Meet the Swift House 1 Residents: Ericka, Zaida, and James Swift
Update Written by: Ericka Swift

I arrived with my two kids at the house that the $20,000 had gotten us and was not so pleased, but not surprised. The people here rely too much on money. So the prices of things goes up up up. I have two kids to raise with the money I have left. But I suppose it beats that tiny little apartment I was initially set up with before they realized I had two kids.

Zaida and James apparently did not really care that they were not in the best house possible and were more inclined to socialize. I was pleased to find that SimCity had decided to furnish all of us with a free computer in order to make job hunting easier as we lived so far away. I was able to locate a job in the medical field as an Emergency Medical Technician.

During lunch on the day we arrived, James expressed his hope that he would be able to do more complex math such as algebra. He felt the education system in the city was holding him back and I agreed. If I have to resort to putting my kids in private school I will do so.

Part of the group of people who showed up to welcome us to the area was my next door neighbor, Trent Ratliff. He informed me that he was raising his teenage nephew after the untimely death of his sister and her husband in a car crash. I expressed my sympathy for his loss and for his nephew’s loss and told him if he needed anything to let me know. In my culture, men don’t raise children, so I was vaguely interested in how well his nephew Sean would be raised.

James must have found a stray cat as when I entered the house I saw him playing with a cat. I told him as long as the cat didn’t scratch the furniture that he was allowed to play with the cat inside. If it started scratching the furniture the cat would have to leave. I did not have the money to replace the furniture destroyed by a stray cat.

I did spend some time playing with my daughter that afternoon. I can’t believe the rules of this society are forcing me to have my daughter live somewhere else in order for my son to move back in if I want to keep the same name in the house. Though, I suppose it will give me a glimpse into how this culture works when it comes to raising kids.

Zaida and James brought home a classmate from school on their first day. I was happy that they were making friends and getting to know the local customs. It appears the kids here are more accepting of the fact that Zaida and James are aliens and not human and do not treat the two differently. The two of them seemed a lot happier coming home from school here than they ever did at the school in SimCity.

After the friend from school left, I had Zaida and James work on their homework. Zaida had gotten into her pajamas at this time since their friend had stayed here for dinner and the two had started their homework late. Zaida has a tendency to get into her pajamas after dinner and after any company has left for the day. The two of them were challenged by their homework for the first time in ages. Maybe I will not have to send them to private school after all.

Every morning, I woke the kids up and they ate breakfast at the table. Breakfast helps children focus on their school work. This allows them to do the best that they can do in school. Today I gave them cereal since the two of them both got out of bed later than they should have. I just hope this doesn’t become a habit.

Once again, the two of them brought home a friend. This time it was a local, Titus Bruton. The two of them enjoyed playing a few games of chess before they resorted to more human games such as tag and cops and robbers. That was all that happened this season that was worth reporting.

Fall 1 Progress:

Net Worth: $18,352
Cash on Hand: $2,870
Ericka’s Job: Intern
Ericka’s Skills: 1/3/0/0/3/0/5
Zaida’s Skills: 1/0/0/0/3/0/0
James’s Skills: 3/4/0/0/3/0/0

Meet the Hawthorne House 1 Residents: Milo, Milissa, Jonathon, and Christi Hawthorne.
Update Written by: Milo Hawthorne

We arrived at our new house around 9 am. We had spent as much as we felt comfortable on the house and furnishings. We hoped to both find good paying jobs soon so that we could give the best childhood that we could to our twins, Jonathon and Christi.

Milissa and I enjoy being parents. We love our kids and are willing to do anything for them. We might have been able to wall paper the place or place down floors, but we decided to spend some money in order to give the twins some toys to play with. We love playing with the kids ourselves.

The twins were a handful sometimes, so we would have to have double of some items to keep up with their demands. However, neither Milissa nor myself regretted our decision to move here. Our house there was a lot smaller and our quality of life was not as good.

I looked for a job later on, but there were no openings in the science field at the time that I wanted to take. Milissa however was able to put her foot in the door of the police force in Spring Valley. We were just glad that one of us was able to find a job to start bringing in money. We wouldn’t make it too far on the money we had left.

The twins were smart and appeared to love learning. They were learning to walk at an incredible rate. I was very pleased to see this as it would make their child and teen years easier since they seemed to enjoy learning so much already. I just hope they continued to love learning.

However, we did allow the twins to play together and both really loved the little play table we got them. Jonathon seemed to enjoy drawing and Christi seemed to enjoy playing with the blocks. I’m just glad the two of them seem to have the concept of sharing down.

Milissa soon went off to her first day at work. I should probably say night since her job was the overnight security at one of the high end shopping malls. I know it’s not exactly what she wanted to do, but the place had been robbed several times at night and the new people were being sent there to test them and it was the overnight shift.

It left me at home in the early morning to take care of both of the twins, but I took it in stride and I knew my wife would get a promotion soon enough and work daylight hours. However, not sure how much she’d be able to help in the morning since she has to get ready for work, but she’ll probably do something small regardless.

Soon enough it was Jonathon and Christi’s birthday. Each of them got to blow out candles on their own cake. I was both happy and sad they were growing up. I would miss my little toddlers, but I was happy for the challenge of raising twin children now.

Jonathon grew up to be quite a cute kid. I wonder what he’ll aspire to be when he grows up. I wonder what life has in store for my oldest son. The rules of the town say that a son has to inherit the lands and this leaves Jonathon for heir. I do hope he’ll make a good heir.

Christi also grew up to be adorable. Like with Jonathon, I wonder what she’ll aspire to do and I wonder who she will marry. I wonder if she’ll marry an heir to a household or if she will marry someone she meets in college or someone she meets at work or while out shopping or something.

Milissa continuously worked hard in order to reach her goal of being Captain Hero. She was on the short list of people being considered for promotion to be the Spring Valley Patrol Officer. The population was small enough only one patrol officer was needed and Milissa wanted that position badly. It would be close to home and a closer step to her dream job.

That night we had a visitor from across the street, Leanne Campbell. It was also the night that Milissa would learn if she was the one who got to be the patrol officer for Spring Valley. Leanne told us she hoped Milissa got the promotion as it would be nice for a local person to be the patrol officer. She would know the personalities of the people in the town. Later that night, Milissa came home and said she got the promotion.

The next morning, Trent Ratliff had come over and we were talking outside. He seemed fairly happy considering only a few months ago he lost his sister and her wife to a car accident and was raising his teenage son.

That afternoon was the first day of school for Jonathon and Christi and both came home with homework. Milissa and I were able to help the two of them learn the basics of studying. I just hope the two of them will continue to work on and hone their studying skills in order to succeed in school.

Milissa and I spent some time on our day off while the kids were at school to do things. It had been a while since the two of us got to spend any quality time between the two of us. While I love my kids, I have missed interacting at this level with my wife.

[Actually, this was ACR's doing and as you can tell by the next picture, they didn't choose to just woohoo.]

Milissa was shocked to find one day that she was pregnant. Neither of us really wanted another child, but apparently this was the 0.1% chance that the birth control failed. Luckily for us, we are fairly well off financially and could handle another child at this time.

Later that afternoon, I had just arrived home from my job which I had finally managed to secure the day before and was greeted by my daughter. And that was all that happened this season.

Fall 1 Progress

Net Worth: $17,615
Cash on Hand: $1,683
Milo’s Job: Lab Assistant
Milo’s Skills: 4/0/0/0/1/0/3
Milissa’s Job: Patrol Officer
Milissa’s Skills: 1/0/1/3/1/0/1
Jonathon’s Skills: 2/1/0/3/3/4
Christi’s Skills: 1/1/0/0/2/3/0

And in a house on the edge of town, four extraordinary women were lounging around in their living room, waiting for a phone call. These women were the four town super heroes;

Seera,

Olive the Great,

Shannon, and

Crow who were all waiting patiently for the next time they would be needed to once again save the town they resided in.

On this particular day though, the amount of crime was nearly nonexistent and so these four women were sitting around in their living room enjoying their time off, though they were somewhat bored.

“What should we do guys?” Olive asked as she lounged on the couch, lazily opening her eyes. “It looks like there’s nothing big going on today.”
“I don’t know,” Shannon replied, and she yawned. She was sitting on the floor with her back turned to a bright patch of sunlight that was spilling in from the window behind her. “Well…” Seera said, her eyes sparkling as the others could see an idea forming in her mind.

“What is it?” Crow asked, leaning in a little closer. Seera always came up with the most interesting ideas.
“I just realized that none of us know how any of the others got their powers, and I’ve always been rather curious.” Seera replied with a smile.
Olive and Shannon nodded their heads in agreement, but Crow just looked down at the floor. “Well then how about we each take turns telling our stories?” Shannon suggested and Olive and Seera immediately agreed.
“Is that alright with you?” Olive asked when she looked over at Crow who simply nodded her head.

Seera looked around at the three others after the suggestion of telling their back stories was given. Seera decided to be a bit more outgoing than she had been in years and said, “I’ll go first, if no one has any objections.” She waited for a minute or two and when no one objected she began,

“I was always one of the more popular kids in school. I suppose I was only really popular because I was rich. That and was smart and was nice enough to help people out. So I had some people who just wanted to be friends with the rich kid and some who liked me for who I was. Or at least I thought.

It was the pool party between tenth and eleventh grade. The last party before school started. Anyways, during the pool party it began to storm and it was a thunderstorm. Everyone was bummed.

I then wished it would suddenly stop storming and become sunny again and my wish was granted. Everyone was so happy.”
Seera took a deep breath and then continued, “I then went home and began testing to see if it was just a coincidence that what I wished for happened or if I had caused it to stop raining.

Turns out I did cause it. I made it rain, heck I even made it snow and it had been a hot day that day. The next day at school I told everybody and when they didn’t believe me, I proved it to them.

Little did I know, the school wasn’t ready for a mutant to be in their midst, rich or not. I instantly went from being one of the most popular kids in school to an outcast. I was still invited to parties and such and I still went. But I knew I was only invited to make sure the weather stayed nice. And I only went because I was too nice to say no and was too polite to not go once I agreed to go.”

“I eventually decided to hone my skills, I couldn’t really control my powers. I once almost made a blizzard on the hottest day the summer before my senior year of high school,” Seera continued on, “It took me most of my senior year to get a good grip on controlling my power, but I eventually got in control of it. Eventually the police started asking me to mask their stealth operations once I turned 18. They just told me the location and I fogged it up. I didn’t even have to go there. And one thing lead to another and here I am.”
Seera then looked around and waited to hear the next story.

“I’ll go next if that’s alright,” Olive said after she had finished listening to Seera’s story. The others looked at her, waiting expectantly for the story, and so she began.
“My story is rather an odd one,” Olive the Great began as the others leaned in closer to listen. “When I was younger I rarely left my house as my parents refused to let me drive anywhere. I lived an extremely sheltered life, I didn’t know about anything outside the walls of my house. I was homeschooled from the time I reached school age until high school. I knew nothing about the outside world and I hated it.

The only knowledge of the outside that I had was of my neighbor. He was a funny old man named Mr. Reynolds. He had thick glasses, ivory white hair, was very short. On the weekends he would pay me money for doing odd jobs around his yard or house. My parents allowed me to go over there as long as he didn’t have the news on or any newspapers lying around while I was there, and he agreed to that.

“Ever since I was a young child I dreamed of breaking free and finding out about what was around me in the world. So I saved up every single last bit of money that Mr. Reynolds gave me, even down to the pennies, in a jar that I hid in the back of my closet.

On the day that I turned 16 my parents and I got into a huge fight. I remember it clearly because it was the day that my life was going to change forever.
“’I want to leave.’ I had told them. My parents had merely laughed at me.
“’You know nothing about the world outside, you would be much better staying here where you’ll always be safe.’ My parents both gave me a stern look. ‘Besides, you aren’t legally allowed to leave until you’re 18.’ My mother had said. My father looked at her with a scathing look when he heard what she said and she quickly clamped her mouth shut.
“’Either way, you aren’t leaving.’ My father had said.”

“’Fine then,’ I had said, ‘stop me!’” I then ran into my room and grabbed the jar from the back of my closet. I had counted the money the night before and almost had $2,000 rolled up in odd bills and a large pile of coins.
“My parents were stunned when they saw me walk out with my backpack filled with my clothes and some food that I had ‘borrowed’ from the refrigerator the night before. The just stood in the living room with their mouths hanging open as I walked out the door and out into the real world.

“I traveled far and wide, never staying in the same place for more than a few days. I slept in random alley ways and sometimes took a cheap motel for the night if I felt like I needed a good’s night sleep. After a month or two though, my money was running short. I decided that I needed to do something to earn some more, but I didn’t know what.

“I was walking along the street in a town that I couldn’t remember the name of if I had tried when I saw a street fair up ahead. One of the tents seemed to be calling me somehow and I felt myself drawn to it. As I entered it I saw an old lady dressed in a brightly colored dress with long gray hair draped underneath an orange scarf that was wrapped around her head.

“’I know why you are here.’ She said to me. I didn’t reply. For some reason I felt as if she could see straight into my soul and had no need for my words.
“’You are looking for a way our of your current situation, but you have no idea what to do. I know that in your pocket you have one $100 bill and nothing else. I also know that with that money you can buy the solution to all of your problems.

“She then reached behind her and pulled out a magic lamp. It was shinier and more glowingly gold than anything I had ever seen before, and completely trusting the woman I gave her the rest of my money and walked out of her tent with my purchase, not hearing her evil cackling trailing out of the tent behind me. “I tried desperately for the rest of that night to figure out what was so special about that stupid lamp that when the morning sun began to climb higher into the sky I felt like crying. I knew I had been conned.

“I stared blankly at the lamp, watching as the sun shone brighter and brighter in its reflection. I reached down to rub some dust that I saw on the side of the lamp, and to my surprise a purple cloud of gas began puffing out from the spout.

“The puff of purple smoke slowly shaped into a man who began to speak. ‘I am here to grant you three wishes. What can I do for you, Master?’ he asked.
“I was so awestruck that without thinking, I blurted out two of my childhood wishes, ‘I wish to be able to be invisible, and to be able to fly.’
“’Your wishes are my command,’ he said, and he pointed his finger at my chest. I felt a shock of electricity course through my body as he worked his magic.
“’What else may I do for you?’ he asked me. At this point I realized that I was still broke, so I made my list wish a more practical one.
“’I wish that anytime I reach into this jar, there will be enough money for whatever I need in it.’

“’Your wish is my command,’ he said, and he pointed his finger at my jar. A big crack of lightning then appeared where the lamp had been, and in a split second, the genie and the lamp were both gone.” Olive looked around at the group of heroes around her. “And that’s how I got to be where I am.” She stated matter-of-factly and then leaned back in her chair.

“Me next,” Shannon stated, and started in on her story.
Shannon smiled cheerfully at the three girls sitting around her. She was never shy about this kind of thing, and the parts she was ashamed about were usually easy to cover up with lies. After listening to the other two stories though, she had no urge to cover up the truth.

“If we want to go so far back as to talk about our home lives, I wouldn’t say I came from a broken home, just one that was oddly formed. I never knew my father as anybody other than a biological donor to my cause. By the time I was five, I didn’t dwell on the fact that I knew nothing of him, I just didn’t care. Well, that’s what I told people.”

“From what I remember, I wasn’t born with my magic, despite being born into a very supernatural world. I figured out that something was odd in middle school when I started attending the public school near my home. Normal kids don’t have family friends who stalk the night and are one with the local flora. It was then I started wondering why I was so different compared to my family.”

“I had no magical talent, no magical abilities to name, nothing special. So, I covered it all up, I lied and made up stories to make myself seem normal to the world I decided to be a part of. Despite how outrageous they seemed coming from my mouth, people bought it.”

“It was my going away party that changed everything. I was heading off to the state university, with all intentions of devoting my life to the art world and forgetting this magical bunch of people who found me to be a freak once I got there.”

“Halfway through the party, a man showed up, clothed in black. He wore what I knew to be a warlocks’ cloak and hat. In an instant I knew who he was. My father, my biological donor, had finally arrived. A childhood prayer had been answered.”

“I ran to him and flung my arms around him, not caring about the thoughts I could see so clearly forming in people’s heads. When I touched him, I felt the difference within me. Something had changed, I had changed. For the first time in my life, I felt that power the other kids had talked about in elementary school, and I wanted my turn to show off.”

Shannon paused, casting her violet eyes away from the group in the living room.
“I’m not proud of what happened over the next four years, so I’m not going to mention it. By the time I turned 21 I had realized that my father was using me. By that time, it was too late for the redemption my soul needed, or so I thought. We had long ago destroyed the magical world I had grown up in, it was no longer a place with room for good. But, it wasn’t in the magical world I found what I needed to cleanse myself.”

“It was in the plain old mortal, non-magical world. The place I had been planning to flee to when my difference made me an outcast at home. With my heart heavy, I discovered what a simple happiness spell could do for a person, and with each little life saved from personal destruction, I felt my life lighten.”

Shannon leaned back on the floor, her story was almost done. “I still don’t consider myself a hero these days, but if that’s what the papers have been calling my deeds, if that’s how I’m received by the public, then let me be a hero.”

Once Shannon was done with her story everyone looked expectantly at Crow. She had mostly been quiet during the stories of the others due to her shy nature. Her mouth turned up into a cynical smile and her eyes lost their focus as if she was remembering something.
“My story is not a happy one,” she blatantly stated. “I wasn’t always the hero that I am now either. In fact, I didn’t even know that I had my powers for quite awhile.” Her smile faded as she began her story.

“My family life was not a good one. Happiness was not a word that you would use to describe my house. My father was abusive and would hit me or my mother whenever he was upset about anything. It didn’t matter what it was that he was upset about either, in fact most of the times it could be something as small nicking himself shaving. It didn’t matter; he would work himself up into a fury and go crazy.” She paused and looked around at the sympathetic eyes of the others and slowly continued on.

“One night my dad came home drunk and extremely angry. Neither my mom nor I knew what was wrong, but he immediately started beating up on my mother. I heard someone crying out telling him to stop and realized as he stopped and came toward me that the words had come from my own mouth. He swayed as he walked over to where I was standing and then picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.”

“He marched to my bedroom, threw me onto the floor, then slammed the door and walked out. I heard the lock on my door being shut and angry footsteps retreating back into the living room. At this point I couldn’t take it anymore. I flung a couple changes of clothes and some other things that I knew I couldn’t live without into a duffel bag. I grabbed a heavy book and threw it as hard as I could at my bedroom window, surprisingly shattering the glass with one toss. I heaved myself up and out and ran as fast as I could. “I didn’t see anything as I ran; I was too busy trying to keep my mind blank. The next thing I knew, when I looked down at my feet they were no longer touching the ground. Instead I was flying.”

“I spent the next few years living on the streets, discovering that I had more than just the power to fly. I realized I had some sort of super strength as well as being able to shape shift into a crow. I also had animal empathy which helped me more than once when I was in a jam. At first I used my powers to thieve, stealing food, money, and clothes that I would need to survive.”

“But one day when I was walking down the street, scouting out my next target, I saw a little girl inside a house, being beaten by her father. I felt the adrenaline rush through my veins and I didn’t stop to think as I flew over, smashed through the window and pulled her father away. He was so stunned he just stood there, staring. I picked the girl up and dropped her off at the nearest police station, explaining what had been going on. Then I disappeared.”

“From that moment on I decided to use my powers for good instead of evil.” Crow said nothing else as she looked down at the floor.

“I think I ruined the good mood…” Crow said with a sigh. But before the words had time to sink in, Seera jumped up and ran to turn on the radio.

“A good smustle can always cheer things up,” she said, and began smustling. Olive and Shannon quickly jumped up to join her, and even Crow’s face was graced with a smile when she too joined the group.

Although the four women had different personalities and came from different backgrounds, they all worked side by side with one another for the common good of others and through their trials and tribulations, they had become good friends as well which was the greatest reward of all.

Meet the Campbell House 1 Residents: Leanne, Stanley, Julian, Michael, and Marianne Campbell.
Update written by: Stanley Campbell

I had gotten an e-mail from my wife’s workplace on the trip here that my wife had contracted the disease which she was trying to find a cure for. It was currently a death sentence if you caught it. They told me she had only a few months to live at most. I decided not to tell my family. At least not until I got word of her death. On a lighter note, we were able to buy and furnish our house with the necessities and a few amentiies with the $20,000 given to us by SimNation.

Marianne wasn’t getting any younger, so I worked on teaching her to talk. That way she would be able to more easily tell us if she was hungry or needed to use the potty. She looks so much like her mother.

Julian spent some time reading a book to Michael while I was teaching Marianne to talk. I really do appreciate Julian giving up part of his own time as a teenager to make sure Michael had a good childhood. Though, Julian could consider this as part of his teenage life. He has always been active in family affairs.

My mother Leanne made lunch for us while I finished up teaching Marianne to talk. I really am glad that my mother did agree to come with us to Spring Valley. Being a single father would have been pretty hard, though I’m sure Julian would have stepped up to help.

After lunch, we had a guest come over to welcome us to the neighborhood. She introduced herself as Ericka Swift and said she had twin kids Michael’s age.

Michael was a great brother to Marianne. He played with her instead of teasing her like my older siblings did to me when I was younger. I just hope he’ll have a good childhood.

My mother suggested that I find a job to earn money. She said she didn’t mind if she died before the house got floors and walls, but that it would be nice that by the time Marianne grew up, the house had floors and walls.

I had grabbed Marianne’s favorite toy on the way out of the house before we left. I think I’m glad I did. We couldn’t afford any toddler toys when we got here and the teddy bear gave her something to play with. I just hope I’ll be able to afford some toys for her when she grows up.

The past few months had been hectic for us. I had found a job in the science field. I was kind of leary of it at first since that was the career my wife had been in, but I soon found out that I did enjoy my position as a Project Leader. I wasn’t out in the lab doing the research, but I was in charge of the research going on. But I always found time to help out in raising my kids as they would only be kids once.

I really do appreciate my mother agreeing to come with me here. I’m not sure I could have held it together after hearing about my wife if my mother wasn’t here to help. When I feel overwhelmed with grief, I feel safe in going outside alone without the house burning down or something bad happening.

My youngest son was making friends quickly. I’m glad he was making friends instead of just sitting around missing his old friends. I know he had made some friends in SimCity and I know he misses them, but sitting around missing them won’t get him new friends to help him succeed as a kid here in Spring Valley.

Soon, it was time for my youngest to become a kid and go to school. I was happy and sad. It was my only daughter growing up. It’s closer to the time where I have to say good bye to her, but it would mean more meaningful interactions could occur. We could actually talk to each other about what we thought more easily.

She grew into a pretty young lady. She really did remind me of my late wife a lot in her facial features. I’m surprised that even this many years after her death that I’m still affected by it, but I suppose that’s the curse of losing your true love so early. Part of me wants to move on so that Marianne will have a mother, but I don’t feel emotionally ready to do so.

A few nights later, I spent some time outside looking at the stars. My father and I had always enjoyed looking at the stars together and I was happy to learn that they hadn’t changed. It was nice to know something at least took ages to change.

The next day was my day off, however it was a school day for the kids. One of the neighbors came over, Milo Hawthorne. He said he needed a break from his house. While he is marrried, he has twin kids who just recently became kids as well. He said a quiet house was what he needed.

That day was also the day Michael came home with his first A+. My mother was happy and Julian was pleased. Considering how much of a parent those two are to him as well as I am, I’m sure Michael knew they were proud of him.

One of Ericka Swift’s kids came over today, James. The two kids got along nicely, even though James was older than Marianne. I’m glad the kids of the neighborhood are all nice. It would be devastating if I knew my kids were not making friends or being bullied.

Julian and Michael did enjoy having fun together. I’m glad Julian was willing to give up his life as a teenager to help Michael and Marianne have a good childhood. I’m sure Julian will make a great father some day.

Marianne spent some of her allowance a few weeks later on some new clothes. She had grown her hair out some in order to be able to do stuff with her hair. She said short hair was boring. She reminds me of her mother so often. Both had a great sense of humor.

A few weeks later, Rosaline Wilcox walked by the lot. I was glad that my mother wasn’t the only elderly person in the neighborhood. The two would be able to discuss things in common with each other.

That afternoon, Titus Bruton walked over and played with Michael. I am still glad that Michael is fitting in here in Spring Valley. I would hate for him to have become shy and reserved.

That’s all that happened since we moved in. This last picture is of Marianne giving me a hug after I came home from work one weekend.

Fall 1 Progress

Net Worth: $19,382
Cash on Hand: $1,744
Lianne’s Skills: 3/1/0/0/0/0/0
Stanley’s Job: Project Leader
Stanley’s Skills: 4/0/0/0/2/0/4
Julian’s Skills: 2/0/0/0/0/0/2
Michael’s Skills: 0/0/0/0/0/0/1
Marianne’s Skills: 4/0/1/0/0/1/0

The $20,000 didn’t go too far considering that there wer five of us living in the house. But we decided that it was better than living in the house we used to live in with all of the memories it held of Milly.

I got the call that Milly had passed away shortly after 9 am. I was devastated. We had planned a lovely wedding anniversary for when she returned since our anniversary occured while she was on tour. Now, I get to plan a funeral.

I waited until Mariah came home from school since the elementary school releases later than the high school where Kevin goes to tell my family the bad news. Everyone was devasted, including my parents who I had called as soon as I heard the news.

I could tell Kevin and Mariah were heartbroken at the news. I’m not sure Mariah understood the full risk Milly and I went through when we were deployed. I knew Kevin understood that there was always a chance of us not coming home when we left, but it still hurts when it happens.

When we had gotten to the house and had settled in, I asked Kevin if he wouldn’t mind going outside and tossing a ball back and forth. It was something the two of us had done numerous times to try to forget about the daily stress. I just hoped it gave both of us a distraction from the pain of losing a mother and wife.

Even Mariah attempted to find something to do to take her mind off of her mother. Mariah’s choice of distraction was a book. I just hope she didn’t pick the one her mother read to her at night.

I went inside and and decided to make lunch for everyone. As not much had been unpacked inthe cooking department, I decided to make lunch meat sandwiches. It was quick and easy and I knew Mariah would eat it. She is a bit of a picky eater still.

Then there was a knocking on our door. My father, Vance, went out to greet them. Turns out it was Leanne Campbell, Milo Hawthorne, and Trent Ratliff. Mrs. Campbell, Mr. Hawthorne, and Mr. Ratliff were three of my neighbors. I was pleased that they decided to come over to welcome us to the neighborhood.

After we had finished lunch, Kevein volunteered to clean up. He looked slightly sad so I asked him if he was fine. He just said that it was odd having lunch in a new house without Mom around. We had never moved to a new house while one of us was deployed, so I knew this was a first.

I also noticed that Mariah was crying some again, so I gave her a hug. We all missed her. I just hope I can pull myself together so that the kids don’t completely fall apart. I kept expecting her to just walk through the door any second.

A few hours later, Mariah went outside to get some fresh air and spotted one of the neighborhood kids walking about, one of Ericka Swift’s kids I believe. Mariah introduced him as James Swift. The two did appear to get along well.

Kevin and Mr. Ratliff talked for a bit. I think they were discussing how Kevin was dealing with the lost of Milly. Apparently, Mr. Ratliff’s sister and her husband were killed in a car accident and he got custody of their teenage son Sean.

Kevin decided that he wanted to dig out enough cooking supplies to make mac and cheese. We all loved mac and cheese and it was something Kevin was good at cooking. I just hope it doesn’t bring back too many bad memories for Mariah or Kevin for that matter.

My parents, Vance and Rosaline, were both still very loving of each other and throughly enjoyed all the benefits of being married.

However, I would occassionally have to drag my father inside as he thought it was just perfectly fine to bird watch in his pajamas.

One day, Kevin brought Sean Ratliff home from school. The two talked about each other’s loss. They traded coping strategies and then moved onto lighter subjects like school work and their intrests. I think the two will quickly become best friends. I just hope the two can get over their losses.

My father set the stove on fire the next morning while cooking toaster pastries. I was slightly disappointed and slightly amused. He was always joking around with me about me trying to set the stove on fire when I cooked and he goes and does it.

After breakfast, Kevin decided to read a book to Mariah. I really like how Kevin is stepping up to do things Milly used to do with Mariah. I’m sure it saddens him as it was something Milly always did after breakfast before school.

Mariah brought home a friend from school that day. Her name was Zaida Swift. Zaida must the be one of the twins Ericka Swift has. I met Ericka when I visited the Brutons a few months earlier to welcome them to the neighborhood.

That night, I decided to go downtown to get my mind off of Milly. My parents also were pressuring me to move on. It had been a few months since we got the news Milly had been killed on duty. They tol me Mariah needed a mother. I ended up talking for a few hours with a woman named Marissa Bendett.

We soon found ourselves on the dance floor dancing. The two of us got along really well. I was surprised how quickly we were becoming friends. It reminded me of how Milly and I first became friends and then fell in love. I wonder if Marissa would be the same way as Milly.

After Marissa and I had finished dancing, I went to the bar to have a drink. Dancing had brought up some memories of Milly and I didn’t want to ruin my evening by dwelling on her, so I decided to have a few drinks to help myself not dwell on Milly.

While I was drinking, I noticed a woman arguing with Marissa. She got pretty physical as well and Marissa eventually started getting physical as well, I stood up and walked over hoping the two would separate, but they just kept going at it.

I eventually stepped in and tried to mediate the situation. However, the woman who said her name was Brandi LeTourneau decided to get physical with myself. However, being in the military gave me an advantage in the fight.

I got home a bit late so the kids were having snacks before bed as I was having dinner. I did kind of regret being away for the night, but I know it was worth it for myself.

That night, the ghost of Milly was wondering the place. She always was a bit of a joker and apparently, that didn’t leave her. Thankfully, father didn’t have a heart attack.

That day, while I was at work, Stanley Campbell came over to visit. Stanley is the daughter of Leanne Campbell who had welcomed us to the neighborhood a few months ago. I think my parents enjoyed having company over during the day as it was a pretty quiet neighborhood right now with only 6 houses.

Kevin brought home a friend from school. She introduced herself as Robin Wheeler when I got home from work. Apparently the two got along really well as Kevin and Robin had their first kiss with each other.

I also took the initiative with my relationship with Marissa and invited her over. We did move our relationship into the romantic stage from the friendship stage with a kiss. I just hope she is the one to be the step-mom for Mariah.

My parents told me they liked Marissa and would have no problem with me marrying her. I was glad of that. I didn’t want to have to end our relationship this quickly to avoid having problems with my aging parents. I really did not want to have to risk my parents deciding to move out into their own house since neither of them work or would be able to earn much money on their own.

My parents did get Marissa and to get a picture together on our couch. When I got a look on the picture, I can tell why my parents do approve of the marriage. We do look like we belong together and enjoy each others presence, which we do.

That was all that happened this season. I hope next week is just as productive.

Fall 1 Progess:

Networth: $18,035
Cash on hand: $1,672
Vance’s skills: 1/2/0/0/0/0/1
Rosaline’s skills: 1/2/0/0/0/0/4
Adam’s job: Junior Officer (Military career)
Adam’s skills: 2/2/2/5/0/0/0
Kevin’s skills: 1/0/0/0/0/0/0
Mariah’s skills: 1/0/0/0/0/0/0

Meet the Bruton House 1 Residents, Chris and Titus Bruton.
Update written by Chris Bruton.

The house we had built for us wasn’t that extravegant, but it was better than nothing, I suppose. At least it was better than the tiny apartment Titus and I were living in. I knew the apartment wasn’t going to be big enough for both of us, especially as Titus got older.

Titus and I have always been close. I guess it’s from being both his mother and father figure. I really do hope Titus will find a loving wife for himself and have a happier marriage and life than I have. I really don’t have any regrets though. If I hadn’t married her, I wouldn’t have had Titus.

As soon as the newspaper came, I looked in it to see if I could find a job. I was hoping a job in the gamer career track was open as I dreamed of being a game designer at some point. I fortunately found a job in the gamer career track.

Titus ran off to his room with his box of stuff he wanted to bring with him and took out a teddy bear that he had for years. I’m surprised that I haven’t had to patch that teddy bear up considering the amount of time that Titus has had that bear.

Titus has always been an inquisitive kid. He even had an interest in the paranormal. Were ghosts real? Did vampires really exist? I didn’t know the answers to many questions he asked, but I did my best in giving him the information I did know on the legends behind ghosts and vampires.

Soon a group of neighbors came over to welcome us to the neighborhood. It turned out to be three people from three of the families that were asked to move in. Ericka Swift, Milissa Hawthorne, and Adam Wilcox were the three neighbors that came to welcome Titus and I to the neighborhood.

I made some sandwiches for lunch and let the guests and Titus eat first. I needed to unpack my stuff from my boxes and finish settling myself in. I also checked to make sure Titus had his bed set up properly.

After lunch Mr. Wilcox and Titus started talking. I really did like that Titus was fitting in in this new neighborhood. We hadn’t met any of the kids of the neighborhood yet so I was pleased that Titus was being mature and socializing with the adults.

Soon, Titus went off to play in his room. The three guests were watching television and I started painting on the easel I had bought with the $20,000 we were given at the start of the week by SimNation.

Later that night, Mr. Wilcox and Titus went outside and had a water balloon fight. By the look on Mr. Wilcox’s face, I could tell he needed cheering up, so I didn’t tell Titus he couldn’t go outside and play with Mr. Wilcox.

The next day, I fixed Titus a bowl of soup before school and fixed myself one as well as I had work today. I told him to behave himself and find some friends. I hope he does find a few friends as Titus has a tendency to keep to himself a lot.

When Titus came home from school, I helped Titus with his homework. He does enjoy learning and knows when to ask someone for help, even if it is usually myself. But since I was the same way as a kid, I know that’s part of the reason why he asks me.

After he completed his homework, Titus noticed a kid his age walking through the neighborhood. He greeted her. Turns out it’s one of Ericka Swift’s twins, Zaida.

The computer we were given for free broke one afternoon, so I called the local repair guy. I also spent some time talking with Mr. Wilcox some while the repair guy was here. Mr. Wilcox and I were also friends on top of Titus and him being friends.

A few hours after the computer had been fixed, the doorbell rang. Turned out it was Stanley Campbell, one of my neighbors. He needed advice on how to be a single father, even though he hasn’t told his family such.

Later that night, Mr. Wilcox’s youngest kid and only daughter, Mariah, walked by and Titus introduced himself. However, Mariah did not have time to stay and visit.

The next day Mr. Wilcox and his father Vance came over to visit. I was pleasantly surprised that Mr. Wilcox invited his own father over to the house. It was nice to meet a new person in the neighborhood.

Shortly after Titus came home from school, Stanley Campbell’s youngest son and his middle child Michael walked by and Titus ran out and greeted him. Turns out they are in the same class and had talked a bit. Or at least enough to know that they both lived in Spring Valley.

That was all that happened during this season, I hope all goes well in the next.

Fall 1 Progress:

Net Worth: $16,674
Cash on hand: $1,477
Chris’s Job: Gold Farmer (Gamer Career)
Chris’s Skills: 4/5/0/0/2/3/1
Titus’s Skills: 0/0/0/0/0/1/1

Picture: From top to bottom, left to right- Wilcox House 1, Campbell House 1, Swift House 1, Bruton House 1, Hawthorne House 1, Ratliff House 1

The six families were chosen for a variety of reasons. Their familys’ impact on SimNation, the neediness of the family, amongst other things.

Picture: Chris Bruton (adult) and Titus Bruton (child)

The Bruton Family was one of the initial founding families of SimNation and Chris Bruton had gone through the hardship of raising his son after his wife divorced him.

Picture: Vance Wilcox (elder male), Rosaline Wilcox (elder female), Adam Wilcox (male adult), Milly Wilcox (adult female placeholder), Kevin Wilcox (teen male), and Mariah Wilcox (child female)

The Wilcox Family had just lost their head of house to a freak accident during the war against SimKingdom. They were granted a plot of land for their hardship.

Picture: Leanne Campbell (elder female), Stanley Campbell (adult male), Julian Campbell (teen male), Michael Campbell (child male), and Marianne Campbell (toddler female)

The Campbell Family was very well respected family line. Stanley Campbell had just lost his wife to a mysterious illness that had been going around. The crowded and often unsanitary living conditions people were living in only made the illness that much worse.

Picture: Milo Hawthorne (adult male), Milissa Hawthorne (adult female), Jonathon Hawthorne (toddler male), and Christi Hawthorne (toddler female)

The Hawthorne Family was a well respected family and Millisa Hawthorne was hoping to be the first female Captain Hero. Milo Hawthorne was a very well respected scientist and he had worked with Stanley’s late wife, but hadn’t met her family. He was unable to attend her funeral due to his wife giving birth to twins shortly beforehand.

Picture: Ericka Swift (adult female), Zaida Swift (child female), and James Swift (child male)

The Swift Family was an alien family. Ericka Swift was here with her twins, Zaida and James. In her species mothers raised kids on their own without a father’s influence. SimNation felt it better for her to live in a more spacious environment in order for her to get used to the life on this planet.

Picture: Zach Wilkes (blonde adult male placeholder), Heather (Ratliff) Wilkes (adult female placeholder), Trent Ratliff (black haired adult male), Sean (Wilkes) Ratliff (teen male)

The Wilkes Family was very well respected and well liked. Zach Wilkes was the former leader of SimNation but stepped down with Sean was a kid and had developed cancer. Sean survived his cancer, but shortly after he started high school, his parents were killed in a car crash and he was sent to live with his mom’s brother, Trent Ratliff. Trent Ratliff was granted entry due to his family ties with Zach and Heather and the fact that their son was in his legal care.