Belladonna 10/31/21

 May 2015

The Contender twins are thriving in private school, bringing home great report cards.  As a reward, Jessica bought them a video game console and some games.  Hopefully it'll keep them busy during the afternoons when she's still taking care of clients.  Whenever it's warm enough, Carlos takes the kids outside for swimming lessons.  He's hoping to pass along his love of fitness to his children.

Isaiah Gavigan managed to finish junior year with a 3.3 GPA, despite the tragic loss of his mother.  He feels he'd be more useful at home, helping his dad with the kids and the bills, but Nathan insists that he stay the course and finish his degree.  He hopes his family can hold out for one more year.

Marcus Baldwin got a C this semester, bringing his perfect 4.0 down to 3.0.  Why the sudden shift in attentiveness?  Girls.  Marcus had been flirting with a girl in his dorm, thinking of asking her out, when out of the blue a friend of his, Catalina, called and asked him on a date.  They had a great time bowling and before Marcus even knew what hit him, they were hooking up in a photo booth.  Back at the dorm, Lydia continued to be flirtatious and another girl started chatting him up as well.  Who could possibly focus on studying with all these girls after him?

Etsu Cho did not suffer from any such distraction.  She maintained her 4.0 heading into her sophomore year and is well-prepared to do it again next term.  Though she's friendly with some of the guys in her dorm, she doesn't feel "that way" about any of them.  It's for the best though; she needs to focus all her attention on her studies.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/30/21

 Apr 2015

Ramir Patel's affair may have started because of stress, but it continues because it's exactly what he wants.  His family is financially stable, Ana has even gone back to work part-time, and the children are all happy and healthy.  Yet for some reason, Ramir can't bring himself to end his relationship with Diane.  He's never made any promises that he'll leave his wife for her and she seems content with that status.  He tells himself that as long as no one finds out there's no harm being done.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/29/21

 Mar 2015

Just four months after their first date Tara DeBateau and Edwin Sharpe tied the knot.  Others might have thought they were moving too fast, but when you know, you know and they didn't want to wait a minute longer to start their lives together.  They moved into a very modern apartment complex not too far from her dad's place.  Shortly after they moved in, Tara was given the opportunity to shift her focus at work to Natural Science, which is something she's been working towards for a while.  As if all that wasn't enough change for these two, Tara discovered she's expecting a baby in December.  Life is moving like a rocket for the Sharpes.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/28/21

 Feb 2015

Sofia Baldwin finally landed a job as a blog writer and she's very excited about her new job.  Ben continues to serve in the state assembly and Isabel's cookbooks are still all the rage.  Marcus is doing well at college, though they don't get to see him as often as they'd like.  Ethan got into a little trouble at school for not doing his homework, so his parents have had to crack down on him to get his grades back up.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/27/21

 Jan 2015

Tim Riley did score that promotion, moving from the surgical team to a strictly research position, which will give him more time off with his family.  He's really looking forward to diving into his new job, but also wants to spend some quality time with his son before he's too old to want to hang out with his dad.  Vivian thinks Sally should find a nice guy to settle down with, but right now Sally's just enjoying the single life.  She's not ready to be tied down.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/25/21

 Nov 2014

Tara DeBateau ran into an old college friend, Edwin Sharpe, while touring the museum in town.  She'd forgotten how much fun they used to have during their late night study sessions.  They spent the rest of the day together and, when Edwin leaned in for a kiss, Tara kissed him right back.  He admitted that he'd always had a crush on her.  How did she never see it?  She can't wait for their next date.

Dec 2014

Both Isaiah Gavigan and Marcus Baldwin finished the semester with an A+, bringing Isaiah's GPA up to 3.4, while Marcus is maintaining a perfect 4.0.

Etsu Cho also scored a perfect 4.0 GPA, as if there was ever any doubt.  She's fully prepared for the second half of freshman year already and will likely knock it out of the park once more.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/24/21

 Oct 2014

Nathan Gavigan returned home from work to find his wife missing.  After an extensive search, during which residents of Belladonna Cove, as well as the neighboring town of Hilldale, reported seeing Mary wandering aimlessly in various places, she was found in the cemetery near her home, dead of an apparent suicide.  Nathan blames himself for not noticing his wife's distress.  He's always know she was fragile, but he never thought it was this bad.  Evidently the days spent at home alone while everyone else was at work or school finally took such a toll on her that she couldn't bear to go on.  Isaiah wanted to drop out of school and come home to help out, but Nathan insisted that he stay and finish his degree.  He'll cope somehow on his own, though he doesn't know how given that he's in even more debt now than before and can't even think about moving the family after everything that's happened.

Isaiah Gavigan tries to push through his classes, but it's difficult to concentrate on anything in the wake of his mother's death.  Luckily, he'd put enough in prior to the tragedy to carry him through the term.

Marcus Baldwin is beginning to settle into college life.  He's actually loving it and wishing it would last longer than just four years.

Etsu Cho is thriving in academic life and she's even made a couple of friends while working on research projects.  She does miss her family though, so she spends a lot of time on the phone with them.  She doesn't want to miss out on anything while she's away.

*Note: Mary's story came from watching too much true crime and "You" lately.  Game-wise, she was in a red aspiration and had to roll for depression/suicide and I rolled a "death" ROS for the family as well, so I decided to count Mary's suicide for that as well, rather than have two deaths at once.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/23/21

 Sept 2014

Ana Patel celebrated her birthday surrounded by her family.  She couldn't be happier with her life, though she wouldn't object to another baby.  She knows Ramir's not really on board for another, but it it happens, it happens.  In the meantime, she's pacifying him by taking the odd shift at the restaurant.  Bharat is old enough to take care of his younger siblings for a couple of hours until Ramir gets home from work.  Ryman has turned into quite the social butterfly; their house is always full of kids that he brings home from school or invites over on the weekends.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/22/21

 Aug 2014

Life is pretty lousy for Geoff Rutherford at the moment.  On top of being broke, he also got reprimanded at work and nearly lost his job, and Talin has been MIA recently, which is never a good sign in a relationship.

Isaiah Gavigan is beginning his junior year at Sim State.  He's learned how to balance his studies with real life, which makes things much easier.  He feels a little sorry for the new freshmen arriving in the dorm.  They haven't got a clue.

Marcus Baldwin is one of those new freshmen, but he feels confident in his ability to handle things.  He chose Psychology as his major, with the intent to go into the SCIA after graduation.  

Etsu Cho is beginning her freshman year at La Fiesta Tech, where she'll be majoring in Biology and preparing for a career in Oceanography.  She's always been very studious, so should have no problems at all with keeping her grades up.  In fact, she got an early start on her term paper already!

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/21/21

 July 2014

Jessica Contender felt very strongly about getting the twins into private school, so they decided to invite the headmaster over for dinner in the hopes of increasing their chances of getting in.  It worked like a charm (no man can resist Jessica's charms) and they're in.  Jessica has also been getting more clients via word-of-mouth.  It helps that she's improved her styling skills enough to result in fewer bad reviews.  Carlos is still in great shape, but finds that with each day that passes he feels more and more tired.  He doesn't know how many years he has left with his children, but he wants to spend as much time with them as he can so that they'll have lots of good memories of him when he's gone.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/20/21

 June 2014

Ginger Newson was able to get her grades up, though she's not sure if it'll be enough to get into college.  She never really thought she'd go, but lately she's been thinking about it.  She knows Gavin wants to go and wonders if it might be kind of an adventure.  Faith and Herb can't afford it, of course, but maybe they can get loans?  The younger kids have been focused on making friends.  It seems like every day there are at least one or two extra kids in the house because they're always bringing their friends home from school.  Their foster parents don't mind at all; the more, the merrier.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/19/21

 May 2014

Justin and Vicent Cleveland have finally become parents with the adoption of a little girl named Jill.  She's nearly three years old and the most beautiful child they've ever laid eyes on (though they might be biased).  They nearly emptied their bank account at the toy store, so they'll need to get back to work and bring home some bacon.  Luckily Marissa will be happy to take charge of Jill during the day, so they won't need to incur any nanny expenses.

Isaiah Gavigan finished his sophomore year with an A+ and is looking solid for the next term as well.  He's been focusing on school so much, however, that his love life has taken a back seat.  Maybe he'll get back to looking for Ms. Right again soon.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/18/21

 Mar 2014

The Greens had one wild ride of a night when a burglar broke into their house.  Thankfully they have a burglar alarm and the criminal was caught.  In all the commotion, however, Samantha went into labor, giving birth to a baby girl named Courtney.  Since this may be their only child, Sam is happy it's a girl so that hopefully she'll grow up to be good friends with Kim's daughter Talia.

Isaiah Gavigan is still doing well in his classes.  Looks like he might score Dean's List this semester.  He never realized how thrilling education could be.

Apr 2014

Vivian Riley can hardly believe that her little girl is all grown up and preparing to start college in the fall.  Etsu was accepted to La Fiesta Tech, which specializes in math and science.  Etsu wants to study biology and eventually pursue a career in oceanography.  Sally continues to thrive at her job, moving from backup dancer to instructing the dancers.  Timothy has been hearing rumors lately that someone at the hospital will be promoted in the near future and he's keeping his fingers crossed that he's the one.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/17/21

 Jan 2014

Jason Cleveland was stunned when he received the news that his wife had been killed during a routine military training session.  Never had he imagined a scenario in which Sierra died before him.  But, hadn't he just been feeling sorry for himself that she was so young and had so much time left?  Maybe he subconsciously wished for this to happen?  Maybe it's all his fault.  They had so much to celebrate with Sierra's 28th birthday coming up next month and their 3rd anniversary happening in June.  Why didn't he appreciate what he had?

Isaiah Gavigan is still in the groove and jumps right into the semester by completing his term paper early.  He's starting to feel as if he's got everything under control.  Feels good.

Feb 2014

Sofia Baldwin has been unable to find a job so far.  She'd have thought her father's political connections would help, but it turns out he's not well-liked professionally.  She's still dating Almeric, but she just doesn't feel like there's any rush to move forward with their relationship.  Isabel's cookbooks have been doing so well lately that she could justify quitting the dead end job she's been working for the past few years.  Marcus is nearly finished with high school; he'll be starting SSU in the fall.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/16/21

 Oct 2013

Geoff Rutherford's luck took a turn when he lost his entire savings on a bad investment.  Though things are still solid with Talin, Geoff doesn't feel he can ask him to move in now, as it would seem like he was just doing it for financial reasons.  He'll need to build his bank balance back up some before committing.

Isaiah Gavigan continued to plug along, doing fine, but not spectacular.  He's thinking he'd really like to find someone to date, but so far no one has struck his fancy.

Nov 2013

The Gavigans are in serious financial trouble.  They had to take out a loan just to pay the bills they already have and it's unlikely they'll be able to continue much longer with the way things are.  Nathan has been considering selling the house and moving the family back into an apartment.  It would be a shame if things came to that after he worked so hard to become a homeowner, but it might be the only option to get them out of this crushing debt.

Dec 2013

As the term came to a close, Isaiah was suddenly bitten by the studying bug and finished the semester with an A+, snagging a spot for himself on the Dean's List.  One more semester and he's officially halfway through college.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/15/21

 Sept 2013

Ginger Newson hasn't been doing very well in school.  She's skipped a few times and it's taking a toll on her grades.  She's hoping she can bring them back up before her teachers decide to contact Faith and Herb.  Faith has been doing a lot of sewing.  She made some teddy bears for the kids and sold a few online.  She's thinking of making new curtains for the house as well.  Herb still hasn't had any luck in the job search, but he knows something will come up eventually.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/14/21

 Aug 2013

Time flies with a newborn!  Delia Patel celebrated her first birthday this month.  It won't be long now before she's toddling around and getting into mischief.  Bharat decided he wanted to get a job and his parents agreed, as long as it doesn't interfere with his studies.

Isaiah Gavigan is beginning his sophomore year and things are still going well.  He's met so many new people and had the opportunity to try so many new things.  College is fun!

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/13/21

 June 2013

The Greens got an early anniversary present when Samantha discovered she's pregnant.  Baby Green is due in March and they can't wait to become parents.  After everything these two have been through, they deserve some happiness.

July 2013

Sofia Baldwin is getting adjusted to living back at home.  It's kind of weird being back in her old room after years away at school.  Her brother Marcus seems annoyed with her for some reason, but she doesn't know what she could've possibly done to upset him.  She's been looking for a job, but so far no luck.  She needs to get something soon because she has a sizable student loan that needs to be paid.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/12/21

 Apr 2013

Tara DeBateau is thinking about getting her own place soon.  Her baby sister will need a proper bedroom before much longer and, though they haven't said as much, she knows her father and Kim would rather put Talia in her room than in the tiny room off her dad's office.  It's just time.  

May 2013

Justin and Vincent Cleveland have been approved for adoption!  Now it's just a matter of waiting for a child to be placed with them.  Marissa is really looking forward to being a grandmother as well.  She's been a little down since her cat Missy passed away.

Sofia Baldwin has graduated at long last.  She finished with a 2.9 GPA, which is not quite the B average she was hoping for, but it's good enough to earn her a degree in philosophy which is what matters.  She'll be moving back home with her parents for the time being.

Isaiah Gavigan is feeling pretty confident after finishing his freshman year.  His GPA isn't stellar, but it's fine.  No need to work harder than necessary, right?  He'll miss Sofia though.  They've become friends over the past year and it'll be weird not seeing her every day.  Hopefully they'll keep in touch.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/11/21

 Feb 2013

Not much has changed in the Riley household in the past year.  Timothy and Vivian continue to focus on work, which is beginning to take a toll on their relationship.  Sally got noticed during one of her aerobics classes and was offered a position as a backup dancer in music videos.  Etsu has just one more year of high school and she'll be off to college.  Adam has discovered that he really likes sports, but still wants to try everything.

Mar 2013

Sierra Cleveland has thrown herself into her work, much to her husband's dismay.  He's never felt older than he does now.  He turned 60 in January and is still stuck in the same position at work, no closer to a promotion and rapidly approaching retirement.  Meanwhile, his young wife has her whole life ahead of her and is taking advantage of it.  He's beginning to wonder if he made a mistake in marrying someone so young.

Sofia Baldwin decided to knuckle down and push through because she definitely does not want to spend another semester here.  It's been fun at times, but she's really ready to graduate and move on with life.

Isaiah is still coasting.  He hasn't needed to exert much effort yet.  Sofia warned him that it will get harder, but he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it.  He finally got a chance to invite his family over so he could give the robots he made to his siblings.  They've officially named him "coolest big brother ever" and he couldn't be happier.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/10/21

Jan 2013

The Contender twins celebrated their fifth birthday this month and their mother couldn't be happier.  It'll be nice to concentrate on building her stylist business without two kids underfoot all day.  Carlos tries to help out with them, but even on his best day he can't keep up with one boisterous youngster, let alone two.

Sofia Baldwin's final semester is starting off rough.  She's struggling to keep up and isn't sure she's going to pull through, which will land her on academic probation and cause her to have to repeat the term.

Isaiah Gavigan is still breezing through without putting in much effort, but Sofia has warned him that it will get tougher and he should prepare for the increased workload.

Happy Simming! 

Belladonna 10/9/21

 Nov 2012

The plans are underway for the renovation of the Contender house.  Jessica has already commandeered a corner of Carlos' gym for her "salon"; the rest will be divided into two bedrooms for the twins.  Carlos is sad to see his gym go, but he has to agree that it's the only viable choice.  Maybe it won't be so bad because now he'll have to go to the public gym, which will at least allow him to get out of the house once in a while.

Dec 2012

Sofia Baldwin finished the semester with passing grades, but her final term is going to be tough.  Her class will be focusing in on her weakest skills, so it'll definitely be an uphill battle to graduate.

Isaiah passed as well, though he could have done much better.  He has a tendency to jump from one activity to another, loving the variety, which is both a blessing and a curse.  He's a jack of all trades, but a master of none.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/8/21

 Oct 2012

Marissa Cleveland has met a man who she's quite taken with.  And unlike her ex Jason's new wife, Leo is of an appropriate age.  They've just started dating, but she feels good about their future.  Justin and Vincent should be able to start adoption proceedings within the next year, so they're pretty excited as well.

Sofia Baldwin is still doing well in her classes.  She should be set to graduate in May.

Isaiah Gavigan took up a new hobby and has been making toy robots for his younger siblings.  He plans to invite his family for a visit so he can give them to them.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/7/21

 Sept 2012

Marcus Baldwin is suffering from "middle child syndrome".  His parents never have time for him.  If they're not working, their lives revolve around Ethan.  He still can't go to private school because they don't have the money after buying new furniture for Ethan's room which, by the way, is actually Marcus' room.  That's right, he has to share his small room with his not even five-year-old brother, while his sister Sofia, who lives in a dorm at college, continues to occupy the big bedroom.  His parents reason that Sofia only has one more year of school and then she'll be home, at which point he'll only have one more year until he goes off to college himself, so it's not that big a deal.  Marcus thinks it's a very big deal.  He decides to use their inattention to his benefit and starts sneaking out with his friend Bharat Patel.  He never gets caught, even if his parents are awake by the time he sneaks back in.  Piece of cake.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/6/21

 Aug 2012

Isaiah Gavigan got accepted to all the schools he applied to, but decided to stay close to home and attend SSU.  That'll make his mother happy for sure, since she's still sad about Thomas starting school.  Nathan is still stress about finances, given they've now got two more private school tuitions to cover.  On top of that, they were hacked and had their bank account drained, which means they can't afford Isaiah's tuition.  He have to rely on a student loan for the first year at least.

Isaiah moved into Sim State Dorm, where he met Sofia Baldwin and Almeric Davis.  The latter didn't seem to have any hard feelings that Isaiah was assigned to the room next door to him, which was recently vacated by his twin brother who was expelled.  Isaiah thinks Almeric's girlfriend Sofia is one of the most beautiful girls he's ever seen.  She was pleasant to him, but clearly only has eyes for Almeric, so he just jumped right into his studies.  He chose economics as his major because he wants to pursue a career in Business when he graduates.

Sofia is still doing well academically, though she can't really say the same for her boyfriend who barely escaped his brother's fate and could very well end up right back on academic probation if he's not careful.

Birth Announcement: The Patels welcomed a baby girl named Delia.

Belladonna 10/5/21

 June 2012

Talia DeBateau turned two a few months ago and Armand has been thinking it might be nice to have another baby.  Kimberly is all for it, but doesn't want to obsess about it like she did last time.  If it happens, it happens.  She already got one miracle baby, so she's content.

July 2012

A lot has happened in the year since Gabriel Green moved in with Samantha Cordial.  After a few months of living together, Sam worked up the courage to confess her crush.  Gabe was game and they started dating, followed quickly by a proposal from Gabe.  Neither is getting any younger and they didn't want to wait forever to make things official.  They celebrated their wedding in a backyard ceremony with their family and friends.  They're both keen to have a baby right away.  Sam doesn't have the fertility issues her sister has (as far as she knows), but she is pushing 40, so there's no time to waste.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/4/21

 Apr 2012

Sierra Cleveland enjoyed her job in Law Enforcement, but she's always wanted to go into the Military, so when she was offered a job with the elite forces she didn't even think twice about accepting it.  She'll miss working with Jason at the station, but she's very excited about this new opportunity.

May 2012

Things are looking up for Geoff Rutherford.  Not only did his win a $5000 lottery prize, but his relationship with Talin is going great.  They spend nearly every waking moment together.  Geoff is thinking he might ask him to move in soon.

Sofia Baldwin finished junior year with a 2.9 GPA.  It's not great, but it's improved.  She's thinks Almeric might just scrape by and get off academic probation, but she has doubts about his twin.  They're just waiting for the results of their finals to be posted and then they'll know for sure what the future holds.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/3/21

 Mar 2012

Time marches on for the Goodie/Newson clan.  The twins celebrated their fifth birthday and will be heading off to school in the fall.  Faith plans to make good use of her time while all the kids are out of the house during the day by getting back into her sewing.  She's confident she can sell her creations online for a nice little profit.  Herb is looking for a part-time job, but wants one that'll be mentally stimulating; leave those burger flipping jobs to the kids.  Gavin and Ginger are beginning to think about college.  They both had an interest in private school, but they know their foster parents can't afford that on the small sum they receive each month, so they didn't mention it.

Sofia Baldwin is nearing the end of junior year.  She's confident she'll do well this semester, but fears her boyfriend and his brother will be expelled.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/2/21

 Feb 2012

All of Ana Patel's pregnancies have been difficult, but this one is especially so.  She feels her age probably has something to do with it, but since this will likely be her last child she's trying to enjoy of much of this time as she can.  Ryman celebrated his fifth birthday this month and will therefore be starting school in the fall at around the same time the baby comes.  Bharat turns 12 next month and has been talking about becoming a lawyer someday.  Kaja will be eight in June and is an absolute joy to be around.  Ana is secretly hoping for another baby girl, though she knows her husband would prefer a boy.  Time will tell.

Happy Simming!

Belladonna 10/1/21

 Jan 2012

Sally Riley got a job as an aerobics instructor, which should pacify her parents.  Vivian has settled into her job at the nursing home.  She'd forgotten how much she missed helping people.  Little Adam is quite the firecracker, zipping from one activity to the next, always in search of something new to try.  Etsu remains focused on school and getting into college so she can pursue her dream of becoming an oceanographer.

Sofia Baldwin began her spring term and all is going well for her.  She can't say the same for her boyfriend and his brother who are not taking academic probation very seriously.

Happy Simming!