When it rains, it pours

Spring of 2009, Zac Burrego is 50, Jodi is 49, Fyodor is 5, Cicero is 1



We ended last year on a sad note. First I lost my father and in December my mother died. We all took it hard, me, Zac, the girls, Fyodor. It was a hard pill to swallow. Even though he meet both his grandparents when he was a baby, Fyodor constantly called my mom in Apple Valley just to talk, to say "hi," to tell her the A he received on his report card.



Even little Cicero took the news hard. Well I don't think he actually understood what was going on, but he picked up on the vibes going around the house. He could see that we were sad, which made him sad.



The fishes in the fish tank always makes him fell better. He'll stand there for a while, mesmerized at their swimming forms. He'll giggle and point, babbling to himself and anyone who will listen to him.



Fish watching also makes him sleepy. He's so sweet rubbing his tired eyes.



My sister Jolie called, we had to discus mom's will and the distribution of her money. I really didn't want to do it. Having to do it for dad was bad enough. I really dislike death. I wish we all could live forever, but this is something that must be done.

The twins also called from school asking if they could have their share. But I decided against it. I would put it in their trust accounts and upon graduation they would receive it.



January began with a snow storm. Knocking out the power around Riverdale. I think that might have contributed to the fire/explosion at the school. I'm just glad no one was hurt.

Zac and I were watching TV one night and he mentioned that we hadn't been out on the town in ages. I stopped to think, had it really been that long? The last time we were on a date was when the girls were still children. It had been that long!

I agreed, a night on the town was an excellent idea. It would also help get my mind off my mom.



That following Saturday night I called the baby sitter and got ready. As I was putting the final touches on my make-up I noticed some tiny wrinkles around my eyes. When did that happen? When did I start to get wrinkles? Man, I'm starting to feel old. I'm only 49. Where did the time go? Well, no need to worry over aging, I'm going out for some fun tonight!





We headed down to Super Bowl Bowling to play a few games. I really enjoying bowling, but I like playing at the pool table they have there too.

Needless to say I creamed Zac on the lanes. He needs to practice some more. lol

We decided to try out the photo booth. No! Not for that! Gutter brains. We only took goofy pictures. We are way to tame to do public anything other than hold hands, lol.

And I still find Zac as attractive as he was the day I met him. I may like to do things in public, but it goes against my morals.

Once we left the bowling alley we headed over to Cafe Mode for a nice dinner and some adult conversation. Needless to say as hard as we tried we still ended up talking about the children. I guess once a parent always a parent, lol.

Okay, maybe it's not against my morals for a quick romp in the jeep after dinner. Hey, I blame it on too much champagne.

Sadly, tragedy struck once more. Around 3 am the next morning Zac frantically woke me up. I could hear the smoke detector screeching in the background, and as I slowly woke up I smelled smoke. We dashed out of our bedroom only to find the living room engulfed in flames.

I frantically ran towards the nursery to get Cicero. He was standing in his crib crying. He had no clue to what was going on, but he could smell something, and it told him that something bad was happening.

Zac had ran to Fyodor's bedroom but our son was no where to be found. I almost had a nervous breakdown right there, but I had to get out of the house, as the flames were moving faster.

We exited the back door located in the kitchen, and that's where we found Fyodor. He had smelled the smoke and heard the detector too. And doing what we always told him, he ran out of the house, meeting us at our safe place.

The fire department soon arrived. Our alarm system alerting them to the threat. Zac stood there in shock as the fire raced through the rest of the house.

All I could do was stand there, clutching Cicero to me, and watch as the flame destroyed everything. We lost everything except the clothes on our backs, and the tiny bit of things we had in storage.

Our whole lives gone in an instant. But I should complain, I should be happy. We all made it out alive, that's what matters. At least I was able to save our family photo albums.

Notes from GB: Well if you're read my ROS post you'll see about the fire. This really killed me. And I'll have to be honest when I first rolled this ROS the Burrego's popped up. I didn't want them to be homeless so I rerolled. And guess what? Yup, their name popped back up. So I took that as fate. They were to lose their home in a fire. *cries* I loved that house, I built it, lol. I didn't actually burn it up though. After the fire bomb was put out, I moved them out and put the house in my lots bin. But this was really really hard. At least no one died. *yay*

With age comes wisdom... maybe

Spring of 2009 Peter Ottamas is 58, Samantha Ottamas is 57, Danny is 15, Keegan in 13, and Amanda is 5



Amanda is growing up to be a little fire cracker. She wants everyone to like her, unfortunately not everyone see eye to eye with her on that idea. The Butler isn't to taken with her.

Amanda distracts him from his daily tasks, making him take longer than normal. He was hired for a reason, and wasting time talking with Amanda is not one of them.

That doesn't bother her though. She sees her older brother Danny studying on the couch in the living room. She just go over and have a conversation with him. Her brothers always have time for her.



Keegan on the other hand is a bit shy. He's happy to finally be out of the awkward stage of 12, not a kid but not yet a teen. Well at 13 one can't deny that he isn't a teen. And being a teen means spending hours upon hours gazing in the mirror at non existent muscles.


And searching for facial hair that is still a few years off.


But finding something totally unexacting... acne. Poor Keegan. He just hopes the girl he's crushing on doesn't notice too much.



He talks about her constantly. Keegan tells Danny how badly he wants his first kiss to be with her, and their father looks on, remembering his first kiss with their mother. Awww, how romantic.

But every time Danny's asks Keegan for her name he only blushes but refuses to tell his older brother. There is no way in the world he'd tell who he is crushing on. They all attend the same school. He doesn't want Danny to ruin it for him. He'll make his move when he's ready... that's what he tells himself anyway.


Samantha does her best to have family meals together at least four times a week. She's done this since the beginning of their family. When it was just her, Peter, and Peter's mom, Dora. Family meals are important, it's how one keeps up with their family and their lives. Granted, you're not always going to be told what's going on. Like sons who get their girlfriends pregnant, or a daughter who has way to many boyfriends. But at least an effort is made, and the children know their parents love them.

She has to fight back tears. Her family used to be so big, but they lost Dora when Bart was only a new born. Then David went to college, and after graduating and being left at the alter by Emma, he took off to travel around the world. And then Sharla moved out followed by Tommy and then Bart. The large family is shrinking. And next school year Amanda starts school. Time flies by so quickly.

That's when Amanda starts to talk about how creepy the night can get. And the only light that one can see are from the stars and moon in the sky.


And how cool would it be f Grandma Dora came back ti visit them.


Danny agreed, thinking it was an excellent idea. He at least knew their grandmother, and he missed her dearly. If only it were possible, he didn't believe in ghosts anyway. And told this to Amanda. Peter just sat there wondering how they got on the subject of ghost and his beloved mother haunting them. He was glad when the topic changed to the coming summer.



Samantha could only roll her eyes when her husband got up from the dinner table and told Danny to pull his finger. What kind of manners were they teaching Amanda. A girl should never have to deal with flatulence jokes.

Peter also offered to help with the dishes. Yeah, make sure you put those in the dishwasher when he's done Samantha!

Amanda's best friend in the whole wide world, Brooke Sanchez drops by at all hours. Well not ALL hours, but she seems to show up after dinner nightly. And always wanting to play a game of Don't Wake the Llama. She complains that her mom is watching Sim Nation's Next Top Model, and how much she hates that show.

Amanda adamantly disagrees with her, stating that she plans on being on that show when she's older. She's going to be a model/actress when she's big. And Brooke will have no choice but to watch the show to support her.

Brooke only laughs and turns back to her game. Amanda glares at her. She'll she, when she's a famous model Brooke would have wished she watched the show!

ROS for Years 2009 - 2010

So I decided to post the ROS here instead of the main site because I figured it would fit in more here. So they will be posted here, and of course I'm not going to tell you who's going to have what happen to them. You'll just have to keep an eye out and see. So here they go. I used Laura's ROS for this round.

1) Oh noes! There has been a terrible house fire! Everything was lost, but at least the family is safe! Zac and Jodie Burrego

2) You're feeling creative. Take up a new hobby or start a new business. Woohoo! Trisha and Clay Johnson

3) Death by car accident. So sad. :( Newton Novak

4) Ouch! You've been in a car accident! Lose 5 body points and 2 active points. Nathan Novak

5) You deserve better! Pursue a relationship with the Sim you're most attracted to. If that's your spouce, then they're lucky. Emma King

6) Pick a fight with a family member. You're just a kid, so you don't need a reason why. Grump kid! Marcus Brooks


So there you have it. Keep those eyes open!

Death Becomes Him

Spring 2009 Simone Lewis is 27, Ryker Lewis is 30



Being pregnant wasn't nearly as fun an I had expected it to be. Once I got over the morning sickness the hunger came. And not normal hunger either. I'm constantly hungry. Morning, noon and, night hungry. I eat like two servings of food and still have room for a snack... or two... or three.

I hope I don't blow up. It's in my genes. My mom battled her weight for as long as I can remember. She finally won the battle of the bulge a few years ago, right before Brad and Bret turned into teens. But still, I can't help but worry does fate have the same enstore for me. I work out though. Not to much, yoga and basketball. I love that game. And I do my best to eat healthy, even with the snacking. Lots of salads and fruits and veggies.



Ryker was starting to feel sick again. Which sent of warning bells for me. The last time he got sick he almost died. Neither of us wanted a repeat performance of that, so he made himself a nice fresh glass of Orange juice. He told me he felt better almost instantly. I'll keep an eye on him anyway, just to make sure. I don't want to be a widow just yet, and I don't want our baby growing up without his/her daddy.



Did I mention how thrilled Ryker is about the baby? He is. If I wouldn't get in trouble I'd say he's tickled pink! lol All he does is rub my belly and talk to the baby. We'll lay across he bed at night and he'll just want. He can't wait until the baby starts to move. We have another month or two before we can feel anything.

I can't wait either. This is very exciting. I never thought I wanted kids. But everything changes when you almost lose the love of your life. We're currently looking for a new place. A one bedroom apartment with a cat is no room for a newborn. I just haven't made up my mind on were to move. I was thinking about the city, but Ryker likes it here in the burbs. We'll see.




I'm not even that big yet and I tell Ryker I feel like a mini beach ball. He only smiles and tells me that I'm glowing. It brings a tiny smile to my lips. He always knows how to make me feel better.

He tells me to tag along with him as he runs to the store. I don't want to go but walking is good for the heart!



Yeah, we go grocery shopping, and some how I end up buying everything. Not to mention I went way over the shopping list buying what ever tickled my fancy. Buying food and being pregnant does not mix.

And news travels fast. This guy comes up to Ryker to ask him about cheating death, what it was like, and did he see any lights?

Strange man.




Being around all that food made me hungry so we decided to drop by my mom's restaurant. Rkyer worked here when I was a teen and finishing up college. My mom wanted me to take over Cafe Mode, but I couldn't. No matter how disappointed she was with me cooking for a living just isn't for me. But the food here is great!

We watched as some teen almost slipped on the flooring. I'm glad that he didn't. Law suites are no fun.

Too bad no one warned the waiter. He did slip and spilt the whole tray of food all over Ryker. I couldn't help but laugh, it was funny. Mom wasn't so thrilled. She threatened to dock his pay if it happened again.

When he returned he made sure not to spill anything on me. At that point I could have cared less, I would have eaten the food off of me, lol.

"I can't believe I lost that fight!" Ryker was still fuming over some stupid fight with a neighbor.

"It's okay, babe, you'll get him next time."

"You bet I will!"

I only nodded by head in agreement. Men!

Maybe I should have gotten what he had. That chocolate cake was delicious. So was my crape, but his was yummy! I think I'll order that once I finish with this.

A nice end to a wonderful day. Tomorrow house hunting we shall go!

Those College Days

It is currently Sophomore year for Bell, Ariel, Bret and Brad. It is currently Senior year for Tommy, Asia and, Newton.

The new school year started out on a bad foot for Asia. She had finally put the miscarriage behind her and, was looking forward to finishing up her studies and graduating.

That was until she spotted him. Remember him? That wonderful blond stalker that she had from her old dorms. He had finally found her!

Asia sighed. This time he he did become a little to creepy she'd let Tommy beat him up like he had wanted to when he had first started following Asia around.


Things between Tommy and Asia were stronger than ever. And the intimacy had returned to their relationship as well. But this time Asia was smart, she didn't want a repeat performance of the previous year. She was almost finished with college, she didn't need to get stuck with a baby.



New comers had also moved in, Brad and Bret Patrelli as well as Ariel and Bell Burrego. Asia finally had a new dance partner in Brad. He enjoyed dancing as much as she did.





While others enjoyed the nice comfy couch in the den. That poor sofa, it's seem more action that Sharla Ottamas. Okay, almost as much action. But you get the picture.



And Bell's still making out with other people's boyfriends. This time it's Newton Novak. He's been smitten with her from the moment she moved into the door. Couldn't keep his eyes off of her. And once he knew that she was interested in him, he wasted no time in getting to know her better. Forgetting all about his first love Melissa. Yeah, looks like he's replaced her with Bell.

He found that he couldn't help himself, he had to declare his love for the raven haired beauty. Bell giggled. She thought it was romantic in a cheesy kind of way. How professed their love in a hot tub anyway?



That didn't stop what happened next. Neither felt they were moving to fast. The only draw back, Melissa. Bell told Newton that he would have to do something about that girl. It wasn't nice to string her along. Newton shook his head in agreement. He had more important things on his mind.


Like what their children would look like.



Ariel work up one morning not feeling herself. Just what she needed so close to the end of the school year and she gets the flu. She wouldn't let some little thing like the flu ruin her studies. She would just have to ignore it and push onward.



Bell's budding love like was just what the doctor ordered. Asia really was interested in hear about Newton and Bell, but she had a oral presentation to deliver in class. And Asia hated public speaking, even if it were for a grade.



Poor Melissa. She had no idea what was waiting for her when Newton called and invited her over. He met her outside and gave her a warm hug. He then pulled away from her, looking her straight in the eyes. He told her that he needed to speak with her.

Melissa couldn't help but wonder if this was it. Was he finally going to pop the question.



Well, she was in shock non the less. He was breaking up with her! How could he? Melissa was devastated.

Newton on the other hand was surprised at how easy the breakup went. He thought he'd feel a bit sadden by it. But to be honest he wasn't. He explained to her that it wasn't her, and it wasn't him. They just didn't have chemistry, and it wasn't right leading her on with the assumption that there would be more to their relationship.

All that was find and dandy but what it all translated to for Melissa was "other woman." And she was right. She had asked him, and Newton was honest. He had met someone who was more his equal. Melissa wished that she hadn't asked, but she needed to know.

Hurt and deject the redhead turned and walked away.



Ariel over heard most of the brake up conversation but really couldn't care. She had other things on her mind. Like how she wasn't suffering from the flu but she could be pregnant. Man, she knew woohooing on that couch was a really bad idea. She was so reoccupied with the idea of becoming a mother that she forgot to change for classes.



Newton raced into the cafeteria and told Bell the good news. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that he dumped his ex for her, or maybe it was the sparkle in his eye. But Bell know for a fact that she was in love with Newton Novak. Things couldn't get any better.

______________________________
Sophomore Year Final Grades:

Eva Brooks: Biology Major - B+ GPA 3.7
Ariel Burrego: Political Science Major - B GPA 3.6
Bell Burrego: Literature Major - A GPA 3.7
Brad Patrelli: Economics Major - B+ GPA 3.6
Bret Patrelli: Art Major - A- GPA 3.5
Tina Traveller: History Major - A- GPA 3.9
Bart Ottamas: History Major: B GPA 3.5

_______________________________
Senior Year Final Grades and Graduating Sims:

Asia Reed: History Major B+ GPA 3.8
Dean's List
Graduated Cum Laude

Tommy Ottamas: Mathematics Major B+ GPA 3.7
Dean's List
Graduated Cum Laude

Newton Novak: Undeclared- A+ GPA 4.0
Dean's List
Graduated Summa Cum Laude



Outtakes:



Just have one for you today. Made me giggle. I think the exterminator forgot to kill one bug.