Round Six: Mandy in the Real World

Oh hey there, guys. You caught me just in time! I just got off work. I do the dishes at the cafe downtown. I'm waiting on an opening at the hospital... I don't know, I just have this overwhelming urge to run the place someday! I check the dang paper every day, and there's yet to be a help-wanted ad. I'm thinking that I might just have to go down there and demand a job in person!Well come on in, guys, I'll make some tea.Yep, I bought this cute little house, and I love it! (** You can download it here) It's the perfect size for me. I have a pretty decent sized dining room table, even if the dining room is small, which is perfect for when I have guests or coworkers over. One of my co-workers, Gilbert, just loves to come and eat my hamburgers! Not quiet sure why... they're just frozen patties that I fry up in about ten minutes.
He seems a little odd, but adorable. Hopefully we'll continue to be friends. I didn't make that many friends in high school, so I'm glad it's happening at work. Even if this isn't the job that I really want...

Well anyway, back to the house. The backyard is little, but there's plenty of room for a small garden. I've really been getting into gardening lately! Hopefully I can get good enough to grow most of my groceries at home.Oh, and I've recently taken an interest in astronomy. I work crazy shifts, and a lot of the time I have some down-time at night. What better way to spend it than gazing at the stars?
Yes, yes... I know... I got a new hair-style. I think it's very cute! What? That's not what you were whispering about? Ugh... fine... I know. I make weird faces. But the dang telescope-hole is so little!! Hopefully I can get one of the bigger ones sometime after I start making some real money...

Okay guys, I really stink so I need to hit the shower and then try to catch a nap before Gilbert comes over. Where are you going next? Lucy's? Oh, neat! Tell her I said hello and that I'll drop by soon to see her... what? jeez, you people are so secretive! Fine, just tell her I said hello. Alright, I'll see you next time!

Round Six: The Drama Queen

Oh, hi, guys!! This is Angela, welcome back! What have we been up to? Well, let's see... I've decided to start a small flower shop. I've been getting so into my flower arranging! Especially since I've retired and have a lot more time on my hands. Sometimes I just get so caught up in it, that I arrange those dang flowers all night!
I have a gold flower-arranging badge, so we're all pretty proud of that here! Here's an update picture of the house with the small flower business in the front yard.
Dustin went through a home-renovating phase... he added on upstairs for some reason, and now our roof is sky high! Silly man! Yes, Dustin is still working, but it's only once a week. Not sure when he plans on retiring, but I'm not pushing him too since it gets him in such a good mood. I think he just likes to walk around in the buff!See, and he wasn't even headed to work!
Well Melissa grew up into quite the little handful! I thought as teenagers they were supposed to need less attention?! This girl is drama, drama, drama! And she's on the phone practically 24/7!
She does look quite fetching, though, with this new hairstyle!Even though she's dramatic, Melissa is a sweetheart. She's so family oriented! She just loves hanging out at home with her ole mom'n pop. She told me that she wants six kids!! And get them all married with children! Whew... she'll definitely need to find the right man for that. Maybe Brandi's hubby, Alex, has a younger brother or cousin or something.... they've got seven kids! Too much for me to handle, that's for sure. Oh, I love my girls, but they were quite the handful when they were young.

Well, I've got that flower-arranging itch, now that you got me talking about it! You guys take care, and come back and see us alright? Buh-bye!

Round Six: The Broke Bachelors

Hey, welcome back guys! Beau Broke, here. It's been a minute since you all were around, hasn't it? Well let's see if I have some interesting stories for ya...

Well, my home business is goin' pretty good. It's at rank 8 now! I got a few great reviews, and business just started takin' off! It helped that I put in a poker table, so the men-folk could have some fun while their ladies were shoppin' away. Although, some ladies come to play, as well.
Oh, and I also bought a new building in Bluewater, that's our shopping district. Lotta nice people livin' there... very friendly, too. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet. I thought maybe a restaurant, but I'm no good at cooking. It's probably going to be some kind of shopping center, but I just can't decide what to sell!This isn't the best picture, guys... my bad. It's the little grey building on the corner.

When I'm not busy with the businesses, I work part-time for SimTech as a guild leader. I recently got a raise, so that's pretty exciting! To be honest though, I feel like as soon as I get this second business off the ground, I ought to be able to stop working. Skip's working, too, and I have a feeling he'll be making quite the paycheck after a few more years.

Since you left us, he was promoted three times! Now he's a General Practitioner. That kid is crazy-smart. If I ever have to go to the hospital, I want him to doctor me up! He's been getting kinda side-tracked with the dogs, though. Both Mox and Blackie were working as service dogs, and we got word yesterday that they're both at the top of the ladder... they can't get promoted anymore. So that lit a fire under Skip I guess... he's got them trying to breed now. Walks around mumblin' to himself sometimes 'four more...four more'. Not sure what that means.... Well, yeah, I like dogs fine, I just don't like all the hair everywhere! So we've got a puppy (or two...or three I guess) on the way.

Oh, here's a funny story for ya! Trina Goth came by the other day, and we got to chatting. She invited me, so I stopped in after work one day... and I walked in to see this!Those girls are crazy! Michelle moved in with Trina, I suppose and all they do is Smutsle all day! I would have stayed longer, but I was feelin' pretty stinky. At least I got a kiss goodbye...yep. Trina and I are just friends, and she is kinda young for me... but I won't lie... she is mighty pretty. No big plans for right now, but we'll just see where life takes us later on. I'd never really thought about having a family... mom's gaggle of kids was more than enough for me. But maybe I might like a wife. Of course, I have no idea what Trina's plans are as of yet, so I'm not makin any plans. Well, it's been nice visiting with you folks. Come back and check on me, because I'll be opening up that new business soon as I figure out what I'm sellin! Have a good one!

Round Five: Growing Up

(**Author's note: I am skipping Marie Pleasant , Kaylynn Shaikh, and Sicily Langerak's updates this round, as they haven't done much of note, and there are too few pictures to constitute a post. They'll be back in Round Six, though! Also... this update is short on pictures. I've realized that my posts are getting pretty boring, because I tend to only take pictures of major life events, and I don't really create a very good storyline for the families. After this round, I'll make a few changes to my blogging style and hopefully you all will find it a little more enjoyable reading!)

Last time we left the Pipers, Brandi and Alex had just welcomed baby Charity into the family, and there were quite a few birthdays. Let's catch up, shall we?

In keeping with the birthday theme, the twins, Mark and Maggie, transitioned into teens during this round.I don't know what it is about that ugly bubble vest and those dreadful pigtails... seems like every teen in Pleasantview is spinning into them! Mark decided on a family aspiration, and wants to reach his golden anniversary. Quite a lofty goal for a teen with no female friends on the horizon (other than his plethora of sisters). We'll see what we can do for him.
Maggie chose to focus on her career, instead of her family. She excels at writing in school and loves gossip, so her goal is to reach the top of the Journalism career. Good luck to both of you!

Unfortunately, a day or so later, Leslie got a-hold of Brandi's special elixir...
After draining what remained, she aged up a few days. Which led to a sooner-than-usual birthday.
She decided to ditch the uber-blonde locks and go for a shorter look. Leslie wants to reach the top of the Gamer career, and you can't have hair in your face while you're slaying heffalumps, woozuls, and such-like.

Since money was growing even tighter in the Piper house, Leslie decided to go ahead and find her own place, and she even let Mark & Maggie move in with her! Such a nice older sibling... we can only hope that they'll continue to do well in school without their mother hounding them all the time about grades.

Charity had a few birthdays this week as well, growing up into a child!
(** Author's note: For some reason, I don't have pictures of either of these birthdays... but I know that they happened. Not sure what went wrong there, sorry!)

So now Brandi lives with her second husband, Alex Piper, and their sixth and seventh children, Brandon and Charity (both children). Tune in next time when we find out... will she go for numbers 8-10?

Round Five: Emptying the Nest

Back at the Goth mansion, Alexander is busy skilling up. He was promoted five times this round! Alexander is now a top secret researcher, and spends most of his time gazing at the stars. He spends a lot of time on the phone with his fiancee, Tiffany. She's still in college, with no end in sight! Alex isn't too concerned about it, however. His main goal is to become a Mad Scientist, just like his old man.

Dina was still chugging along at work, and is now an assistant coach. She felt time taking its toll on her, though, and transitioned into an elder shortly after her promotion.Not too shabby, Dina! She's still trying for that Hall of Fame spot, but we'll see how tough a toll her job will take on her. I haven't decided whether or not to let her keep trying.

She beat Trina to a birthday by just a day. Trina decided that college wasn't for her (much to Alex's dismay) and spun into quite a lovely adult:She was very embarrassed that Michelle's friend was wearing the same dress, though. There was quite a fit thrown about that. I guess just because you spin into an adult, doesn't mean you suddenly begin to act like one. Well, Trina decided that she needed to get out on her own. She'd never make it into the celebrity world if she was still living at home with her mom! So she moved out with Michelle, who is only a few days from an adult birthday herself. But not before Michelle snuck her first kiss in with this boy from work:They moved to uptown Pleasantview, a new suburb that's still in its beginning stages:
They just had enough money for a one bedroom/one bath, but it was okay for them because they'd been sharing a smaller bedroom for years. Trina was a little put out that her mother only gave her $20,000 when she knew for a fact that her dad had been rolling in the cash. But she figured that once she started rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, she'd be getting paid a little more. So they settled in, and Michelle did her daily yoga out on the lawn... uh, concrete:
And that's where we'll leave them for the round. Hopefully next time will be a little more exciting for you.

Round Five: Dirk Reaches the Top

Wow, Lilith looks pretty happy, doesn't she? She's got quite a bit to be excited about, though. She was recently promoted to a legal-biller, she owns a decent home-business, a fledgling new toy shop, her husband is a business tycoon, and her son is now on his way to being self-sufficient! Life is good for Lilith.

Her home business is very steady, and she recently bought a new poker table so that her customers could entertain themselves while they wait on service. She gets some pretty interesting patrons...
Yes, Dirk finally got his promotion and is now a business tycoon.
He didn't stay at the top for very long, however. He heard that Dustin Broke made much more than he did as an ecological guru, so Dirk switched tracks and is now a scatmaster. He's so money hungry, though, that he didn't stop there. Dirk began counterfeiting his own money!
The new money supply caused quite the confusion for little Dan. He asked his mommy if daddy was a magician!
Lilith just told him that daddy works extra hard, so they give him extra money. She didn't want to get into explaining the illegality of Dirk's actions to an eight year old. Dan quickly grew up into a teenager though, fully capable of understanding what his dad does. He was determined to play it straight, and stay on the good side of the law. Dan wanted to be a Celebrity Chef. He'd heard that it was the next big career out there, and knew that the ladies loved a man who could cook.
As a teenager, Dan became fascinated with his hands... I thought that was a baby trait? Ah well, you never can tell with sims, can you?

Round Five: Sadness Strikes the Dreamers

This week was not a good one for Cassandra Dreamer. When we first join her, she's being accosted by a skunk!
Cassandra had been spending so much time outside with her small garden, that she began to feel a little too... 'one'... with nature.
While Cassandra was getting her hands dirty outside, Darren was capitalizing on his platinum aspiration by teaching Dusty some necessary skills inside.
She was never far from their minds, however. Soon, little Dusty grew like a weed into a child. He loved to play with the other children, and Maggie Piper was always over after school to play Cops and Robbers.Sadly, his parents were growing older too. Grim came for Darren late one night while he was doing the thing that he loved most (aside from inappropriate things with Cassandra), stargazing...
He was shocked at first, but then let Grim slowly take him to his tropical paradise. He knew that he would see his beloved Darleen, and that Cassandra would join him shortly. Cassandra had a much harder time dealing with his death. She just sat outside and babbled and cried for hours...Poor Dusty just hid around the corner of the house and sobbed. He felt robbed of time with his dad, and vowed that someday he would find a way to bring him back. Darren did come back...for a split second, he was there... to wave goodbye one last time to the woman he had loved from afar for so long, and then finally been blessed with.
Cassandra didn't see him that night but she would visit his grave at the Pleasantview Cemetery once a week to refresh the flowers, and perhaps catch a glimpse of the man she had loved...

Darren Dreamer passed on with a platinum aspiration due to the fulfillment of his lifetime want, becoming Chief of Staff. He is survived by his wife Cassandra; their children Belle, Derek, and Dusty; a child from his first marriage, Dirk; and a grandson, Dan. Rest in Peace, Darren.