*Please send to graveyard* The Almeria Random Town Jump

[saltpastillen]

Happy birthday, Marta! I love the hairstyle you picked for her! Are you planning to have her lose any of her 'fluffiness' or are you going to keep her the way she is?

I'm actually trying to only make them only do things they:
a. rolls a wish for
b. are prompted to by the game
c. seems logical because of their LTW and their job
d. whatever they feel like doing autonomously

So, no I don't think I'll make her lose weight unless one of those things happen. Besides, I kind of like her look. It's always challenging dressing a more full figure sim and making them look nice, but I think Marta turned out great.

I'm a bit sad she can't be the heir, because I like her so much. But hopefully Carlos and Diana will grow on me too.

[Snufflesxx]

I'm a bit sad she can't be the heir, because I like her so much. But hopefully Carlos and Diana will grow on me too.

I thought you could choose anyone as the heir?

[saltpastillen]

I thought you could choose anyone as the heir?

As long as they are born in the active household once the game starts playing.

Diego and Adora has Marta when the game begins, so she's officially out of the running.

[Snufflesxx]

As long as they are born in the active household once the game starts playing.

Diego and Adora has Marta when the game begins, so she's officially out of the running.

Ah! Well, that is a shame. I do like Marta, but, as you said, I'll probably like Carlos and Diana just as much!

[saltpastillen]

The first snow came and a Snow day was declared.



The kids went out to play...



...all of the kids.



Even Adora decided to join in on the fun even if she mostly looks cold.



Marta and Carlos second snowman was a hockey player.



Diego soon went back inside to work on his painting some more.

He had moved on to splashes of color on colored background. Really groundbreaking stuff. This one was called "Alien nights".



Marta and Carlos each popped a wish to make 5 snowmen, so they worked on that outside all day. Marta was shivering by the time they came inside but Carlos was loving it!

Carlos: I wish it as winter every season! This is so much fun!



With the big kids busy outside and Adora off from work (which seems more the norm than her spending time at work) Diana got some attention and learned to walk. The poor girl is being almost neglected by her parents, she has way higher relationships with both her siblings...



Diego finished "Alien nights" and started on a painting he called "Motions in Space". 



Who's this?

His name is Goopy GilsCarbo (remember the no show at the party) and he's finally a teen. He came oven in the evening after Marta sent an obscene amount of texts. She got to level 2 of Social Networking by the time she was done.

Even if he aged up later than her he's still managed to get a degree in communications. Marta is suitably impressed, even if she's not allowed to use the U-word in the house. They are pretty good friends, for now...



It's a good thing Carlos knows how to ask for his dad's attention, since he's glued to the aisle these days. Here he manages to get  a bedtime story from dear old dad. These are the moments he will treasure once Diego is gone. (Diego is 88 days old at this point and I'm pretending he'll live forever...)



Then the weekend came. I really have to do something about the seasonal settings... the kids barely get to school some weeks. It's a good thing I don't have requirements to meet...

In true Almeria fashion Carlos helps out by babysitting/entertaining his younger sister.



Marta get's the notice about prom, so she calls over her friend Goopy (how great is that name?) for a chat...



At fist she was planning to put out some feelers, maybe check if he wanted to go as friends...



But as she looked in his eyes she decided it was now or never. The heat of the moment kiss...



...was well received.



And, as it turns out, appreciated.

Marta: Oh, Goopy!
Goopy:Oh, Marta! I thought you'd never make the first move.
Marta: Good thing I did!



Goopy: Ye's I'll go with you to prom, we are going to have the time of our lives!



They celebrated by doing homework. Carlos supervised.



Goopy picked Marta up in a white limo. Unfortunately it was snowing so she changed into her formal wear in school (sorry no pics).

They had a great time at prom, dancing and making googly eyes at each other. Goopy asked her to go steady, and she said - YES!



At home Diego waited for Marta to come home from prom. He painted something different.

Diego: I'll call it "Jars of Goopy", because all that will be left of him if he makes Marta unhappy will fit in a jar.



Diego: This is my little "Adora", because she's as cute as a squirrel.

I really don't know what he gets that from. Maybe it has something to do with their life at the circus. I do like that he's finally started to paint things he can see around him at least.

[saltpastillen]

It's time for Snowflake day! The Almeria family decided to throw a gift giving party. The Watcher was tense since she never had a successful one before. All that worry for nothing! People came in droves. The party started at 10 am and gifts were still handed out past 4 pm. Next time better not invite as many guests...

It was the first party the family had held or gone to in a while an everyone put their best foot forward.

Eduardo (Goopy's father): You are so nice Marta, not the witch my wife make you out to be...
Marta: Um, thanks?



Proving her great maternal instincts Marta went upstairs to bring Diana down for the gift giving.



The Watcher was psyched when this sim showed up. The name is Ariel Monty, who's gender was in debate for the longest time. Since I've had male sims named Ariel by the game before, and since Ariel was always dressed more like a tomboy than a girl I was unsure. But this time Ariel showed up in a skirt!

This is great news since it means there is a girl who's almost the same age as Carlos, and she's not an NPC.



There were piles and piles of presents and it took forever to hand them out. Most people were happy about the gifts they recieved. Goopy got Simlife Goggles, which I think is a pretty sweet gift.



Adora got a pink flamingo. It was not a happy memory...and she had been so thoughtful getting Diego another aisle... Maybe Diego is showing his age?



As the party wound down Adora played guitar and Marta and Goopy slow danced together.



Diego worked on his squirrel named Adora.



And Diana had a private birthday.



She gained the equestrian trait and picked out a pink cowboy hat to wear.

Diana is pretty much a carbon copy of Adora, other than Diego's skin color she didn't really get much from him in the looks department. Maybe that's a good thing?



I think I spoke to soon. Sometimes it's the ones who doesn't look the most alike that act the most alike. Diana's first wishes as a child was to learn the painting skill and paint. She has her mothers virtuoso trait, not her fathers artistic one! This game surprises me over and over.



So Diego and Diana painted together. It was probably the most time they'd spent together ever.



Adora struggled against her clumsiness and decided to make the toilets self cleaning, she was tired of cleaning the toilets for hours on end each day. (Once again can I say that a slob sim really likes to make a mess.)



Carlos missed his first badge ceremony because of the long running gift giving party, but was given another chance and so he, Marta and Diego (working off that stir crazy mood) went to the school, even if it was a snow day.



And now the weekend arrived. Adora took the kids out for a treat. Skating on a pond. The first pond they went to was so little only one sim could skate at a time, good thing the Watcher sent them over to a larger fishing hole.

Carlos was in 7th heaven. It was cold and outside - can it get better than that? This was something he could do all day every day.



The three clumsy sims in the house are faring well.



Or not. A for effort girls, but Carlos has you beat.



Adora had to rush to the theater for work (really she's still working? I haven't noticed), so the rest of the family had to cheer for her at Carlos' birthday celebration.



He gained the charismatic trait, hot-headed and charismatic makes for an interesting combination.



From the side he is almost a dead ringer for Diego. But I think Diego looks more cheerfull. Carlos looks more belligerent in my oppinion. Or maybe that's just teenage hormones.



Now that Diana is a child and Carlos a teen, the family decided that they could get their separate rooms. Carlos stayed upstairs.



And Diana got a room downstairs. No fancy remodeling, a bit of recoloring and an ok bed are what the Watcher can offer on this meager budget.

[RaiaDraconis]

Diana is a cutie! I'm rooting for her as the heir!

[Snufflesxx]

Diana is a cutie! I'm rooting for her as the heir!

Me too! 
Actually, I love everyone in this family and it's going to be sad to see Diego go.

[saltpastillen]

Me too! 
Actually, I love everyone in this family and it's going to be sad to see Diego go.

Diana is a cutie! I'm rooting for her as the heir!

Actually, I've decided to make Carlos, the heir. It has mostly to do with there not being any good prospects for Diana here in Monte Vista, and after having such a huge age difference with Adora and Diego I wanted a couple who are more close in age. But Diana will still be moving with the family, since she'll still be a teen when it's time to move on.

[saltpastillen]

It's Adora's adult birthday and Marta decides to cook breakfast as a treat. Unfortunately she burns the waffles, so they all have to make do with cereal instead. Well, it's the thought that counts right?



They had a large party, but most of the guests decided to stay inside, because it was freezing. Adora got a midlife crisis, the gift that just keeps on giving.



She made herself a new everyday outfit and started obsessing about her life choices and her appearance. Diego's instance that she looked like a squirrel wasn't helping the situation.



To make her feel better, Diego started on a painting of their first date.



This is the winter gnome that could be seen as soon as the snow melted (spring came). He must have been attracted by all the snowmen.



We missed seeing Marta's dress when she went to the prom. Here she is on the way to her music club recital. She got a nice trophy.



Sad events to come.

Once Marta came home Diego's time to move on to the next realm was here. He became 92 days old, and reached level 9 in painting and 7 in guitar towards his LTW. Not terribly close, but he hadn't really had a very long time to work towards it.



He greeted Grim like a friend, he had a long and fulfilled life, even if he didn't get to complete his LTW. He at least had three wonderful children to brighten his days. After shaking hands, he jumped in his urn without any prompting. I can only guess that his only regret was not finishing the painting for his darling Adora.



The kids: No, dad don't leave us!
Diego: Sorry children, but death waits for no man - unless he's unlucky - tell your mother I love her.



Then Grim left in a puff of smoke and all that was left of Diego was his urn.

The kids were devastated. All their lives they had known their father would be there for them giving them love. Now he was gone. Their mother was already in a frazzled state due to her midlife crisis, and money was always tight (not that Diego had contributed a lot to the family coffers, but with him being gone it was more apparent than ever that Adora's salary as a level 5 musician couldn't cover all the costs). How would they make it?



When Adora came home from work she put together a shrine for him. His favorite things - his aisle and guitar - and the family's favorite painting of his "Vistas of Monte Vista 1".



A midlife crisis and the grief over Diego made Adora snap and she quit her job at the theater in favor of joining the political career. It was time to work more on her charisma skill. She would fail to reach her LTW. The kids needed one parent to show them what it was to aspire to greatness.



Since the kids moods were so low from mourning Adora let them skip a few homework assignments in favor of playing on the water slide. They would be grown up soon enough and the kids needed to regain their joy.



Carlos often brought April Monty home after school. She seemed to make him more mellow and was pleasant company for the whole family.



But sometimes that just wasn't enough. Whenever Carlos felt the anger and sadness consume him he would go take it out on that ugly pink flamingo Diego gave Adora at the gift giving party. Somehow that made everything feel much, much better.



Spring passed with mostly rain. It was as if the heavens were mourning just like the Almerias.



Marta celebrated her YA birthday with just the family, and a former papergirl who followed Carlos home from school.



She graduated as Valedictorian and was voted Most likely to burn down her own house.



Diana aged up to teen. She gained the good sense of humor trait, just like her dear departed father had had.

The Watcher missed snapping a picture of her makeover, sorry, but she'll be a teen for a while yet, you'll see her soon enough.



Carlos worked on romancing Ariel past the friendship stage. Still no message about prom, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.



Her first day alone in the house as an adult, Marta needed to come up with a plan. Like her father before her, she did her best thinking in the bathtub.

*Marta* Dad is gone, mom just started a new job, and I'm unemployed. It's real hard to get hired in this economy, seems like Monte Vista is going into a recession. I can't just move out and leave mom with Carlos and Diana to take care of, not that there is any money to move out for...Maybe I should do what Goopy suggested and go to University. If I get high enough grades I can apply for a grant, which would mean I can contribute some money. And he said I could pick up odd jobs around campus.



After taking the aptitude test and gaining 18 credits towards a fine arts degree, Marta made her decision.

Marta: Hello mister administrator, I'd like to apply straight away. Yes I have a scholarship, and it's for the full course load.

[Snufflesxx]

R.I.P Diego! So sad that he didn't get to finish that painting 

I'm happy that Marta is heading off to Uni. I hope she has fun!

[SimBlip]

I like the humour running throughout! Especially this little gem: "Unfortunately, torrential rains came in... Martha had to give up water sliding for drier pursuits."
This is a very enjoyable read, Salty! 

[RaiaDraconis]

Farewell, Diego. You were a good daddy even if you couldn't complete your LTW.

[saltpastillen]

R.I.P Diego! So sad that he didn't get to finish that painting 

I'm happy that Marta is heading off to Uni. I hope she has fun!

I was so happy when I saw him start that painting since it's one of my favorites. And then he died... I really liked Diego, and I'm missing him in game a lot.

Marta is scribbling down a letter home and it will come in the mail any day now.

This is a very enjoyable read, Salty! 

Glad you like it.

Farewell, Diego. You were a good daddy even if you couldn't complete your LTW.

He was, wasn't he. He might have been a tad absent at the end, but he never missed a recital and always got up in the middle of the night when the kids were small. What is the best measure of success anyway? Lots of points to buy LTR's for or a happy family? I think Diego's stand on that is pretty clear.

[saltpastillen]

Hi Carlos and Diana!

I hope High School is treating you both well. Isn't prom coming up soon? And How is mom? Is she settling in at her new job?

I'm good here at University. I'm staying at the dormitory closest to campus and have already made some nice friends. Most of the people in my dorm are nerds and they seem pretty nice, maybe I'll be a nerd too.

I know money is tight at home, but I've recently had a bit of a windfall so I'm sending you § 3,500 so you can pay the household bills and maybe get a new sofa. Talk mom into taking you all out to dinner or something. The job was pretty easy, just some donation at the medical school (just donating an organ or two, no biggie) but I'm not allowed to do that again this term because of "insurance reasons". So I'm checking the boards every morning for odd jobs to do when I have a free moment.



I'm really applying myself to school anyway, since I've heard you can get pretty good grants if your grades are high enough.

On my first day here I went to the meet and greet at the Student Union and met one of my professors. I know I'm not charismatic like you Carlos, but I did what you always tell me and once we became friendly she gave me some tips. I just know I'll ace the coming exam!



The air is a lot fresher here than in Monte Vista, I think it's because everyone rides a bike around town. I'm no couch potato but I've never really enjoyed exercising either. But riding around town feeling the wind in my face is great. Besides, you don't need a licence for a bike. If I manage to get enough money maybe we could all take driving lessons when I get back. Our house is pretty far out of town and it would be great being able to go somewhere without taking a taxi.



Um, you know how mom is and dad was a natural cook...turns out I'm not. I was trying to cook some waffles for my dorm mates and a fire started! I was so freaked out and everyone ran in the kitchen to look. Sometimes being clumsy is horrible. I hope you are careful Diana, it could just as easily have been you. Luckily two of my dorm mates were brave enough to put out the flames. The firemen told us to be more careful next time. And Dean asked me if I wouldn't mind sticking to yogurt instead of waffles. I was to embarrassed to say no. Good thing I like yogurt.



You know how I've always liked music, right? Since coming to University I've been experimenting with all kinds of instruments. I thought drums were my thing, but when I tried busking for tips at the University Quad I was overwhelmed by the masses of students sending out their own radio shows. I realized why dad always said busking wasn't for the faint of heart!

I decided to switch to an old family classic, the guitar. Maybe I have it in my blood. Maybe you do too? Now I always bring it with me when I go to parties sedate study groups.



As we were talking about studying. How are you getting along in High School Diana? Is it harder than you imagined? I think University is pretty intense. I have to put a real effort in being on top of my studies. Not like some of my classmates who spend most lectures just snoozing away.



The lectures are long, and kind of boring. It's really to bad that they are the most common class I have. My most favorite one is the sketching class we have on Thursday afternoons. Letting my creative energies flow in the company of my classmates is a real thrill.

See the guy next to me? That's Dean, he gave me this crossed sword wall hanging. I don't really have any use for it so I'm sending it home to you too. Maybe you can pawn it for some extra pocket money? No need to tell mom, it'll be our secret.

Hugs and kisses from your big sis 



P.S. Tell mom I miss her loads, just like I miss you guys!
xoxo