*they all look at each other, trying to think of fun stuff*

Roland: Well, we did raise enough money to redecorate the rec-room!

Xavier: Oh that's right! It looks awesome now! No more ugly plaid couches and cinder block bookcases!

Miles: We spent a lot of time in that rec-room once we got new furniture. Remember our weekly sports parties?!

Roland: Those were the best! We became the hot spot on campus!

Tessa: And we really made use of the work-out room the previous Pledge class built!

Roland: Yeah, I spent tons of time up there on the treadmills.

Xavier: And I finally maxed out all of my skills! Now there's a true achievement.

Benjamin: Yeah, if you enjoy spending all your college years studying. How boring is that?

Xavier: Hey, chicks dig smart dudes.

Miles: I just remember how cold it got in the winter. Do you guys ever remember it being that cold in our first two years?!

Benjamin: Heh, totally. I froze my gonads off many a morning while walking to class.

Samuel: Pfft, gonads? You're about as gonad-less as they come Ben.

Benjamin: And what's that supposed to mean?!

Samuel: Well, they must be really small if you have to resort to stealing another man's woman.

Tessa: Oh come on Samuel, let's not get into this again.

Miles: I warned you when you first started flirting with Ben, Tessa. You've made your bed, now you have to lie in it.

Tessa: Shut up Miles. That's all in the past. Samuel knows that I love him with all my heart, and that was all just a huge mistake.

Samuel: It doesn't change the fact that you slept with my cousin, Tessa! And that I caught you in the act! My cousin and my fiancee! The two people I should have been able to trust the most.

Benjamin: For crying out loud Sam, how many times do we have to listen to you yell at us about this?

Tessa: Yeah Sammy, you already broke up with me over it...not to mentioned yelled and screamed at me.

Xavier: But I thought you guys had made up? Aren't you still getting married?

Samuel: Yeah, we did. But I just can't get over it.

Benjamin: Well you're gonna have to dude. I mean, I've got a wonderful girlfriend...and so do you. Nothing like that is ever going to happen again. We just all need to stop the drama and move on. *looks at Georgia sheepishly, hoping he said the right thing*

Georgia: Wonderful fiancee you mean, honey. *smiles at Ben*

Tessa: Oh that's right! You two got engaged!

Samuel: Hmph.

Georgia: Yup! As soon as I graduate, we'll be getting married! I can't wait to be Mrs. Benjamin Fairfax!

Jade: And I can't wait to be Mrs. Miles Berkley!

Roland: Oh yeah! You guys got engaged too! We're going to be in-laws, Jade!

Jade: Yeah, but these are going to be two looooong years without you guys.

Xavier: Speaking of which, it's just about time for us to get outta here, guys. I'm going to marry my sweetheart, Melanie Linwood, when I get home! Then I'm going to put my Mathematics degree to good use! I can't tell you how of course, because well...it's not exactly a legal profession, but mark my words...every sim in Fortune Shores will come to fear my name! Mwah hahahaha.

Tessa: Well, Samuel and I are going to move in together and get married! Then I'm going to use my Biology degree to get a well-paying job and become one of Fortune Shores' wealthiest sims! $100,000 simoleons oughta do it!

Samuel: I like Tessa's plan! Only, I want to marry her and then have a whole brood of little Cox's running around. Six kids sounds like a good round number. Maybe they'll even all get married and give me lots of grandkids! Of course, I'll probably be so busy taking care of all those kids while Tessa's working that I won't ever get to use my Political Science degree!

Roland: Well, don't worry Sam. I'll use my Political Science degree enough for the both of us! I'm going to move back in with my mom and her family and work my butt off and make some money! And I'm with Tessa, $100,000 oughta do it. Besides, I have lots of time to kill until the love of my life graduates college. Cercie's still in highschool you know! *facepalm*

Miles: I'm moving back in with our mom too. I figure I've got two years until Jade graduates. So I'll just work and raise some money so we can buy a house. My Economics degree ought to get me a good job. But once we're married, I want to have a big family! Six kids sounds good to me! Of course, I'm not sure if I'm going to inherit the house my mom and her family is living in right now. It belonged to my father, after all...and since I'm his heir, I would think that I should get it. But I don't know what kind of brain-washing my mom's new husband has done to her. And since they have a son...he'll probably try to give my father's estate to him. Over my dead body!

Benjamin: I guess that just leaves me. Well, I'm not real sure how I'm going to use my Drama degree. Heh, I didn't really want to go to college in the first place. But now I'm glad I did! I've met my beautiful bride-to-be (Georgia!), and as soon as she graduates we're going to get married. We've already got a house. As the Fairfax heir, I inherit my mother's cottage once I graduate college. So we'll just settle down and have a bunch of kids and hopefully a bunch of grandkids!

Jade: We sure are going to miss you guys! But now we get to move into the Urele Fruhm house!

Georgia: Yeah, and in two short years, you'll see our picture hanging on the wall by yours! Tell everyone in Fortune Shores we said hello, and we'll see you again soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

University Funny Pic:

Apparently pillow-fighting against an invisible opponent is much harder than it looks!

Family Life

2007-07-30T19:59:00.000-05:00

(A Note from Mandie: Hello there! You will notice that there are a lot of links in this update to past updates. That's because it's been so long since I last updated that I thought you might need a refresher of who's who and what's been going on in Fortune Shores! So, feel free to check the past updates to get more back story! Enjoy, and sorry it took so long!)

The O'Malley Family #3
11 Prosperity Lane
$37,873
Title: Family Life
Lot: O'Malley- EvanFairfax- Elizabeth
Last Visit: Urele Fruhm

Elizabeth: I can't believe how much my life has changed in just a short while! It seems like just yesterday my sister and I were heading off to college, and now here I am married and a mother! I guess I ought to start out by telling you all about my wedding to my childhood sweetheart (see A Promising Beginning)! I'm sure you all remember my Evan...Evan O'Malley. Grandson of Quincy O'Malley. It's kind of funny actually, because Evan and I are kind of like cousins. Now before you get all grossed out, let me explain. You see, Evan's grandaddy was an old romancin' fool. He set his sights on my granny Gwen and they got married shortly before she died. So, Evan and I became step-cousins by marriage! Wierd, eh? Anyhoo, back to the wedding. Evan and I had a nice sized wedding. All of our friends and family were in attendance.

I was really nervous before the wedding. Mainly because I was going to have to walk down that long aisle all by my self, seeing as how my daddy died a long time ago. Mamma married again of course, but I've never really been close to Kennedy. But as soon as I saw my Evan standing up at the altar waiting for me, I felt nothin' but happiness. My oh my, he was so handsome!

We didn't really have a hard time picking our bridal party. My sister Claire was my matron of honor, and Evan's "aunt" Jade was a bridesmaid. You see, Jade O'Malley is much younger than Evan, but she is technically his aunt. Quincy O'Malley married Andrea Hogan when Evan was a little kid (after my granny died and left him a widower). Then Andrea got pregnant and they had Jade (see Change of Heart).

Evan's older brother, Randy, served as his best man of course. And Evan let me put my brother Samuel as a groomsman. Samuel is actually my half-brother. My mamma had Sam with her second husband, Kennedy Cox (see A Promising Beginning). Those two look an awful lot alike.

The wedding was really romantic. I just about cried through the whole thing. Claire had to keep passing me tissues! Evan thought it was just the funniest thing.

Finally it was all over as we had our first kiss and were pronounced man and wife. Now I'm Elizabeth O'Malley. It's kind of cool being called Mrs. O'Malley. But I can still remember Quincy calling my granny that right after they were married. So it's kind of wierd.

So, here's a picture of our bridal party. Claire and Jade made beautiful bridesmaids, and Randy and Samuel were two very handsome groomsmen.

And then it was time for family pictures! I know my family was just together for my sister Claire's wedding (see Happily Ever After), but it was so good to be all together again. So, here is a picture of my family, the Cox's. We used to be the Fairfax's, back when it was just me, mamma and Claire. But then mamma married a man named Kennedy Cox. They had 3 kids together (Samuel, Heidi and Charlotte) and they also adopted 3 kids (Blazej, Julie and Rudolph). So now they've got 6 kids together! I always wanted a bunch of brothers and sisters and now I have them!

And it was even better because it was the first time we all got together since my sister had her two babies. Slade and Troy are the cutest kids in the whole world (until recently!) and it was awesome having them as part of the family.

And the last of the Fairfax's is my cousin Benjamin. I'm sure you all remember him, but I'll tell you about him again. Ben is the son of my great-aunt Peggy. Since my father died and only had two daughters, the Fairfax name was in jeopardy of extinction. So, my Aunt Peggy (who had never married and never had children) decided to adopt a little boy to carry on the Fairfax name. So she adopted Benjamin (see Changing Times). He cheated my mother out of her inheritance of the Fairfax estate, but since he was just a kid and had no choice in the matter, we don't blame him for it. And he's a great guy and has even let mamma and her family stay in the Fairfax cottage while he's away at college. Mamma says she's going to move out when he gets back, but I'll believe it when I see it.

We also had all of the O'Malleys in attendance. Evan's brother Randy, and his wife Pearl and their 3 kids Hannah, Campbell and Camden (see The First Wedding). It was so good to see them, we were all really good friends in college. And that little Hannah is soooo cute..she looks just like her mamma!

Now, you remember Evan's grandfather Quincy O'Malley, I'm sure. He's the man who's been married the most times in all of Fortune Shores. He was first married to Evan's real grandma, and they had Evan and Randy's father. Then he married my granny Gwen, but she died shortly thereafter (see Life Goes On). Then he married a woman named Andrea Hogan. Andrea and Quincy had a daughter named Jade (see Change of Heart). This is a picture of Andrea Hogan and her new family. After Andrea and Quincy got divorced, she married a millionaire named Malcolm Landgraab IV and they have since had 4 kids: Ruby, Crystal, Amber, and Maxwell. Although I'm not really convinced that their youngest child (and only son) is really Malcolm's. But whatever.

And the last of Evan's family is Quincy's last wife, Brandi LeTourneau. Quincy cheated on Andrea shortly after Jade was born. Thusly ending that marriage in a divorce when Andrea took Jade and moved out. Quincy ended up marrying the other woman, who happened to be Brandi. Brandi and Quincy had twins shortly before he passed away: Linus and Lilah. Andrea and Brandi have hated each other ever since, and as a result of this feud, Jade and the twins never got to meet one another until Randy's wedding to Pearl Linwood (see The First Wedding). Andrea and Brandi still aren't on speaking terms, but they are at least civil with each other now. At weddings anyway.

So, with all those guests it made for a fun-filled reception. Andrea and Brandi stayed away from each other, thankfully. And everyone had a great time. Especially Evan and me. It was so romantic. I've always known since we were kids that Evan and I would get married one day, and it seemed like a dream come true when it finally happened.

And it was great to see all of our family interacting with each other. It's so funny how most of the original families of Fortune Shores are now related to each other. I think the only ones that aren't are the Reinhart's and the Berkley's. But they will be soon since Melanie Linwood (my sister's husband's sister) is marrying Xavier Reinhart and my brother Samuel is pretty hot and heavy with Tessa Berkley! It's crazy how everyone is so connected in this town!

With the wedding finally over, Evan and I were ready to start our lives together. We bought a cute little house, right next door to my sister and her husband. We were able to buy all new furniture, but our most prized possessions are our college degrees which we have framed on the wall in the office. Life has been great.

I got a job as an Executive Chef at a restaurant downtown almost immediately. The pay was really good, and for the first time in my life I feel that I am financially stable. Evan got a job as a General Practitioner at Fortune Shores Memorial Hospital. He's working for Marisa Reinhart at the moment; she's the current Chief of Staff (see Growing Pains). But he hopes to one day become the Chief of Staff himself. And hopefully I'll be a Celebrity Chef by then, just like my mamma (see No More Babies).

Things weren't all that easy in the beginning. Evan and I had to settle down into our new married life, and our new roles as husband and wife. Even though cooking is my passion, I really tried to out-do myself much to often, and the result was many nights of burnt lobster thermadore for supper. Evan pretended not to mind, but I know he was thinkin' "how can my wife be an Executive Chef yet burn dinner all the time?"! I blame it on our sub-par stove of course.

I really thought it was all the burnt dinners that was making me feel sick all the time. I was throwin' up like it was goin' outta style. But then it hit me: I was pregnant! Evan and I have never really talked about kids. Neither of us want a house full of kiddies like my sister does. But we knew that one day we did want to have one of our own. We just didn't think it would be so soon! But either way, I was expecting a little baby!

Evan was super happy when I told him. He couldn't believe that he was going to be a father. I think we were both hoping for a girl at this point. Mainly because it seems that everyone in Fortune Shores is having boys right now! I mean, my sister just had two boys (see Happily Ever After), Paris and Kent Haggerty just had a baby boy (see Long Term Effects of Pesticide), Evan's brother Randy and his wife Pearl just had twin boys (see The First Wedding), and Andrea and Malcolm Landgraab just had a baby boy (see A Son At Last). So, as you can see, Fortune Shores has enough baby boys!

I soon found out that this whole pregnancy thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. First of all, I gained weight in places that I didn't even know could get fat. My feet hurt all the time, my stomach cramped like crazy. I would cry one sec and be so angry the next, but end up laughing till I cried again. And talk about hunger. You just don't know hunger until you're pregnant! But the worst part was that I was forced to take maternity leave from work. I got so bored at home after only 1 day!

But the time finally came for our baby to be born. And boy were we surprised when we found out that we weren't just having one baby. We were having twins! I thought the worst part was over when I gave birth to the first baby. But no such luck. I went into labor right after and ended up having another one!

And you won't believe it. It ended up being twin boys! Now didn't I just get done telling you that we wanted a girl! Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly happy with my sons...but I just really wanted a little girl. But I don't think I'll have another baby. They're so much work! By the way, we named the boys Mason and Logan. Mason was the first born of the two. They both have my light skin tone and brown hair and brown eyes.

After the boys were born, Evan and I just kind of stood there in total shock. Here we were thinking that we were going to have just one. And now there's two little babies. How were we ever going to do this? We both are totally devoted to our careers, and neither one of us wanted to quit work and stay at home. But it just took one look at our little angels for the fear to pass, and pure happiness to take over.

I think Evan was more excited than me about having the babies. There was never a moment that he wasn't holding one or playing with one. I think it all comes from his childhood. He never felt part of a real family, and now he's got one.

We finally worked out the whole working situation. We hired a nanny, even though everyone has been telling us not to. Apparently the nannies in Fortune Shores have got a pretty nasty reputation for being...well...nasty. And we figured that out soon enough. The very first day when Evan came home from work, the new nanny attacked him! She poked him and yelled at hime...and she even slapped him! Needless to say, she was fired and we hired a new one.

Of course, my mother and sister just had to come over almost every day to see the new babies. They're the first twins in our family, although they are not the first twins in Fortune Shores by any means. My mamma now has 4 grandchildren...all boys! And Claire moons over my sons like I do over hers (see Happily Ever After). Heehee.

Before we knew it, our little boys had their first birthday. I really must say that they are the cutest, most handsome little boys in the whole world! At first I thought they were going to be identical twins. And while they do look a lot alike, they're not quite identical. I think they really take after Evan and the O'Malley's.

Mason O'Malley
5 neat, 5 outgoing, 9 active, 8 playful, 1 grouchy
Zodiac: Sagittarius

Logan O'Malley
9 neat, 8 outgoing, 3 lazy, 8 playful, 4 grouchy
Zodiac: Taurus

And let me tell you. We thought taking care of two babies was rough. Hahaha, no way. Taking care of two toddlers is even worse. They require constant attention. Even if it's just doing the basic things like teaching them to walk or talk. And forget about using the potty. I think my boys will never get potty trained!

But we're a happy little family, for the most part! The boys really are great kids and they don't give us too much trouble. Evan and I are continuing to get promotions at work, even with all the time we spend at home. I never imagined that my life could be this full of happiness!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O'Malley Funny Pic:

You really should quit smoking, Evan!

New Project

2007-06-07T14:13:00.001-05:00

Hi there everyone! I know it's been a while since my last update here, but that's because I've been working on a new project! I ran across a blog called Simmington Hills and I was truly inspired! So, I've made a new neighborhood, kind of like what Jade from Isle of Thyme was doing. But this time I've decided to register with Simmerville's SUN neighborhood program. I'm still awaiting word on approval, but I've been spending tons of time on my new custom neighborhood: Harpers Cove! Click the link below to go check it out.

Harpers Cove Community Website

One thing you should know about it, to be a part of the SUN neighborhood program, it has to be a Sims to Sims endeavor. So "Mandie" does not exist in Harpers Cove. The mayor is the spokes sim and if you leave a comment, you may get a response from one of the other residents of Harpers Cove...but not from me! Hopefully you enjoy it, because I'm having tons of fun creating and playing it! Check it out and sign the guest book!

Happily Ever After

2007-05-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

The Linwood Family #3
10 Prosperity Lane
$33,621
Title: Happily Ever After
Lot: Linwood- DustinFairfax- Claire
Last Visit: Urele Fruhm

Claire: Oh, hello there! It's me, Claire Fairfax! Well, I guess I should say Claire Linwood now. I'm sure you remember me from my college days. You remember Dustin Linwood as well? Well, if you do, then I'm sure you remember how we got engaged during our freshman year in college. After graduation, we were so very eager to get married! And that's just what we did. It turned out to be a very big wedding, due to the fact that Dustin's family is enormous. And my family isn't small by any means either. So we had tons of guests, which made the entire event so much fun! We got married in the local church, and had our reception in it's gathering hall. It turned out to be beautiful.

I was definitely nervous when it came time to make that walk down the aisle. But then I saw Dustin standing there waiting for me at the end of it, and all my worries disappeared. I knew right then that he is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, and live happily ever after.

We had a very hard time picking out who was going to be in our wedding party. I really didn't want anymore than 3 bridesmaids and 3 groomsmen. But it was so hard to decide because Dustin has been in both of his sisters weddings, and is going to be in the third sister's wedding as well. He felt guilty about not putting them in our wedding. But I have a lot of sisters of my own. One full sister, 2 half sisters, and 1 adopted sister. It was a tough choice, but I decided to stick to my original number of 3. So, my full sister Elizabeth was my maid of honor of course. I've grown up with her, and I couldn't see anyone else in that role. And then I chose both of my half sisters, Heidi and Charlotte. Charlotte made such a cute little flower girl! I was worried that Julie would be angry or hurt, but she said that it was completely okay. Whew.

The choice was even harder for Dustin. He has 2 brother-in-laws that chose him for a groomsman in their weddings, and a third that just picked him for his upcoming wedding. But, we needed a ring bearer as well. And he couldn't just pick one of his brothers-in-law and not any of the others. So, I helped him decide. We put my half-brother Samuel as his best man. That way, no feelings would be hurt. At least, we hoped not. And then we picked his teenage half-brother, Aidan, so it would be a good match walking down the aisle with my sister Heidi. And since Dustin has 4 little brothers from which to pick a ring bearer, we decided to pick the oldest of the four, Nathaniel.

The ceremony went off without a hitch. It was beautiful, and I heard many people in the audience sniffing. I can only assume they were crying for joy. They better have been. Heh. Anyway, we were pronounced man and wife, and I officially became Claire Linwood!

Here's a picture that I just have to share with you. I tell you, our photographer was amazing! She captured all the right moments. Here you can see little Nathaniel overcome with joy. He kept making the cutest little sighs when something romantic would happen. Like exchanging of rings and vows. And of course, the kiss. Isn't he adorable?

So, now for the family pictures. Here's one of our wedding party. I feel bad that the majority of them are from my family, but hey...I'm the Bride!

And here's my family. My mom Louise, her husband Kennedy and all of their kids (see No More Babies!). Samuel, Heidi and Charlotte who were all in the wedding, and are mom and Kennedy's natural children. Blazej, Julie, and Rudolph who are their adopted children. And then my sister Elizabeth (see A Promising Beginning). We share the same mother and father.

This one is with my cousin Benjamin. Well, he's a distant cousin really. He's actually my mother's cousin (see Changing Times). He's also the heir to the Fairfax name and estate. Being that my mother never had any sons with my father, there was noone to carry on the Fairfax name. So my great aunt Peggy adopted Benjamin. And gave him everything. Which really irked my mother since she practically raised Benjamin after Aunt Peggy died when he was still young. But on to happier subjects. I spent some time with Benjamin in college, and he has turned into a nice young man. I rather like him.

Now for Dustin's family. You are not going to believe how big they are! Well, I guess you will since you saw all the pictures from his sisters' weddings. Anyway, they're even bigger now that his sisters have had 3 kids each! I'm sure by now you know who they are. But I'll tell you again just in case. Marshall Linwood had four children with his first wife (see Family Time). Those four kids are all adults now: Pearl, Paris, Dustin, and Melanie. Then, Marshall married Caryl Jalowitz and they have had six children together (see Linwood Daycare). Three sets of twins to be exact! Aidan, Abigail, Nathaniel, Nicholas, Vance, and Vincent. And then there are the in-laws and the grandchildren. Pearl married Randy O'Malley and had Hannah, Camden, and Campbell (see The First Wedding). Paris married Kent Haggerty and had Nora, Lily, and Micah (see Long Term Effects of Pesticide). Dustin and I have added some grandchildren to that lot since then, but you'll hear about that in a minute!

This one is of Dustin's uncle and family. Richard Linwood is Dustin's dad's brother. Still with me? He married Ivy Copur and they had three children: Georgia, Mayer, and Julian (see Visitor from Another World). Although nobody knows why Julian looks so...odd. At first everyone thought that it was a disease that made him green, but Richard and Ivy swear that he is perfectly healthy. And then when Dustin's sister, Paris, turned into a plantsim from too much pesticide, everyone thinks that might be why he is green. But if you ask me, I think he looks like an alien! Haha, I know that sounds crazy, but....doesn't he?

Going back to the whole grandkid thing, Marshall and Caryl were so excited to have all of their grandchildren together. They practically demanded to have a picture taken of just them and all six of their grandchildren. It did turn out pretty cute. If you don't mind seeing babies lying all over the floor.

Now that the family pictures are all done, it was time for the reception! The real party was about to begin! And it was just as beautiful as the wedding. We had a delicious buffet style dinner served. Everyone had a great time eating and chatting.

I was so excited about being married that I just couldn't eat a bite! All that delicious food, and all the money we spent on it...and I couldn't even eat it! Heh, I guess that's how it goes. But it was nice to sit there with my new husband and look out over all of our family gathered together.

Then we had our first dance as husband and wife. I was so nervous to dance in front of all those people! I'm not much of a dancer, you see. But I was fine once Dustin put his arms around me.

I must say, I was still relieved when our song ended, and everyone else started joining us on the dance floor. I really loved seeing both of our families mix together the way they did. Everyone seemed to really get along.

After cake and toasts, we were finally done with the wedding! It seemed to take forever for the day to end, so that Dustin and I could be alone together. But boy was it fun! Here's one last picture from the wedding, it happens to be my favorite.

So, it was time for our real lives to begin! No more college and now we're married. We moved into our new house and had enough money to decorate with new furniture. I was so excited! It did get a little lonely though. Just the two of us. I was so used to always having a lot of people around. And I know Dustin felt it too. So, I spent a lot of time on the phone with my friends and family in the beginning.

We slowly started settling down into our new life together. Dustin still wasn't sure what kind of a job he wanted, but he saw an add in the paper that the local theater group was having auditions for a new play. He thought it might be fun, so he went and auditioned for it. And he got the part! Never mind that he only had 2 lines in the entire play, but he was a real Bit Player now! It didn't take long after that for him to be discovered. He started getting roles for commercials, some of which had him in the funniest costumes! Shortly after that, he started getting roles as the voices of cartoon characters. He's really moving on up in show business! And I landed a job in the best field there is, Law Enforcement! I was hired as a Desk Serjeant, but have since then been appointed to the Vice Squad. I can't talk about what we do, it's highly confidential. Anyway, I just know that one day I will reach my dream of becoming Captain Hero!

But that day is still way off. Mainly because I have had to put my career on the back burner. Dustin and I found out that we were going to have a baby! We were both so excited!

Of course, my mother and sister never left me alone after they found out that I was pregnant. They came over almost every day just to check on me.

My mom just couldn't wait to be a grandmother. She spent tons of time rubbing my belly and talking to her little grandbaby. It got rather annoying after awhile, but it is her first grandchild. So I was happy to oblige her.

I guess it was a good thing after all that my mom and sister insisted on stopping in every day to check on me. One day during their visit, I went into labor right there on the driveway. Thank goodness they were there, otherwise I would have been alone for the birth of my first child.

Nevertheless, my handsome baby boy was finally born! Dustin and I had decided to name him Slade. It's an uncommon name, and it really suits him well. He's got my brown hair and Dustin's green eyes.

And if I thought I had screamed alot during the labor, it was nothing compared to my sister's screaming! Elizabeth was screaming her head off during the whole thing! And didn't stop until she went home! She was so excited to have a nephew, I guess. Heh, silly girl. I'd hate to see her when she gives birth to a baby of her own. But I guess that day is coming soon! She's getting married pretty soon.

But Dustin was the most excited. He walked in from work looking all tired, and then he saw little Slade. His eyes lit up, and his face grew this huge smile! He rushed over and didn't stop oogling over our new little baby! He was also very happy that it was a boy. What is it with men and wanting to pass on the family name? Doesn't Dustin know that his father has 5 other boys that will continue the Linwood name? Sheesh.

We slipped easily into the routine of taking care of a new baby. Since I was still on maternity leave from work, I was the one that got up during the night to feed and change Slade. But Dustin would take over for me when he got back from work. It was so nice.

And then our little Slade had his first birthday. Dustin donned his old commercial costume, hoping it would bring a smile to Slade's face. I was just hoping the poor kid wouldn't be so scared of his daddy that he'd pee his pants!

And here is my little man, all grown up. Isn't he just the cutest little boy?! I think he looks alot like Dustin in the face. Which is definitely a good thing since my husband is the most handsome man in Fortune Shores!

Slade Linwood
2 sloppy, 5 outgoing, 7 active, 3 serious, 8 nice
Zodiac: Pisces

It wasn't long until we found out that we were pregnant again! We were going to be the proud parents of two! I was really hoping for a girl this time around. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys very much. But I've always wanted a daughter. But we had a long time to wait, so we settled down once again into a nice routine. It was wonderful having family time. Dustin is such a wonderful father, and I just love watching him with Slade.

We also got a visit from Dustin's father, Marshall. He was happy to see his newest grandchild, and even happier that we were expecting our second child any day.

I have to say, it was definitely cute seeing three generations of Linwood men together. It made me feel so lucky to have such a wonderful family. That's the only thing I care about in the world, other than becoming Captain Hero of course!

And it just so happened that I went into labor that same night. Marshall got to witness the birth of his 8th grandchild! It was a little odd having him there when I was giving birth, but it was kind of nice too.

And our second son was finally born! Little Troy was welcomed into the world by his mother, father, brother, and grandfather! He's the spitting image of Slade. My brown hair and Dustin's green eyes. I love my boys, but next time I want a girl!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linwood #3 Funny Pic:

Claire, are you smiling?! You're supposed to be in extreme pain!

(A Note from Mandie: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this update! I finally got Celebrations so that's why the wedding was so over the top! I absolutely love all the new stuff. I love throwing parties and having events, so expect to see a lot more of them! Also, I'm afraid Troy is going to be a clone of Slade. I forgot to make a random sim in between their births. Oops!)

Detour Ahead

2007-04-29T14:01:00.000-05:00

Hey there everyone! I've got exciting news...well I think it's exciting. I was just fiddling around today (I was extremely bored), but I didn't feel like playing my prosperity families. So I made a new family for a different challenge. (I do this frequently to see if I like any of the challenges). And I fell in love with this challenge. I know you all are more than familiar with it. It's the "I'm Surrounded by Idiots" challenge. So, I tried it out and I love it. I've decided to post about it on a new blog which you can find here.

But don't worry, I am still playing Fortune Shores and will definitely be updating again very soon. Fortune Shores will probably be updated more than the ISBI one ever will because I am so in love with my PC families. But when I'm bored, I will play on my ISBI family.

So, check out my ISBI family and let me know what you think!

~~Mandie

Long Term Effects of Pesticide

2007-04-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

The Haggerty Family
9 Prosperity Lane
$25,223
Title: Long Term Effects of Pesticide
Lot: Haggerty- KentLinwood- Paris
Last Visit: Urele Fruhm

Paris: Hi there! It's me, Paris Linwood. Er..I guess Paris Haggerty now. It sure is strange having a different last name. Wow, I guess the last time we saw each other was when I was in college! Ah, the good ol' days. Kent finally graduated too, which was very exciting for both of us. We bought a nice little house and had enough money left over to furnish it with all new furniture. It's quite cozy! The first big news to tell you is that Kent and I have finally tied the knot! We had a small ceremony on a lovely patio overlooking Lake Fortune. Since none of Kent's family lives in Fortune Shores, they were unable to make it. But my entire family was there. My dad and Uncle Richard looked very handsome in their tuxes. I'm sure they're getting tired of weddings since this is the second one! But they've got at least two more to go, since both Dustin and Melanie are engaged and done with college now!

Caryl and all of my other brothers and sister also came to the wedding. It was great to see them all. I don't get to spend much time with them, and I've never really gotten to know any of their kids because I was in college when they were born. But they are a cute family. I just hope they're done having children!

And Uncle Richard and Aunt Ivy came to the wedding too. Along with their three kids: Georgia, Mayer and Julian. I've always been really close to my Uncle Richard, so it was super nice to have him there.

And my soon-to-be-in-laws were also in attendance. Dustin's fiancee Claire Fairfax and Melanie's fiance Xavier Reinhart. Of course, Dad is ecstatic about Melanie and Xavier. Mainly because Xavier's father was a famous basketball player, and is now in the Hall of Fame (see Growing Pains). He's a local celebrity, and rich too! It's almost medieval in thought how Dad thinks Melanie "made a good match and has helped the family rise in status". But hopefully she's marrying him for love, and not for his money.

My new niece and nephews were also at the wedding! I just love those little kiddies! Pearl and Randy weren't sure if they should bring the babies to the wedding, but I insisted. Family is the most important thing in the whole world to me, and I wanted all of my family there. It's amazing to me that Pearl has 3 kids. I never thought she was the motherly type. But so far, she's doing great! And she looks really happy about her life too. And there's no denying they are a cute family!

Before he walked me down the aisle, my Dad took me aside and hugged me. He told me that no matter how many children he has with Caryl, that his original four children will always hold a special place in his heart. I started crying right then and there. The four of us have kind of grown apart from Dad, mainly because he is so busy with his new wife and all those new kids. But I always knew that he still loved us. Still, it was nice to hear.

Now for the wedding! My sisters made gorgeous bridesmaids! I know Melanie has got to be getting tired of being a bridesmaid. Heh. But she'll be the bride soon enough. They're just waiting on Xavier to graduate from college. The wedding felt so perfect; like a fairytale! And the girls looked beautiful.

And the boys looked just as good. Only handsome instead of pretty, hehe. Kent was by far the most handsome, of course. But Dustin and Randy looked great too. Ever since our college days (and since seeing how serious Randy and Pearl were about their relationship), I have really grown attached to Randy. He's such a great guy, which is amazing since his grandfather raised him. That man was a lousy excuse for a husband, but Randy is the complete opposite! And Dustin will always be my favorite sibling. I used to change his little diaper and rock him to sleep at night. Just don't tell the other two that he's my favorite!

The ceremony was beautiful. My legs felt like jelly, standing up there in front of all my family. But mainly because I knew that Kent was becoming my new family. No matter what, I would stick by my husband through whatever life had in store for us. That's a big life-changing commitment. And it scared me. But I guess all brides feel that way on their big day.

One kiss later, and we were officially man and wife! It didn't feel any different than when we weren't man and wife...but I guess that's a good thing.

Here's a picture of our bridal party. I just think it's cute. And it shows my pretty dress too. Hehehe.

Of course, we had a big reception/party afterwards. But if I showed you all of those pictures, you would die of boredom. Just picture my sister's wedding; only with me in the big white dress instead of her! And there you have it. But there are other more important things to tell you about. First off, both Kent and I were anxious to get home and start our lives. We got started right away on trying to have a baby.

We decided that I would be a stay-at-home-mom and Kent would be the bread winner. So, Kent got lucky and landed a job in Law Enforcement. He wants to be the Captain Hero one day, so this is a good start. He started out as a SWAT team leader, but he's now the Chief of Police. My little superhero in training!

And I was lonely around the house, so we adopted a kitten. He's all black and super cute. His name is Bailey. So in those beginning days, he was my companion and my baby.

But it didn't take long until we had our first real baby on the way! Kent and I were so excited. Both of us want lots of kids and this is just the beginning. Maybe we'll get lucky and have twins like Pearl. It definitely runs in the family. Look at all of the twins that Dad has fathered. I think it's like 4 sets of twins! Anyway, Kent and I couldn't wait for our little baby to arrive.

It was about this time that I got really involved in gardening. I enjoyed having a hobby to fill up my time before the baby came. I loved being out in the sunshine and caring for my plants.

I heard about the Fortune Shores Garden club from a friend, so I decided to call them up and try to join. The man sent 3 people out to judge my garden. They weren't very friendly, and didn't even say a word to me. But I guess they liked the garden enough to let me join! So now I'm busy working on the garden to win that best garden award.

So anyway, the time finally came for our first baby to be born! The labor wasn't too bad, although we had neighbors running inside to see what all the screaming was about! Anyway, it was a girl! Kent and I named her Nora. She looks just like me, with blonde hair and my eyes.

I was so excited to finally be a mom! And the best part is that Nora and my sister's daughter Hannah, are close to the same age. I just know they will grow up to be best friends! For those first few days, I just couldn't put my little girl down. It was such a joy to see her smile, and hear her make little baby sounds. It was everything I'd ever dreamed it would be.

And before we knew it, it was time for birthdays. Bailey was the first to grow up. He's now a big cat! He looks the same as he did when he was a kitten though. Boy, isn't he cute?

Bailey Haggerty
doofus, hyper, independent/friendly, cowardly, pigpen
Zodiac: Sagittarius

And Nora was the next to have a birthday. She turned into a beautiful little girl. I'm afraid she inherited Kent's nose though. But who knows, maybe it'll change as she gets older...

Nora Haggerty
4 sloppy, 4 shy, 9 active, 7 playful, 1 grouchy
Zodiac: Sgittarius

Now for the big news. Something happened to me one day while I was out gardening. You see, somehow my plants had gotten infested with bugs. So, I started a very intensive pesticide routine to get rid of them. I was assured by the gardening club, that the pesticide did not affect the fruit at all, and it would still be safe to eat. They just didn't tell me the effects of long term pesticide use on the gardener. So, after spraying the garden for the second time I was enveloped in a cloud of pesticide.

And when the cloud dissipated, this is what I had turned into. A wierd green plant thing. I can't even describe how wierd I felt. I no longer had to go to the bathroom, or eat. Or even sleep. But I did notice that I was extremely thirsty. I drank about a gallon of water. And then, I started to feel light-headed. I figured it must be because I had been through such an ordeal. So I went to lay down on the couch. When I laid on the couch, the sunlight coming through the window rested right on me. I immediately started to feel better. I found that strange, so I went outside. And sure enough, as soon as I stepped into the sunlight, I was rejuvenated! I have truly become a plant.

My first thought was how Kent would react to me being this way. And Nora too. I didn't think either of them would be able to love me like this. But I was wrong. Kent immediately took me into his arms when he saw the tears come to my eyes. He told me that he loves me no matter what color my skin is. That was a relief.

But my being a plant did make it difficult for us with Nora. Since I couldn't be out of the sunlight for very long without feeling awful, it was hard for me to do anything with her. Kent had to take over most of her care, including feeding and baths. But then we found a sun lamp that had the same effect on me that the real sun does. So after a little while of sitting under that thing at night, I was able to jump right in and help out with Nora once again.

I soon found out that being a plant person wasn't all bad things. Somehow, I was more in tune with my inner plant and was able to garden more efficiently. I found that I could even talk to plants! Which I'm not sure if that is because of my plant-ness or because I have a gold badge in gardening. Either way, my plants were thriving.

And then one night, I had the oddest sensation. I felt so open and in touch with the world around me. Every sense was heightened and I felt like crying for joy. I still don't understand exactly what happened. But these spores started flying off my head and then...

...I had a baby! Well, kind of. My spores gathered together and formed into this beautiful little toddler. I knew from the minute I saw here that she was mine. It was wierd having a baby that was not Kent's, but all mine. I wondered how he would respond. Would he think that I had cheated on him with some plant-man?

But for the moment, all of my thoughts were on my new little girl. I named her Lily, which I think suits a plant-baby perfectly. Since I'm new to this whole plant thing, I'm not really sure what's in store for Lily. But I do know that I will be there with her and we will go through it together.

Lily Haggerty
5 nice, 5 outgoing, 3 lazy, 8 playful, 4 grouchy
Zodiac: Libra

But my worries about how Kent would react to Lily, were soon put to rest. From the moment he saw her, he loved her. He hugged her and played with her, just as if she were his child. It warmed my heart to know that I have such an amazing husband.

Things settled down into a comfortable routine. I was having the time of my life staying home and caring for my two daughters. In the afternoons, I take them outside for playtime while I work on my garden. Lily needs the sun as much as I do, so it works out for everyone. Although, I have to constantly put sunscreen on Nora so she doesn't burn. But the girls seem to love it outside.

And then we got another big surprise. I guess I had become pregnant before I became a plant-person. One day, I went into labor right there on our front lawn. It was a shock to me and Kent, because I didn't have any of the normal signs of pregnancy. No hungry all the time, no having to pee every 5 seconds, I wasn't tired at all. I'm telling you, the best time to get pregnant is when you're a plant!

And then our son was born! Kent was so excited to have a son! He looks just like Nora did when she was a baby. Blond hair and my eyes. Our little family is coming together quite nicely! Micah has been a very nice addition.

Of course, my entire family has been very helpful and active with my kids. Dad can't stop oogling over his grandchildren. That makes 6 grandchildren for him! And Pearl, Melanie, and Dustin love their new nieces and nephew. It's so nice to have them all over and spend time together. Well, I think I've talked your ear off by now, so until next time, bye-bye!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Haggerty Funny Pic:

Paris was my first sim to actually catch a butterfly! Go, Paris..you're the smartest sim in Fortune Shores!

The First Wedding

2007-04-05T16:24:00.000-05:00

The O'Malley Family #2
8 Fortune Drive
$55,511
Title: The First Wedding
Lot: O'Malley- RandyLinwood- Pearl
Last Visit: Urele Fruhm

Randy: Hello! And welcome to the newest O'Malley household! I'm Randy, but I'm not sure if you remember me. The first time we met was when I was still a teenager and living with my grandfather, Quincy O'Malley (see Life Goes On). And the last time we saw each other was when I was graduating from college and moving back to Fortune Shores with my sweetheart, Pearl Linwood (see Urele Fruhm). I'm sure you remember Pearl. She's the oldest daughter of Marshall Linwood, the man that has been busy populating Fortune Shores with countless amounts of children (see Family Time). So, we both graduated and moved back here. Immediately after getting out of college, I got a job in the military! I've always wanted to become a General, and it seems that I have my chance! I was hired as a Flight Officer in the Air Force, but since then I have been promoted two times and am now a Commander! I guess college really does pay off.

Thanks to my new job which was bringing in tons of simoleans, Pearl and I were able to buy a home and all new furnishings. We couldn't bear to have to live with our old college furniture, so we completely re-decorated. Here's what it all looks like:

Pretty nice, eh? Well, we also had enough money to pay for a wedding. Luckily, Pearl's dad payed for part of it too! It's just as well, considering how most of the guests were his children. Heh, and boy did we have a ton of guests! Everyone from both of our families were there. It was quite a sight.

But I guess what you really want to see is the Bride and Groom! Pearl was stunning in her wedding gown, and I must say that I didn't look to bad either.

We had an easy enough time picking out our wedding party. The bridesmaids were an obvious choice. Pearl's sisters Paris and Melanie. Pearl has another sister now too, but she never has gotten the chance to know her, so we just stuck with Paris and Melanie.

And the grooms-men were just as easy to pick. My brother, Evan, was the Best Man of course. And Pearl's brother, Dustin, was the other grooms-man.

The ceremony was wonderful. We had a funny old man that married us. He kept telling jokes and laughing through the whole thing! He really was a trip. He even clapped at his own jokes. But Pearl and I were in a world of our own and barely even noticed.

The best part was the kiss that sealed the deal! We're officially husband and wife. Of course, since then a lot of things have happened that have made us officially husband and wife...but more about that later!

And then it was time for pictures. So bare with me while I explain who everyone is! This first one is obvious. It's the wedding party. I've already told you who we all are!

This one is of Pearl's family. Her father and step-mother, Marshall and Caryl Linwood. Her two full sisters, Paris and Melanie, and her full brother Dustin. And then all of those other people are her new half brothers and sister: Aidan, Abigail, Nathaniel, Nicholas, Vance, and Vincent. Whew, that's a lot of kids (see Linwood Daycare)!

This one is Pearl's uncle and his family. Richard Linwood is her dad's brother. And that's his wife, Ivy. And their three kids. Georgia, who's now a freshman in college. And Mayer and Julian. Julian is the little green kid. Rumor has it he's half alien. Not that I believe it or anything, but he is a bit odd looking (see Spring Rains).

And now for my family. Both my mother and father died before coming to Fortune Shores. And my grandfather passed away while I was in college. So that leaves my brother, Evan. He's the only full-blood relative I have anymore.

But my grandfather made sure that Evan and I wouldn't be alone. So he married a couple of different women! Gwen Fairfax, his first wife in Fortune Shores didn't live very long. So then he married Andrea Hogan, who is now Andrea Landgraab. Together, they had a baby girl named Jade, who is technically my aunt. Jade is no longer a baby; she's now a freshman in college. Andrea married Malcolm Landgraab and had four more children: Ruby, Crystal, Amber and Maxwell. Although, between you and me, Maxwell doesn't look anything like Malcolm or the rest of those kids. But hey, none of my business (see A Son at Last).

And this one is of my grandfather's third wife, Brandi and their two kids Linus and Lilah. I guess they are technically my aunt and uncle also. I never really got a chance to know them since I was away in college when they were born. But still, they're family (see Doggy Daycare).

Jade also never got a chance to know her half brother and sister. Andrea insisted that she stay away from them, since their mother was the one that broke up her marriage. But at the wedding, Jade got to chat with them. She hadn't seen them since their father's funeral, and they were toddlers then. So it was nice to see all of Grandpa's kids together.

But anyway, back to the wedding! It was time for dancing. Pearl and I led the way with our first dance together as husband and wife.

And then everyone else joined us on the dance floor. I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time dancing. You could feel the love in the air. All of our brothers and sisters had brought their significant others to the wedding, so they got to slow dance too. You know they are all engaged also? I'm sure ours is the first of many weddings in Fortune Shores.

The kids had a great time dancing also. Even after all the adults pooped out, the kids were still up going crazy!

And then it was time for cake. I couldn't help being playful with my new wife. She just looked so darn cute with cake all over her face.

And finally, at the end of the day, Pearl's dad gave a beautiful toast. Other than the part where he told me "take care of my little girl or I'll kick your @$$", it was quite a tear-jerker.

With the wedding over, it was time to head off on our honeymoon! The best part of the whole event. And boy did we have a great time. But I'm not going to tell you about it. You can just see the end result below.

Yep, almost immediately after getting back from the honeymoon, Pearl tells me that she's pregnant! We were going to be parents. Can you believe that?! Pearl couldn't wait to tell everyone. She invited her sisters over right away. I'll never forget the look on Melanie's face when she first saw how big Pearl was. It was hilarious.

Her whole family was so excited about the new baby. They came over every day to make sure that she was alright. It's a good thing too. She went into labor one day while I was at work. Luckily, both of her sisters were there to help her through it. I walked in the door just in the nick of time, to see the birth of my first child.

It was a girl! Little Hannah O'Malley looks just like her mother, with that light blond hair of hers! I was so happy to be a daddy. I felt like I finally had a family of my own.

Pearl immediately invited Marshall and Caryl over to take a look at their new granddaughter. Marshall was so excited. He held little Hannah the whole time and refused to put her down. Although he did have to fight Paris a few times over the new baby.

So, with the new baby in the house, Pearl and I decided to wait a little while before having another one. We wanted to try again, for a boy this time. Now I understand why Malcolm Landgraab was getting so frustrated at having girls. It's important to have a son to carry on your legacy; although I don't think I could ever be disappointed with having daughters. Even if I had 10 of them. Anyway, we were going to wait. So, you could see why it was a huge surprise when we found out that Pearl was pregnant again!

It wasn't exactly the way we had planned it, but we were still excited. Meanwhile, our little Hannah was growing up. It seems that babies grow so fast! She had her first birthday and turned into a gorgeous toddler. I swear, she looks more and more like Pearl every day.

Hannah O'Malley
5 neat, 10 outgoing, 10 active, 3 serious, 7 nice
Zodiac: Gemini

We definitely have our hands full with Hannah. She is one rambunctious little girl. It took all of our energy to teach her how to walk and talk. Much less use the potty. We just couldn't imagine having Hannah and 2 more babies at the same time.

That's right. I said "2 more babies". You're not going to believe it, but Pearl gave birth to twins! Twins really do run in her family, I guess. In mine too for that matter. But this time, we had boys! Two little red hair boys. Heh, they're adorable! We named them Camden and Campbell. Looks like the O'Malley name will continue on!

Pearl got on the phone right away to invite friends and family over. With a rambunctious toddler, and two new babies...we sure are gonna need all the help we can get. Until next time, ciao!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O'Malley Funny Pic:

Umm, Marshall...you might wanna wake up. This is your daughter's wedding after all!

(A Note from Mandie: Well, another set of twins. I swear these twins were not cheesecake twins! They were good ol' fashioned natural twins. I'm wondering if you use cheesecake in your game a whole bunch, if you don't up the percentage of natural twins somehow. I never used to get twins, and now I'm getting one set per household! What is going on?!)

A Son at Last

2007-03-27T15:54:00.000-05:00

The Landgraab Family
7 Fortune Drive
$132,755
Title: A Son at Last
Lot: Landgraab- Malcolm, Andrea, Ruby, Crystal, AmberO'Malley- Jade
Last Visit: Malcolm Needs an Heir

Andrea: Welcome back! Long time no see. Boy, has this been an interesting round for us. Where to begin? Well, I guess I'll start off by telling you what we've all been up to. How's that sound? Ok then, let's see. Jade, my oldest daughter if you remember, has been pretty lonely. Her boyfriend, Miles Berkley, went off to college and she's been missing him like crazy. He's a junior now and she can't wait to leave for college so she can be with him! I swear our phone bill has gone up a few hundred simoleans. That's all she does...sit at home and talk to Miles on the phone. I won't let her go to visit him, because she's just too young to be hanging out with all those college kids.

And as for Malcolm, well he pretty much kept to himself for awhile. If you remember from last time we talked, Malcolm wasn't too happy with me giving him all girls. He desperately wanted a son, and well...nature didn't give us one. So he got to where he wouldn't even help me with the kids, or spend time with any of them. The only time he would spend with me was when he wanted to try to make a son. Hmph. But more on that later. Anyway, he spent all of his time working and now he's pretty high up in the criminal faction of Fortune Shores. He's a Cat Burglar now, but he's aiming to supplant Ivy Linwood as Criminal Mastermind.

Oh and Ruby. Heh, boy has she been a handful. For such a sweet little girl, she honestly does some mean things! She has been tormenting everyone as much as she possibly can. To the point where Malcolm built her a bedroom downstairs so she wouldn't be anywhere near the rest of us! What a loving father. She was not very happy with her new room, so she immediately tore down her doll house. She has been known to throw a mighty temper tantrum.

And when she's not destroying things around the house, she's annoying everyone. She loves that podium I got from work. Kinda reminds me of Evan O'Malley when he was younger (see Life Goes On). Boy, can that child let out a burp. And a smelly one too.

Let's see, Crystal had a birthday! She has turned into a very pretty little girl. It's probably because she has the best hair in the world (thanks Mao!). She might even give Jade a run for her money in the Buttercup Pageants next time around!

In fact, she already has all the little boys lining up for her attention! The Linwood boys have been known to come over quite often, and that wierd little green boy that Richard Linwood insists is his child. But I think Crystal's favorite is little Rudolph Cox. Maybe because they look a lot alike.

And little Amber had a birthday too. She's a rambunctious little toddler. I would have said cute, but...well...she's very unique looking. I'm afraid she took after her daddy way too much. Let's hope she outgrows that awkwardness as she gets older!

Amber Landgraab
2 sloppy, 7 outgoing, 9 active, 4 serious, 3 grouchy
Zodiac: Gemini

And as for me? Well, I've been a busy little bee. I decided to run in this year's Fortune Shores Mayorial Elections, what with all my background in politics. My time was up in the Senate, so I opted for a change of scenery I guess you could say. And guess what? I won! I am now the Mayor of Fortune Shores! And along with the job came a handsome bonus which allowed me to achieve of my lifetime dream of earning $100,000! I am flying high now!

And as for my personal life...well things have really heated up in that department. Remember last time me telling you about Malcolm wanting a son, but us never able to have one? Well if you remember my ranting from that little talk, I mentioned that I think the problem is with Malcolm (see Malcolm Needs an Heir). Anyway, he stopped paying attention to me, so I found love elsewhere. In the arms of my ex-boyfriend, Andrew Deppiesse. It felt so good to be loved again. And I soon fell back in love with him.

Well, it wasn't long after I started taking up with Andrew again, that I found out that I was pregnant! I had great dreams of leaving Malcolm and marrying Andrew, whom I love more than anything in the world!

But things didn't work out that way. Because I'm the new Mayor, it would look really bad for me to divorce my husband and immediately marry the man I cheated on him with. Not to mention the fact that Malcolm comes from old money and has provided so much for my family. As much as I hate to admit it, his money is the only thing holding me to him. That and my job safety I guess. So when the baby was finally born, I had made up my mind. I was going to stay with Malcolm, and make him believe that this baby was his. Luckily for me, the new baby turned out to be a boy! He's even got gray eyes, which thank goodness is Malcolm's eye color.

Malcolm was ecstatic. He overlooked the fact that the new baby did not look anything like the other three children of ours. He was just happy to finally have a son and an heir. I knew right then and there that my son was going to inherit the entire Landgraab empire and that I had made the right decision. Malcolm decided to name him Maxwell. I wanted to name him Andrew, after his real father...but I figured that would kind of give it away who his father was!

I was heartbroken over having to stay with Malcolm. But at least I would always have a little piece of Andrew with me, always. I never did tell Andrew that the baby was his, although I'm sure he knows it. But I just can't let the truth get out. Malcolm would dis-own him for sure. And likely kick me and the girls to the street. So, I take comfort in my little Maxwell and the future he's going to have.

Meanwhile, while all of this was going on, Ruby had a birthday! I'm happy to say that she has turned into a pretty young lady. And she has calmed down somewhat. She still has a fiery temper, but at least she's not destroying our belongings anymore! She's even turned into quite the little bookworm, and she dreams of going into the education field.

Ruby Landgraab
Aspiration: Knowledge
LTW: Reach Top of Education Career
2 sloppy, 7 outgoing, 9 active, 4 serious, 9 nice
Zodiac: Pisces
Turn Ons: cologne/underwear
Turn Off: formalwear

Since Maxwell was born, Malcolm started paying attention to his family again. It was eerie how involved he became with all of his children. He still spent the majority of his energy on Maxwell, but for the most part he became a father again to the girls. He even asked Ruby what she wanted to do for her birthday. He called a big family meeting to tell us all the plan.

And the plan was: roller skating! Can you believe that Malcolm actually helped me get the kids ready, and took us all out for a fun-filled family day? I just about fell off the couch. But he did and we all went downtown for some good ol' fashioned roller skating! The girls were so excited, and they actually did pretty well!

Well...sort of. They took more tumbles than not, but at least they looked pretty while falling! It was so great to spend some quality time with my family.

I even went skating with them, which turned out to be hilarious...and painful. I'm getting up there in age, and all that falling down really takes a toll on the old bones. I thought I was doing pretty good until Ruby complained that I was going way too slow and getting in everyone's way. Hmph, so much for family fun time.

While me and the big kids were skating, Malcolm set up a blanket and picnic. He actually watched over Amber and Maxwell for me. Can you believe that? I'm pretty sure I fell right on my bum when I saw him interacting with his kids. I must say, my heart really warmed up to him. He seems like a totally different man now. But I know it's only because he has a son finally, and that's a pretty crummy reason to all of a sudden jump into his kids life. But hey, at least he is.

Shortly after that trip we had another round of birthdays. Amber turned into a child, which thrilled Crystal. She was so sad when Ruby became a teenager. But now she has another playmate again. Amber is showing signs of being just as hot-headed as Ruby, so I'll have to keep an eye on her.

And Maxwell had his first birthday. I was so shocked when I took a good look at him as a toddler. He looks just like Andrew.

Maxwell Landgraab
5 neat, 5 outgoing, 9 active, 5 playful, 1 grouchy
Zodiac: Scorpio

I think Malcolm noticed too. He might be catching on to the lie after all. But so far he hasn't said anything. He just seems to study Maxwell a lot more now. He might finally be realizing that Maxwell looks nothing like him or the girls. I'll have to cross my fingers and hope he just stops being nosy.

And I guess you could say that Jade had a birthday as well. She finally moved away to college. I've never seen her as happy as she was that day. She's going to be within walking distance of her boyfriend, and I really hope she doesn't have to drop out one day because she's pregnant. But my girls don't even know what woohoo is, so I really shouldn't worry. Anyway, thanks for stopping by. See you next time around!

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Landgraab Funny Pic:

Um, I have an inkling your girls do know about "woohoo", Andrea!

Email Subscription

2007-03-27T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll, just thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and make it able for you all to get email subscriptions to Fortune Shores! This way, every time there's a new update you can have it emailed right to ya! How cool is that! Just enter your email address in the space provided in the column to your right and you're all set!

There will be an update later on today...the Landgraab Family Round 4! Stay tuned!

Spring Rains

2007-03-20T07:42:00.000-05:00

The Linwood Family #2
6 Fortune Drive
$108,419
Title: Spring Rains
Lot: Linwood- Richard, Ivy, Georgia, Mayer, JulianLast Visit: Visit From Another World

Richard: Hello friend! Welcome back to casa de Linwood! How have you been? We've been pretty busy around here, I must say. Wow, that picture up there is pretty old now, isn't it? I'm sure you'll remember that Georgia is now a teen, Mayer is a child, and our newest addition Julian, is a little baby. I must have forgotten to snap a new one! Oops! Well, spring finally came to Fortune Shores! You won't believe how much rain we got! It poured for days on end! We thought there would be a flood.

And the lightning wasn't the worst of it. The lightning was ferocious! I was half tempted to cut down that big tree in the front of our house. It kept getting struck by lightning and errupting into flames! It's amazing it didn't burn down because of it, but it's still alive! Oh and the fire truck just happened to be there because my sweet Georgia had set one of her many kitchen fires at the same time that the tree went up in flames! How ironic.

The rain wasn't the only thing getting old around here. It was time for my birthday! I have to say that I was a little sad about becoming an elder, but now that I am one...I kinda like it! My brother and I go fishing together now that we're retired. And I must say, I'm pretty handsome for an old geezer!

Julian also had a birthday. He became a toddler, and a mighty cute one at that. He definitely has some alien features, but he's still a handsome little boy.

Julian Linwood
0 sloppy, 3 shy, 2 lazy, 10 playful, 10 nice
Zodiac: Aquarius

It was so much fun to have a toddler in the house again. And this time I was able to spend all of my time with him, since I'm retired and all. Julian is such a sweet little boy. He loves nothing more than to be read to, or to play with his toys. And he's super smart too. Must take after his old man. Heh.

Speaking of toys, Julian loved his toys so much but I couldn't help but think that he didn't have enough toys! So I decided to take up a new hobby...toymaking! I made a workshop for myself out of one of the rooms upstairs. And I must say, I've made some pretty cool toys for the kids!

Julian's favorite is the Jack-in-a-box that I made for him. He sits in front of that thing for hours! It's so cute how it scares him every time it jumps up out of the box!

I also got to spend more time with the other kids too. It was great to get to finally get to know my children. Mayer and I have been having fun playing catch and doing all sorts of boy things! Including taking out the garbage when Ivy tells us to!

Speaking of Ivy, she has finally reached her life's goal. She has been promoted to a Criminal Mastermind. I'm not really sure how I feel about that. It's still hard for me to believe that I married a criminal, but I still love her. And I am happy for her, I guess.

And Mayer finally had a birthday! He became a teenager, although I can't say that he's matured very much. He's always juggling bottles, or jumping on the couch, or playing in the bathtub. He wears his underwear around the house all day long. He's definitely a little wacky!

Mayer Linwood
Aspiration: Pleasure
LTW: Have 50 Dream Dates
5 neat, 9 outgoing, 7 active, 3 serious, 4 grouchy
Zodiac: Aries
Turn Ons: underwear/blond hair
Turn Off: vampirism

Now Georgia and Mayer were both teenagers. They had a great time hanging out together. It was nice to see them becoming good friends. They love to go out and have a water balloon fight. Even when it was still chilly outside, they were out there getting soaked!

Well...Georgia seemed to be the only one getting soaked! Hahaha.

Julian was soon able to join in the water balloon fun. He had another birthday, and now he's a child. Other than my eyes, he looks nothing like me! But I guess that was to be expected.

I know the other kids must be jealous of how much time I spend with Julian. But it's different with Julian. He's not like all the other kids in Fortune Shores, and it must be hard for him. But I don't ever want him to think that he's different in a bad way...or that he's not loved because he's half alien. I love him just as much as I love my other two children, and I know Ivy does too.

As it is, he really prefers to play alone anyway. He's so shy. He's always in his room playing with the super cool toys I've built for him. I know the other kids are jealous about that!

Even as shy as he is, he does warm up around his brother. Mayer and Julian have a great relationship. Mayer makes sure noone bullies Julian or makes fun of him for being different. Sorry to disappoint you, but there's been no drama in this family!

And then it was time for a sad goodbye. Georgia was finally going away to college. My little baby girl is all grown up. A cab came and whisked her away to Academie La Tour. It's definitely lonely around here without her.

As with everything in life, one season ends and the next begins. Spring gave way to summer, and we find ourselves outside enjoying the beautiful warmth and weather. Ivy is thinking about planting a garden, but right now we're just enjoying our time together as a family. Hope things are warming up for you as well!

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Linwood Funny Pic:

Julian has his eyes on the ladies already!

The Next Bunch

2007-03-06T17:32:00.000-05:00

Academie La Tour
$102,437
Title: The Next Bunch
Lot 1: Fraternity House - Kent, Haggerty, Dustin Linwood, Melanie Linwood, Claire Fairfax, Elizabeth Fairfax, Evan O'MalleyLot 2: Dorms - Xavier Reinhart, Tessa Berkley, Miles Berkley, Roland Berkley, Samuel Cox, Benjamin Fairfax
Last Visit: Urele Fruhm

Dustin: Hey hey! Long time no see. Well maybe it hasn't been that long really. But welcome back to the beautiful Academie La Tour! I'll be your host...

Melanie: Um, I don't think so bub. I'm sure our friend here doesn't want to hear you babbling on and on about nothing. I think I'll be the host instead!

Claire: Now now kids. No fighting in front of our guest! Why don't we let the new kids introduce themselves first. Here comes Xavier now.

Xavier: Hello, I'm Xavier Reinhart. And yes, I'm the son of Edwin Reinhart, the famous basketball player. It seems his reputation follows me everywhere, but I guess that's to be expected when your father is the first person in Fortune Shores to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (see Growing Pains). My mom's a Specialist for Fortune Shores Memorial Hospital. And I'm sure you remember my little sister, Cercie. She's still in highschool right now, but she's dating Roland Berkley who is here in college with me. You'll meet him in a little bit. Anyway, I'm here in college to help set me on the path to being a Criminal Mastermind. Therefore, I am majoring in Mathematics. I've got to be able to keep control of all that money I'll be stealing...er, making I mean. Oh, here comes Tessa.

Tessa: Hi! I'm Tessa Berkley, daughter of Howard and Demi Berkley. Of course, I'm sure you remember that my dad passed away a little bit ago (see Big Luau in the Sky). It's still hard on me and my two younger brothers, who you will meet in just a few minutes. They're here at college with me too. Our mom has recently remarried. Her and her new husband, Jeff Go, just had twin babies...Philip and Phoebe (see A New Family). They are really cute kids and I'm happy that my mom was able to move on after my dad died. But anyway, I guess you're here to hear about me! Well, my life goal is to make $100,000 and I really don't care how! But I've decided to major in Biology, although I'm not really sure what kind of job I want to pursue after I graduate. Oh, here comes my brother Miles. Hey Miles!

Miles: Hey sis, and hello to you too! I'm Miles Berkley, oldest son of Howard and Demi Berkley. I'm sure Tessa told you all about our family, so I'll just talk about me instead! So, I came to college with hopes of graduating and owning 5 top level businesses. But now I've come to a realization that there is a lot more to life than work. So I've decided that I want to focus on family instead. My girlfriend, Jade O'Malley will be coming to college soon and we'll be together again. I can't wait for us to graduate, get married, and have lots of kids! But in the meantime, I'm majoring in Economics. I'll probably still own a business or two once I graduate, but it won't be my main focus. Oh look, here's Roland, my brother. Hey bro, what's up?

Roland: Hey guys, Roland Berkley here. Youngest son of Howard and Demi Berkley, and the twin brother of Miles there. I'm a lot like my sister Tessa, in that I want to earn $100,000 and I don't really care how! I'm majoring in Political Science. Who knows, maybe I'll be the next Mayor or something! And college will be awesome once my girlfriend, Cercie Reinhart, gets here! Here comes Samuel, see ya later!

Samuel: Hey ya'll, Samuel Cox here. I'm the son of Louise and Kennedy Cox. My mom is a Celebrity Chef with her own cooking show and my dad used to be a hair stylist, but he has since quit to help raise the bajillion kids that they have been adopting (see No More Babies). Not that I mind having new brothers and sisters, but man...enough is enough. My mom already had two kids from a previous marriage, Claire and Elizabeth who are finishing up their college years now. It was nice to come to college and know that my two sisters were already here. And I've had tons of fun with them! Anyway, the only thing that I really want in life is to have a family. I'm sure you've already my girlfriend, Tessa Berkley. We were super excited to come to college together! We even moved into the same dorm! I decided to major in Political Science. Maybe I'll run against Tessa's brother Roland, for mayor! Wouldn't that be funny. Heh. Here comes my cousin Benjamin. He's the last of us new kids in college.

Benjamin: Hey there, I'm Benjamin Fairfax. I'm the son of Peggy Fairfax, who was the sister of Gwen Fairfax, who was the mother of Samuel's mom Louise. Confused yet? Haha, don't worry...it's just a lot of words to say that Samuel and I are second cousins. I guess that means that Claire and Elizabeth are my cousins too, although I didn't really know them very well. But since coming to college, I have really had a chance to get to know them better. My dream in life is to raise a big family. I was adopted by the Fairfax family, but for the first half of my life I was alone. So I guess that's why I want my own family, and I want it to be big! I've decided to major in Drama. I don't have any idea what kind of job I want when I graduate, but I really liked all of my theater classes. So that's what I've decided to pursue. Anyway, that's it for me!

Miles: Hey Ben, why don't you tell them what the very first thing you did in college was. Heh, you'll get a kick out of this!

Benjamin: Heh, yah okay. The very first thing I did upon coming to college was um, buy new clothes?

Miles: Well yeah, but we all did that. Dude, I'm talking about the little friend you brought to the dorm to live with us...

Benjamin: Oh yeah!! Petey! I bought a parrot! I've always wanted a parrot! And he's the best parrot ever! He even knows how to talk. How cool is that?

Tessa: Heh, Petey is definitely cool. And I think we're all surprised that he is still alive! Even after all this time!

Samuel: Well I think he's rather annoying. Talking and screeching all the time.

Tessa: Oh boy, let's talk about something else. My Sammy hates that bird! Um, let's see...oh yeah! On our first day in college, the members of Urele Fruhm fraternity came over to greet us all. Two of the members are Samuel's sisters, so we had an easy time getting into the fraternity.

Xavier: And my girlfriend, Melanie Linwood, is a member of it too. It was so nice to see her. I hadn't seen her since she had left for college a while back. But as soon as we saw each other, it was like we fell in love all over again.

Xavier: But then Miles ruined it. He kissed my girl, and I still hate him for it.

Miles: Dude, I'm standing right here. And it was an innocent kiss. We had a little too much "fruit punch". For the last time, it really wasn't a big deal. I mean, I have a girlfriend dude.

Xavier: You know what, Miles? You don't have your friend's girlfriend in your top five and you definitely don't kiss her!

*cue "Secret Lover" song from that cellphone commercial*

Tessa: Okay boys, that's enough. It was definitely wrong of Miles and Melanie to kiss, but it was the first party of our college career. And there was definitely a little too much "fruit punch" involved! But Xavier, you worked things out with you and Melanie...so there was no real harm.

Xavier: Easy for you to say. You haven't had to deal with your boyfriend cheating on you. You and Samuel have been connected at the hip since we got here.

Tessa: Well, that's because I have the best boyfriend in the whole world. Isn't that right darling?
*Samuel turns bright red*

Tessa: And I've also been lucky because there aren't any other girls living with us in the dorms. But it hasn't always been easy. I can't believe how disgusting you guys are. Leaving food out for days at a time, puddles on the floor from god knows what...

Benjamin: Trust me, you don't wanna know. *snickers*

Tessa: It's like living with five pigs.

Roland: Sorry sis, but boys will be boys. Now let's see, what else have we been doing while in college? Well, studying our butts off for sure. I didn't think college was going to be this hard.

Roland: And working out. We were all definitely afraid of that infamous "Freshman Fifteen". You know, where you gain 15 pounds during your first year at college. I don't think any of us did.

Samuel: And getting engaged.

Miles: Oh geez, here we go.

Tessa: Oh yeah! My Sammy proprosed to me during our sophomore year! I was totally surprised, and it was so sweet! I can't wait to get married! I want to have a spring wedding, with lots of flowers, pink dresses of course, ice sculptures and cute white folding chairs with pink bows on them...

Miles: You just had to mention the wedding didn't you...

Benjamin: And the next exciting thing, after all of us got into the Urele Fruhm fraternity, was that we all became members of the Secret Society.

Samuel: But it's a secret, so we can't tell you much about it. Other than that we got really cool uniforms!

Tessa: Yeah, but I think pledging to Urele Fruhm was the best part! Remember that big party they threw us on the day of our initiation?

Roland: Toga Time!

Dustin: We were just carrying on the tradition. The founding members of Urele Fruhm (Randy O'Malley, Pearl and Paris Linwood), threw us a toga party when we got initiated. And you guys have to remember to do that when you are living at the house for the next pledge class.

Elizabeth: Speaking of the fraternity house, we really renovated it. I think we spent most of our scholarship money in buying new furniture and adding more bedrooms.

Claire: Yeah, we were in desperate need of a computer room/library. We only had 1 computer, and there were six of us living there that needed to use it! It broke down more times than I can count!

Dustin: So we built a whole new wing upstairs with two new rooms. One was the library complete with four new computers!

Kent: And the other was a gym, complete with new workout equipment. No more out of shape people in this house!

Melanie: Oh Kent! I almost forgot you were here...you're always so quiet. I don't think you spent hardly any time with us.

Elizabeth: Yeah, you were always on the phone with Paris.

Kent: I know. But it has been really hard being away from her. I just can't wait to move back to Fortune Shores, marry her, and start a family!

Kent: And it wasn't easy being around you guys. You were always all over each other, and it made me miss my Paris so much.

Melanie: Join the club, Kent. My boyfriend didn't live in the house either. Poor Xavier was stuck at that dorm the whole time.

Kent: Yeah, but at least he was two minutes away. It would take Paris two hours to get here from Fortune Shores!

Melanie: Oh cry me a river. You guys are engaged. And you were so close to graduating. It was no time at all for you to be without her. Meanwhile, the rest of us were getting engaged!

Claire: Well, Dustin and I were already engaged. He proposed to me during our freshman year, remember?

Melanie: Yeah, uh-huh. Anyway, Xavier proposed to me during my senior year...his sophomore year. I guess he didn't want me to leave college without knowing I'd wait for him back in Fortune Shores. Heh.

Dustin: Well, I just remember that you were as giddy as a school girl when he popped the question. And don't deny it.

Melanie: I don't deny it. What girl wouldn't be giddy when her boyfriend drops to one knee and holds a shiny (and real) diamond ring in your face!

Elizabeth: I know I was giddy when Evan proposed to me! I thought he never would!

Evan: I just wanted to wait for the right time! I didn't want you to think that I was proposing just because everyone else was.

Elizabeth: So you waited till our last day in college before popping the question? I'm sure you could asked me sooner! I was dying to say yes!

Kent: Yes, yes. You all got engaged blah blah blah. Let's wrap this up folks, our friend here doesn't have all day to listen to your wedding plans. *rolls his eyes*

Melanie: Your such a romantic man, Kent. I'm sure you'll make my sister very happy. *dripping with sarcasm*

Kent: Hmph. Anyway, the six of us graduated and it was time for the six new kids to take our spots in the Urele Fruhm house. I graduated with a degree in Biology. And I'm off to marry the woman I love, and to become the next Captain Hero!

Dustin: I graduated with a degree in History, but I have no clue what kind of job I want to get! All I know is that I'm moving into a house with my lovely Claire and I'm going to marry her. Then we're going to raise a family and grow old together!

Melanie: I graduated with a degree in Art, and I think I'd like to become an artist of some sort. But who knows what the future holds! I'm going to be moving in with Xavier's parents. They insisted on it, since Xavier is the heir and I am going to be his wife. So I'll be living with them until he graduates. And then we're getting married! I hope we can still have dream dates once we're married!

Claire: I graduated with a degree in Psychology, and I am going to be the first Captain Hero in Fortune Shores. Sorry Kent, but it's true! But most importantly, I'm moving in with my soon-to-be-husband Dustin and becoming the new Mrs. Linwood!

Elizabeth: I graduated with a degree in Philosophy, and I plan on getting a job in the culinary field. I would love to be a Celebrity Chef one day, just like my mom. And host my own cooking show! Evan and I will be moving in together and planning our wedding!

Evan: I graduated with a degree in Biology, and I plan on being the Chief of Staff at Fortune Shores Memorial Hospital one day. And like Elizabeth said, we're buying a house together and we're going to get married very soon! Make sure you stop by to see us all! Until then, lata alligata!

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University Funny Pic:

Man, that mailbox gets into the fraternity every time!

(A Note from Mandie: Sorry for the poor quality in photos for the last few pictures! With so many kids, it takes a long time to play through University. It seems that my computer couldn't handle it after the first couple of hours! But I was determined to get through it!)

Random Stuff

2007-03-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll! So I got Seasons the other day, and I love it! I have spent all of my play time in the new neighborhood, playing in the snow! I took pictures of it but I have to shrink them down to fit in this blog! So no pictures for right now, but you'll get to see them in the post for Round 4 of Richard Linwood's family!

Speaking of updates, the next update is going to seem kind of out of order to you. I've decided that I am getting way too many kids in college. I'm talking hours to get through the college years. So, I've decided to do a college round every five houses. That will drastically cut down how many kids are in college at one time. So, my next update for you will be a University update. And there are 12 kids in it! Of course, 6 kids will be graduating: Dustin and Melanie Linwood, Claire and Elizabeth Fairfax, Evan O'Malley, and Kent Haggerty. And 6 new kids start their college adventure as freshman: Xavier Reinhart, Tessa Berkley and her twin brothers Miles and Roland Berkley, Samuel Cox and Benjamin Fairfax.

I'm super excited about this round in college. Because all of the new freshmen are Generation 2 kids...which means once they graduate we'll have the appearance of Generation 3 soon to follow! I've already played out this college round and have the pictures ready to go, so expect the update sometime today or tomorrow. But that means no Seasons pics until the following update! Sorry, but I hope you all are enjoying the new expansion pack!

Doggy Daycare

2007-02-27T11:39:00.000-05:00

The O'Malley Family
5 Fortune Drive
$96,465
Title: Doggy Daycare
Lot: O'Malley- Brandi, Linus, Lilah, BennyLast Visit: Romance: Dead or Alive

Brandi: Hello again! Remember me? Brandi O'Malley, 4th and final wife of Quincy O'Malley. Quincy has been gone for a while now, and things around here just haven't been the same without him. The kids are doing fine, and our new dog Benny has really been a huge comfort to us. But even with the twins and Benny, I have felt rather lonely. I cried for Quincy every day, and I thought that maybe if I found a new man that I would feel a lot better. So I decided to see who was out there that could make me happy. I had a short fling with our maid, Remmington. He was a nice guy, but I finally came to a realization. Noone could replace my Quincy. I've decided not to remarry, or even to date anymore. I will just grow old with my children and then join my Quincy in the after life. Just coming to that conclusion made me feel better.

The kids were getting along just fine. They were adjusting to not having their father around. They didn't really get a chance to know him that well anyway, since they were only toddlers when he died. Linus has really taken to Benny, they are the best of friends. He's constantly teaching him new tricks. It's simply adorable.

I decided that it would be fun to breed Benny, and I knew the kids would have a great time playing with puppies. They were constantly asking me for a new puppy, so I figured why not breed Benny and give them their puppies?! So we adopted a new dog, named Cleo. She's a rather funny dog, and is constantly making us laugh with her crazy antics.

Cleo O'Malley
genius, hyper/lazy, independent, aggressive/cowardly, finicky
Zodiac: Virgo

Luckily, Benny and Cleo took a liking to each other right away. They were playing together non stop, and poor Linus had to fight for Benny's attention. It definitely wasn't quiet in the house anymore!

I even bought them a new dog house to share. I figured they'd be more in the puppy-making mood if they had their own private space, away from prying eyes. And sure enough, they started spending lots of time in that little dog house! And before we knew it, Cleo was pregnant! We were going to have puppies. The kids were hoping that she'd have at least a litter of two puppies, one for each of them.

And she didn't disappoint them. Cleo gave birth to three little adorable puppies! Two boys and a girl! Two of the puppies are pure white, while the third one looks just like Benny did...black and brown. They are the cutest little things! Lilah named the girl puppy Belle, and we named the other two Rocky and Rover.

Belle O'Malley
doofus, lazy, independent, aggressive/cowardly, pigpen
Zodiac: Virgo

Rocky O'Malley
genius, hyper/lazy, independent, aggressive/cowardly, pigpen
Zodiac: Libra

Rover O'Malley
doofus, lazy, independent, aggressive/cowardly, pigpen
Zodiac: Capricorn

Cleo was a good mama to her pups. She loved playing with them and cleaning them. And the pups followed her around everywhere! When they weren't being held by the kids of course! Ok, so I held them alot too. They were just too cute to resist!

It was definitely interesting having 3 puppies running around. It was so hard to keep up with them all! It was harder than raising twin toddlers by yourself! The good thing was that they didn't split up. They went everywhere together. So they were somewhat easier to catch that way!

I'm telling ya, it felt like we were a doggy daycare! But the kids were a big help, which really surprised me. I guess it's a good lesson in responsibility for them. Linus helped out the most. He was always playing with the puppies and keeping them out of trouble. Rover was his favorite puppy.

And then the twins left behind their childhood years and had a birthday. Now they were teenagers. And the fun really began! Linus decided to take after me, and devote his life to knowledge. It really didn't surprise me. He's always been such a quiet boy. He's decided that he wants to get a job in the medical field and hopefully one day be the Chief of Staff at the hospital. He is eagerly looking forward to college.

Linus O'Malley
Aspiration: Knowledge
LTW: Become Chief of Staff
3 sloppy, 5 outgoing, 10 active, 8 playful, 9 nice
Zodiac: Sagittarius
Turn Ons: makeup/blond hair
Turn Off: swimwear

Lilah, on the other hand, seems to have taken after her father. Which isn't necessarily a good thing! The one thing about Quincy that I always hated, was how he could never be happy with one woman. It was something I knew about him the entire time we were together, but I loved him so I tried to understand. Well, it seems Lilah is the same way...only with men. The only good thing is that she actually has a goal in life other than men...she wants to become a Hall of Famer.

Lilah O'Malley
Aspiration: Romance
LTW: Become Hall of Famer
9 neat, 3 shy, 9 active, 3 serious, 4 grouchy
Zodiac: Virgo
Turn Ons: hats/red hair
Turn Off: swimwear

With as pretty as she is, I don't think she'll have any problems getting men. But I'm not sure how great of an athlete she is! She has to be the most vain teenager I have ever seen! She is constantly primping in the mirror, or striking poses. I'm surprised she doesn't want to be a model or an actress. You got to hand it to Quincy, he sure did make beautiful daughters. Lilah is obviously gorgeous, and so is Quincy's other daughter Jade (see Malcolm Needs an Heir).

And when Lilah isn't in front of the mirror, she's on the phone! That girl has already got more friends than she knows what to do with. And they're all boys! As long as her school work doesn't suffer from it, I don't mind though. I just hope she doesn't hurt people the way her father did.

She's definitely a wild one. She's already hit on our gardener, Leo Deppiesse. She thinks he's "dreamy". I am constantly having to pull her away from him so he can do his job. I'm not paying him to flirt with my teenage daughter!

And I have a sneaking suspicion that Lilah will do just about anything to get close to a man. She started a fire in our kitchen "on accident" not too long ago. She definitely looked scared when the whole stove errupted into flames.

But when the firemen got to the house, she was as flirtatious as ever! I've tried to tell her that men don't want a woman that burns down the kitchen when she tries to cookt hem dinner. But she just doesn't listen. She'll do anything to meet a new man. I am truly scared about her going to college, there's too many boys at college.

Other than Lilah trying to meet every man and boy in town, things have been pretty normal around here. The house is always loud and noisy it seems, but what do you expect with two teenagers and 5 dogs?

Linus and Lilah love to party, or so it seems. There's never a quiet moment with those two in the house. Their favorite pasttime is dancing, which has pretty much stopped my reading time in the living room. I just can't relax with that music blaring so loudly! Quincy would have a fit if he were here to see this!

Which actually might be the case. Since the kids became teenagers, and loud ones at that, Quincy has come back from the grave! And no, I'm not crazy. Both Linus and Lilah have seen his ghost, and both of them say that he can be quite scary. Linus loves sitting up late at night and watching for his father's ghost. A true knowledge sim, that one! Hopefully next time you'll get to see our puppies all grown up, and by then Linus and Lilah will be ready to head off to college! Until then, farewell!

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O'Malley Funny Pic:

That's probably not the best place to be doing yoga, Brandi!

No More Babies!

2007-02-19T18:24:00.000-05:00

The Fairfax Family
4 Fortune Drive
$45,851
Title: No More Babies!
Lot: Fairfax- Benjamin
Cox- Kennedy, Louise, Samuel, Heidi, Blazej, Julie, Charlotte
Last Visit: A New Life Goal

Louise: Well, well, well...fancy seein' you around here again! How'ya been? Things have been wonderful here at the Fairfax Cottage, although we should start calling it the Cox Cottage since there's only one Fairfax living here anymore. But even he has gone off to college, although he states he'll be back for his inheritance. But I'll get to that later. I'm sure you remember from your last visit with us that Kennedy, my husband, went through a major life change and decided to become a family sim! He decided that he wanted to have at least 6 kids, and at the time we only had 2! So, we adopted 2 kids, and I become pregnant once again and little Charlotte was born. Well, since then Charlotte had a birthday and we had a little party for her. With so many kids in the house, there was no need (or room!) to invite over any of our neighbors, so it was just me and Kennedy and the kids.

She turned into a very cute little toddler, much like her older sister Heidi. I just know she is destined to be the next Buttercup Winner. It was a shame that my little Heidi didn't win that title, but at least my Elizabeth won for her age group (see Buttercup Pageants). But anyway, Charlotte is one cute kid.

Charlotte Cox
6 neat, 9 outgoing, 8 active, 3 serious, 3 grouchy
Zodiac: Aries

She was a handful at times though. It seemed that child never got tired; she was always on the go and gettin' into something. Luckily, one of her favorite things was the toy box...her second favorite thing was the toilet.

Kennedy was in hog heaven with all these kids around. His favorite thing to do was spending time with all those youngin's. He spent every spare moment teaching Charlotte how to walk and talk...and use the potty for things other than playing in it. Heidi took right to Charlotte as well. She made sure she had a part in teachin' her little sister all the fun things Daddy was trying to teach her. It was quite cute really.

In house so full of people, it was very seldom that I got to spend any alone time with any of my kids. And I was so busy with work, that I had very little time with them at all. But I made sure that I balanced work with my kids...I don't think any of them can say they were neglected! And I really cherished my time with little Charlotte. I had decided that I was not going to have another baby. I knew Kennedy wouldn't be too happy with that decision, but honestly...after having 5 kids, a girl needs her rest! And I was finally on the hot track at work, and my life's dream of becoming a Celebrity Chef was finally in view! I didn't want to get pregnant and have to take time off again. I had too much to do!

Well, before long it was time for Benjamin and Samuel to head off to college. I wasn't too sad to see Benjamin go. I mean, I like the kid...and he is technically my cousin. Even if my Aunt Peggy adopted him only to give the Fairfax name an heir, and thus cheating me out of it. But I just never got close to him. The only one that did was Samuel, and he's going off to college too. But Benjamin says he'll be moving back in after college, so he can take over as head of the "Fairfax Empire". I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, I'm not a Fairfax anymore. And I can start the "Cox Empire" and be the head of that! I would like to build a house of my own, anyways.

But I was very sad when my Samuel left home. He is my first and only son, and I was truly going to miss him. It was hard sending my two oldest girls, Claire and Elizabeth, to college. So I guess I should have been used to it. But it still hit me pretty hard. At least I'm so busy with all the other kids and my job that I didn't really have time to dwell on it. But he will be the heir to the Cox Empire, so I'm sure I'll be living with him again. Even if it is when I'm an old lady!

Shortly after Samuel moved to college, Heidi had a birthday. She became a teenager! Just when I get all the hormone-driven teenagers out of the house, another one takes their place! But she turned into a beautiful young lady. She's decided that she's going to be the first female Business Tycoon in Fortune Shores...and a millionaire to boot!

Heidi Cox
Aspiration: Fortune
LTW: Become Business Tycoon
10 neat, 1 shy, 8 active, 10 playful, 3 grouchy
Zodiac: Virgo
Turn Ons: blond hair/black hair
Turn Off: glasses

And what do you think the first thing she did as a teenager was? If you said, "find a boyfriend" you're wrong! That girl went out and got her a job! Can you believe that? When most teenagers go out partying and on dates, my girl gets a job! She must be really serious about this Business Tycoon thing. She became a gopher for one of the Fortune Shores Corporations. Who knows, maybe one day she'll own it!

And as a teenager, Heidi spent even more time with her little sister Charlotte. There wasn't a single moment when Charlotte wasn't in Heidi's arms, or being read to by her big sister. You would have thought Heidi was a family sim!

The next birthday came around and this time it was Blazej's turn to blow out the candles. He joined Heidi in the land of pimples and hormones! And he's not half bad lookin' either. He has become enfatuated with Edwin Reinhart, the basketball Hall of Famer that lives down the street from us. He has determined that sports is his life calling. He's going to be a Hall of Famer one day too...and make lots of money doing it!

Blazej Cox
Aspiration: Fortune
LTW: Become Hall of Famer
5 neat, 8 outgoing, 6 active, 3 serious, 3 grouchy
Zodiac: Aries
Turn Ons: red hair/black hair
Turn Off: cologne

Julie's birthday was soon after, and she became a teenager as well. She decided to cut all her hair off because it was too much effort. I dare say that girl will never be a Buttercup winner. But she does look rather sophisticated now. And her new haircut really does suit her. She has decided to take the more studious route of life, and says she wants to learn everything there is to know about everything. Sounds like my old Aunt Peggy if you ask me. Only Julie is a lot sweeter!

Julie Cox
Aspiration: Knowledge
LTW: Max out 7 skills
4 sloppy, 4 shy, 4 lazy, 7 playful, 6 nice
Zodiac: Aquarius
Turn Ons: glasses/blond hair
Turn Off: face masks

So there were now 3 teenagers in the house. And I thought have 2 teenagers was bad! Heh, 3 is unbelievable. They would stay up till all hours of the night talking and playing around. Not to mention the blaring of the TV and radio! It was amazing I didn't kill all 3 of them! But I was happy to see that they were all so close. Oh, and Blazej finally decided on a sport...baseball!

Since we had so many kids, I'm sure it will be no surprise to you that we had yet another birthday to celebrate. This time for Charlotte again. She's now a child, and still mighty cute! And still as hyper as ever!

With all of her brothers and sisters as teenagers, Charlotte often was left alone to play. Except for when Heidi was home from work and school. But regardless, Charlotte was feeling awfully lonely. So, Kennedy and I decided to get her a friend...a puppy! The new puppy was pure white, so Charlotte named him Powder.

She was so excited when we brought that puppy home! She wouldn't put him down! She carried him around everywhere, and she was no longer lonely. I think it's good for kids to have someone to grow up with. And now Charlotte has Powder!

And then Kennedy started feeling lonely. Well, not really lonely...just restless. He really wanted to have 6 children, but I had refused to have another baby. But he said that it would really mean alot to him if we had another child. But I was so close at work to getting that final promotion. So we compromised and decided to adopt one final child. Rudolph became our son the next day, and Kennedy was over-joyed at the arrival of his 6th child.

Rudolph is a nice boy, but he's a tad bit grouchy. Although, so are the rest of my children! So I suppose he fits right in! But he's really outgoing which is a wonderful thing in a household full of kids!

Rudolph Cox
5 neat, 8 outgoing, 6 active, 3 serious, 3 grouchy
Zodiac: Aries

And then it happened...I finally got promoted! Now I was a household, erm..kitchen, name and a Celebrity Chef! My life's work is done! Now I can just sit back and bask in the lime light! As a present, Kennedy surprised me by re-doing our kitchen! It was in desperate need of appliance and cabinet upgrades! He even bought a new dinette set as well! It was the perfect gift!

And the last thing of importance that I must share with you is that all of the kids are now attending Fortune Shores Academy, the prestigious private school of Fortune Shores! Benjamin and Samuel attended that school, and now all the rest of the kids do too. And they love it. So far, Blajez, Heidi, and Julie all plan on attending college, so I'm sure next time you stop by there will be 3 less kids in this house! Until then, see ya!

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Fairfax Funny Pic:

What a lovely view.

A New Family

2007-02-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

The Berkley Family
3 Fortune Drive
$80,003
Title: A New Family
Lot: Berkley- Demi, Tessa, Miles, RolandGo- Jeff
Last Visit: Big Luau in the Sky

Demi: Welcome back! It's been quite a while since you last came around! Things have been going quite well around here during that time. The kids have finally moved on after their father's death. Although I still miss Howard more than anything, I have finally found happiness with Jeff. But not everything has been peachy around here. We've had some problems with dear Miles. You remember, the oldest of my twin sons? Well, I would wake up in the middle of the night for a snack (I was still pregnant at the time), and I'd hear the front door opening and then footsteps on the stairs. I peeked into the boys room once and saw Miles sneaking into bed, and it was close to 3 am!

At first I thought nothing of it. Maybe he needed to get some fresh air, or he couldn't sleep for some reason. But then I started noticing that he wasn't getting up in time for breakfast. As if he didn't get any sleep at all at night. The rest of us would have breakfast together, but Miles' plate would just sit there and grow cold. I knew something was going on.

So the next night, I went to bed at my usual time but I didn't go to sleep. I waited until I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and going out the front door. I snuck out to the living room and found out firsthand what my Miles was doing all those nights. He was sneaking out with that girlfriend of his, Jade O'Malley! I always heard that she was a trouble maker, but now I really believe it. My Miles would have never done anything like this if it weren't for her.

Well rest assured that Jeff and I had quite a chat with Mr. Miles, and I don't think he'll be pulling any late-nighters ever again. Instead though, he has resorted to having Jade over from the moment they get out of school to the moment of his curfew. And they are always all over each other. Right in front of the other kids too.

I know his actions have had quite an impact on Tessa and Roland. Before I knew it, all three of them had their significant other's over to our house. Roland must have been taking lessons in the romance department from Miles, because he was always trying to make a move on Cercie Reinhart. Of which I'm sure her father is not too thrilled about. He doesn't seem to like my Roland, and I'm quite sure it's just because Roland isn't the heir to the Berkley estate (see Growing Pains). Well, if Miles keeps up this kind of behavior, Roland just might become the heir after all.

And as for Tessa. I don't know what got into that girl. Talk about raging hormones. There isn't a time when she's not on the couch with that boyfriend of hers, Samuel Cox. It seems like I am constantly yelling at her to get off that boy! Oh the joy of having 3 teenagers in the house at once!

Well, with all the hormones in the house, I almost forgot about my own! I was going crazy with this pregnancy. It seemed worse than ever before, although when I was pregnant with Miles and Roland it was pretty bad too. Finally the big day came and I went into labor. Everyone was gone at school and work, so it was just me.

I was glad to not have a bunch of people gathered around me during the labor. But once the babies were born, I wished I had an extra pair of hands. And yes, you heard me right. Babies. Twins, again. This time I had a boy and a girl, whom I named Philip and Phoebe. They both have Jeff's red hair and brown eyes, but only Phoebe had his skin tone. They are quite cute, and I must say that I was happy to have another daughter. (Editor's Note: I swear I didn't use cheesecake this time. All those cheesecake uses for the Linwood's must have made a lasting effect on my game!)

When Jeff finally got home from work, he couldn't believe that there were two babies waiting for him in the nursery. He must have stood in there staring at Philip and Phoebe for an hour at least! Talk about speechless!

Luckily, my work gave me some time off to care for the new babies. I had forgotten how hard it was to raise twins. Last time I had twins, I had Howard there to help me full time since he didn't work. Jeff works long hours, so it was all up to me to take care of the babies. I felt like a juggler for awhile there.

In all the hub-bub, I bet you forgot that Jeff and I still were not married yet! We were engaged, as I'm sure you remember. We were planning on having a formal ceremony after the babies were born, but then the twins came along and things just got too crazy. So instead, we just said our vows right there at home in front of all the kids and took a day off from work together. It was nice and gave no stress of planning a wedding at all. So now I'm Mrs. Demi Go, no longer a Berkley. I guess the family is now The Go's...until Miles takes over anyway.

Well, it wasn't long before the new twins had their first birthday. They transitioned into the cutest toddlers Fortune Shores has ever seen! Especially my little Phoebe.

Philip Go
5 neat, 9 outgoing, 7 active, 3 serious, 7 nice
Zodiac: Aries

Phoebe Go
5 neat, 3 shy, 7 active, 3 serious, 7 nice
Zodiac: Pisces

It had been so long since I last had toddlers in the house that I nearly forgot what to do! And I definitely had forgotten how much work they are...especially when there's two of them at the same time! But Philip was just a little sweetheart. He was very content just being held and snuggled.

Phoebe was too, except she tended to get a little fussy if she got too sleepy. I worked hard with them to teach them how to walk and talk, and poor Phoebe hated every bit of it. All she wanted to do was play with her talking bunny head! But boy was she adorable.

And the teens finally kicked in and started helping me out. They fell in love with their little brother and sister. Tessa and Roland would always fight over holding the twins, and Phoebe took right to Miles. If he was in the room, she had to be with him. Which left Tessa and Roland to fight over Philip. It was so cute.

And then it was time for another birthday for the twins. They grow up so fast, don't they? We had a little party for them and some neighbors stopped by to celebrate with us.

And here they are as kids. That Phoebe sure is turning out to be a pretty girl. I'm not so sure about Philip though! He seems to have hit that awkward stage of childhood. But I'm sure he'll grow up to be handsome, just like his daddy.

Soon after the twins grew up, it was time to say goodbye to my three oldest kids. Tessa, Miles and Roland were all heading off to college. They all decided on Academie La Tour and packed into a taxi to start their new independent lives! Although I believe they are all moving into the same dorm! Lord knows I'm gonna miss those crazy kids.

The house felt so awkward, not to mention quiet, without those three around. I became really depressed as time went on. It felt like I was totally different person. You know, when I first moved into that house it was Howard's. And then it was mine and Howard's. And then we had three beautiful children that we raised in that house. And then in the blink of an eye it seemed, here I was still in that house...only with a new man and two new children that never knew the life I had there before. I went out and cried my heart out to Howard and I felt like he was still there with me.

And then it hit me. I wasn't a different person, and I wasn't leading a different life with different people. I had some great times with Howard and I still had three wonderful children of his. But I had been given the gift of finding someone else who could make me happy. And now I had two more beautiful children with yet another man who held my heart.

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Berkley Funny Pic:

Roland becomes friends with the trashcan.

Blogs List Updates

2007-01-29T14:35:00.003-05:00

Click on a link below to be taken to that day's new blog updates:

January 29, 2008
February 15, 2008
March 29, 2008
August 7, 2008