A Girl's Garden--A Farmacy Story (COMPLETED)

[deedee_828]

Trevor was happily surprised to learn that I'd made a few calls before we'd gotten back home and several new businesses had set up base in little Aggie's Corner.

One of those was a Performance Park so first thing that morning found him auditioning for a gig.

The proprietor was impressed with his audition and scheduled him for a performance the next afternoon!




Flying high from booking his first gig, he played for tips to an ever growing crowd.

Twirling clubs and getting mostly positive responses, though there were a few naysayers.

You can't please everyone, so Trevor took it in stride and just kept on performing.




And he even won those naysayers over with flaming batons!




Diwan had become a teenager at Kindle's YA birthday party, and with all the drama that brought we'd been so focused on Kindle and Trevor, and then our trip to Starlight Shores, that it was a bit of a shock to realize that our youngest was growing up too.

But it was brought home rather forcibly when he invited his best friend Marley over that evening.

She'd had her teen birthday too and if that look in his eyes was anything to go by, Diwan was a goner!

Diwan chatted innocently enough about school, homework, and video games, with Marley hanging on to his every word.

If my romance radar is working properly, I think Marley's head over heels as well!




And when I peeked out to check on them later, I gave myself another point as I was spot on.

The two of them were cuddled close together on the lawn watching the stars!

And their little friendly get together had turned into their first date!

If their smiles were anything to go by, it was going very well.




Trevor's first show was scheduled so early that attendance was pretty slim, but he still gave it his all.

Doing his mime routines, and continuing on with a headstand, though his form was a little off.




He ended with the crowd dazzling fiery batons.

Well, the crowd would have been dazzled if there'd actually been one.

But he was still paid quite generously for his performance and had made it to level 3 of his career.

With the proprietor telling him that the performing venues were so new that word hadn't gotten out yet, but with performances like his, it would, so he should beef up his act and keep performing!




When Trevor got home after his performance, he showed off his new work outfit.




And with the words of praise from the Performance Park proprietor ringing in his ears, Trevor decided to audition at a Live Show Venue, this time a franchise of a Mick's Master Karaoke.




And though the proprietor clapped politely enough after his audition, she decided he wasn't quite ready to perform at her club.

Trevor repeated her words to us, "A little more practice and some other gigs under your belt and then come see me again Trickster Trev! By the way, love the outfit, it will drive the girls wild!"




That afternoon, Marley came home with Diwan after school and the writing was on the wall for these two.

After homework, Diwan cooked tofu dogs, and shared his love of the outdoors with Marley, saying, "Can you believe my Grandpa Nolan hated the outdoors!?! It boggles my mind. Boy, am I glad that's not me, just imagine how hard it would be to fish if I hated the outdoors!"

Marley politely nodded at Diwan's passionate plea, but wouldn't talk with her mouthful, not proper Marley.




But though words weren't proper or necessary during dinner, Marley spoke up quickly enough when Diwan asked her to be his girl!

"I've been hearing a lot of boys saying they wanted to ask you out Marley, and well, the thought of you with them, with any other guy…What I'm trying to say is, will you be my steady girl!?!"




Her words might have been proper but they were filled with love when she said, "You were my first friend here in town Diwan and I was hoping you'd ask me to be your girl," and she sealed their new status with their first kiss!

The girl might be proper but she's still a romantic and my heart did it's usual flip flop at the seeing the two of them together!

As they parted breathless from their first kiss, Diwan said, "And of course I'll be taking my girl to the prom tomorrow night, right?"

Marley's murmur of agreement was almost lost as their lips met again.

Time to give these two some privacy!




The next afternoon was a whirlwind as both Karina and Diwan got homework done and then got ready for their big night.

Karina looked so beautiful!

But she seemed preoccupied and a little down for prom so I asked what was wrong.

Turns out she had asked a boy from school to go, and he said yes, but she found out later that he had a girlfriend, that he and his girl were constantly trying to make each other jealous by dating others, then 'making up' and leaving the others high and dry!

I told her that under the circumstances she could stand him up as it would serve him right, the skunk, but Karina said a promise was a promise and she wasn't missing out on prom because of the likes of them!




Diwan looked so handsome and seemed pretty confident to be taking his girlfriend, his best friend, to the prom!




Until he got into the limo with a waiting Marley, who looked gorgeous, but seemed just as nervous as he did and the two of them couldn't even look at each other!

Then I realized what the problem was, me and the camera I was holding!

They'd probably wanted to greet each other with a kiss but not with me watching, having no idea I'd already seen them together last night and snapped photos!

So I quickly told them to have fun and shut the door!

I distinctly heard a sisterly voice giggle and say, "Get a room you two!"

So I knew my instincts had been right!




The school photographer happily gave me this photo of my two teens as they got to the school.

And the night turned out nicely for both of them as they got the King and Queen crowns!

Diwan and Marley spent the evening in each others arms, barely aware of anyone else's existence, in fact a boy next to him had to tap Diwan on the shoulder and tell him to go up and get his crown!

As for Karina, she had a nice evening, thanked all her friends for voting her Queen and turned down her date when he asked her to go steady, telling him she wasn't into playing those kinds of games!

I'm glad she's a girl who knows her own mind and worth and can stand up for herself.

But, she's my daughter, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised as we come from a line of strong, independent women!




Friday night Trevor had his second performance, this time at Flying V's Coffeehouse.

And the increase in attendance was a sight to see as they all watched his performance, totally engaged with Trevor's acrobat persona!




And the next night was Trevor's bachelor party at The Grind, complete with dancing 'maids'!




Leonard giving a wonderful toast to his soon-to-be-son-in-law.

"Don't oversell it Dad, please!"




Then catching him completely off guard and spraying him with fuzzy nectar!




But the whole week I had been struggling with a huge decision, well, Mom, Leonard, Kindle and I had been, not wanting to worry the teens before prom.

With so many families moving to Starlight Shores, we'd thought it would alleviate some of the issues we'd been experiencing here in Aggie's Corner.

But the issues still remained and I'd gotten an offer that was unbelievable!

A rural town that wanted our wholesome produce, as well as my horses, and a performer, as they wanted to encourage strong families in their town as well as establish new venues, as their dinosaur attraction had gone the way of the dinosaurs and was a dusty memory!

Seems like Aggie's Corner wasn't the only place that was having growing pains, though I was hoping other issues would be eliminated.

Like right after leaving the farm so it could be packed up, lock, stock, and barrel, Kindle graduates, but so do I!

We just twirled into caps and gowns and were showered with confetti out of nowhere!




Then something happened that freaked us all out and made me realize that moving was the right decision.

We'd all become used to supernaturals as part of growing up here in Aggie's Corner, vampires, witches, werewolves, fairies, genies, you name it, pure or hybrid, we'd seen, known, and befriended them all.

Even married some of them and called them family!

But the sight that had our eyes bugging out was poor Heidi, one minute she'd been innocently standing in front of Kindle pawing and swatting at confetti as it rained down upon her.

The next possessed and distorted by something completely beyond our ken, not our sweet kitty anymore but an alien being!?!

No one said a word as we stared, horrified, and listened to her pitiful mews.




Then the moment passed and Heidi was just a cat again.

I broke the terrifying silence as I spun into my everyday riding outfit and shouted, "Well, if I'd been unsure of my decision before, I'm not now! It's definitely time to leave Aggie's Corner!"

Kindle, a tremor in her voice despite being brave, and I don't blame her as she'd been within inches of whatever that thing was, added, "Right behind you Mom!"




It had been a long week of natural events.

Trevor auditioning and performing in shows, and playing for tips.

Diwan falling in love with his best friend, Marley Frio, and asking her to be his steady girl.

Diwan and Karina going to prom with their dates and getting voted King and Queen.

Then our decision to move away from Aggie's Corner***, one I wasn't sure of until the weird double graduation for me and Kindle, followed by the very unnatural transformation of poor Heidi!

If nothing else, those last two events proved that our decision to leave was in everyone's best interest.

So we now say goodbye to Aggie's Corner, an unexpected, but necessary goodbye.

But it's not the end of my family or our story, as we move to a new town!

I'll tell you all about it in Chapter 100: New Beginnings
Coming soon.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
***Author's Note:
Aggie's Corner had become filled with so many interrelated families, that there were literally no sims to partner anyone up with anymore!
On top of that it had become laggy and glitchy, even after resetting the town multiple times.
(The cat glitch with Heidi being a perfect example)
Relocating most of the families in town was a last ditch effort to keep my game playable there.
Only to find out that since Aggie's Corner is actually the EA 'test' town of Adventureland, and has the same code as Sunset Valley (being totally the same except for only having two residents), it's impossible to move families and have it actually work properly.
Without destroying the family tree and relationships anyway, something I wasn't willing to do.

So the only option was to move towns.

This time to a town that has it's own code and will allow for moving families out when/if it gets too crowded.

[deedee_828]

A plane ride and a taxi later, just as the sun was rising in the sky, we arrived in our new town.

As we all tumbled out of the taxi and stood before our rental house, our temporary home until our farmhouse was ready, I was too tired to shout, but I did manage to quietly murmur, "Welcome to Appaloosa Plains, everyone grab a bag and we'll get settled in."




But once we'd all gotten our suitcases unpacked, the lure of our new town wasn't something we could resist.

Especially when mom found a brochure for Walls Book 'n Bath LLC!

It didn't take her long to persuade me, Kindle, and Karina that a spa day was just the thing we needed to perk us all up.

Diwan had read about the wonderful fishing up at Cinnamon Crest Falls and Leonard was eager to tag along with him.

They'd asked Trevor to go to, but he said he'd rather take Heidi to the Cat Park in town and get a feel for the locals.

When Trevor added that the fresh air would probably do Heidi a world of good after what had happened to her, we couldn't disagree, so we all headed out in three different directions.

My only condition was that they had to get photos for my journal, which Leonard, Diwan and Trevor quickly agreed to.

So that's how I ended up in front of a charming Spa/Bookstore with Mom, Karina, and Kindle our first day in town.

I even persuaded a passing stranger to take a photo of us as we discussed what we'd all like to have done.

"Oh, a mud facial sounds marvelous to me Rielle!" Mom exclaimed, while all I could think of was getting a massage to loosen up all my cramped, travel weary muscles.

Kindle was intrigued by the jellyfish mask, but decided she'd play it safe and get a traditional mani/pedi, as showing up for her first day of work at City Hall with a rash on her face wasn't the type of first impression she wanted to make.

Karina, being under 18, had fewer options, but she decided a mini facial would be great for her first day of school.




All four of us were thrilled with the results, though we did have to wait a bit for mom to finish, as her mud facial took longer to cure.

But there was a guy playing guitar on the sidewalk, so I listened with the girls.

He was pretty good and soon we were all tapping our feet and bopping to his beat!

Kindle laughed when I made that comment telling me that my language gave away my age.

I laughed and said, "From the conversations and looks I've been seeing, I'll be a grandmother soon enough so my age will be readily apparent!"

Kindle shot me a look that spoke volumes and I knew it was only because we didn't have space in the house that Leonard and I weren't grandparents already.

But that thought brought me up short as the wheels started turning in my head for a way to make that space!




I went to check on Mom, since we'd gone around the corner, and found her talking to a goldfinch that had landed on her finger!

"Well, aren't you just the sweetest, friendliest little thing!"

The little yellow and black bird just twittered away like it totally understood what mom was saying.

I know it was probably just her soft tone, like it is with most animals, but the birds answering chirps and tweets sounded like it was conversing with her.

I made sure to get a photo fast, before it flew away!




Trevor really outdid himself with the photos he took of the Cat Park, excuse me, the Novigan Community Cat Jungle!

For this park was truly amazing and filled with all things essential to cats, and beautifully laid out.

It had an enclosed cat buffet area, with bowls of fresh gourmet cat food and bits of catnip that had already torn apart!




A covered litter box area to keep the grounds clean and pristine.

Necessary if groups of cats were going to be gathering here.




And the cutest gazebo play area we'd ever seen, housing a cat condo, a crate of toys, and a cat bed shaped like a fish!

Stone pathways connected the extensive areas, with grassy, tree-shaded areas abounding with flowers and benches to relax upon.




Then he showed us one of three cat castles that the park sported.

Heidi eagerly played upon one of them first thing.

She ran straight up to the top floor, found a jingle ball, and happily pounced upon it again and again.




Then she sauntered out onto the top floor bridge after it, but gave up on play time when she found a warm spot on the bridge, stretching out luxuriously in a patch of sun.

She seems none the worse for wear after her 'alien' ordeal!

Thankfully.




The piece de resistance of the park was a fishing pond shaped like a cat!

It had several types of fish swimming eagerly to and fro with a water trough for local horses, both tame and wild.

Appaloosa Plains was the most animal loving town, a complete dream for our avid angler Diwan, a cat lover like Mom, a animal lover like Karina, and an equestrian like me!

This town had something we could all relate to as it pandered to animals in a huge way.




Trevor had even obtained an aerial postcard photo of the whole lot, which covered several acres.

Trevor learned from a local that the town had recently gotten some complaints from non animal lovers though, about the noise of so many cats right there in the middle of town, along with the barking of dogs in the nearby dog park.

But the size of this lot had more wheels turning in my head!




The rest of Trevor's photos came from a reporter!

Because when a local asked Trevor what he did for a living, Trevor had to show him.

Of course he did, he wouldn't be Trevor if he passed up an opportunity to perform!

He started off his performance by juggling flaming batons, which quickly had patrons of the park exclaiming with gasps of surprise and delight at his talent.




Then he fell back on his tried and true mime routines, drawing the crowd even closer.

A delivery girl even took a moment to watch his performance.




After seeing all of Trevor's wonderful photos, Leonard gulped a bit and swallowed hard.

"You didn't forget to take photos did you? Diwan, you promised you'd help him to remember to take photos!"

Leonard managed a weak, "I didn't forget, Rielle. Here's one a local fisherman took of me and Diwan."

I glanced at the photo and couldn't keep the disappointment out of my voice, asking, "I'm assuming the legs with the head in the trees is Diwan?"




"Oh, that one's mostly me! Here's a better one of Diwan."

"Oh, yes, much better, I can just barely make out his red hair! Why didn't you get closer?"

"I meant to zoom in on that one, but I guess I forgot."




Leonard quickly pulled out another photo and said, "This one's closer! He's holding up a good catch, a toad or a frog. I'm not sure which one it is."

I glanced at the photo and yelped, "EEWWW, that's a toad or a frog!?! It almost looks as bad as Heidi did back in Aggie's Corner! Well, I guess you did your best. These photos will have to do for my journal, but next time…"




Mom saved Leonard from my instructions for next time as she called from the kitchen, "Spaghetti's ready! I hope everyone's hungry."

I quickly snapped a photo, to show Leonard how it was done, but not before Mom'd turned back to the stove saying, "Oh, I'm a mess, my cheeks are flushed from cooking!"

I smiled and said, "Mom, you look beautiful! Your skin's glowing from your mud facial and you're looking fit and trim from all your exercise in the garden as well as to the radio. For someone 122 days old, you look amazing!"

Mom shrugged off my compliment, and said, "Well, thank you dear," but I could tell by her voice she was more than pleased to have me notice how she'd kept in shape all these years after struggling with her weight for so long.




We all hurried to the dining room, chatting as we ate, and then Kindle and I cleaned up,  as Trevor was working on his second plateful, and Diwan was debating on thirds!

Mom beamed as she said, "Fresh air and good food, really work up appetites! It's nice having all of us sit down for a family meal together."

I paused at Mom's words and said, "You're right, Mom! We've all been so busy lately, we've not had a family meal in ages."

Kindle was struck by her words too, and she asked, "Speaking of family, where is Karina? I thought she was right behind me?"

As he picked up his empty plate, Diwan replied, "She's outside with the horses, determined to ride one of them before the week is out!"




I hurriedly glanced out the window and sure enough, there was Karina sitting proud as punch on Wayfarer!

Her love of all animals had her playing with Heidi when they were both younger and she'd recently been obsessed with the horses, and about learning to ride lately.

She really hadn't chosen a direction for her life yet and her young adult birthday was coming up, so I guess she felt like she really needed to settle on something, her life's focus as well as a career.

As I thought about that, I realized that some of the plans I had in mind would probably help Karina out too.




After that wonderfully warm family time at dinner, I found Kindle and Trevor flirting again in the living room.

And that look I'd been seeing the two of them share, one of intimate closeness, was very much in evidence.

Suddenly I was in a hurry to have our farm lot finished and I made some calls flinging the Swanson name and money around to get things done even faster.




The result being that the work was done and the farmhouse lot completed in record time.

So we were all super excited a few nights later as we headed out of our rental place, just as new tenants had arrived to look it over.




We all piled into the motive mobile, as Mom said, what could be more special than seeing our new old place for the first time here in our new town!

And it's benefits would come in handy for getting settled back into life on our farm!

Even if we were only moving a few miles down the road from Six Gables Ranch.




Once the van was parked in it's usual spot, everyone went inside while I headed across the road to get a nice photo from a knoll nearby.

The farm looked exactly the same, so much so that I could have sworn it was still in Aggie's Corner!

Having our farm lot relocated completely intact was worth the move to that empty lot in AC, even if poor Heidi was an alien creature for a moment.

And it didn't really cost much to do it that way, a lot less than I expected actually, and so worth it to have our family farm, with all it's expansions, right here in Appaloosa Plains.

So starting over in a new town, but not from scratch, thankfully, and I have a few more ideas to make Appaloosa Plains feel even more like home.

Ideas I'm hoping the Appaloosa Plains town council will agree with, and endorse wholeheartedly.




We'd all enjoyed exploring our new town in the few days we spent at our rental place.

But now we're ready to get back to our normal routines of life on the farm.

For Mom, Leonard, and Diwan, that meant getting back to tending our extensive gardens, both the outdoor one and dad's nectary garden in the basement.

For Karina it meant attending her last few days of school, and preparing to start on the adventure of her young adult life, with so many choices to make soon.

For Kindle and Trevor it meant getting down to business and focusing on their respective careers, politics and acrobat gigs, and their wedding, which had been put on hold with the move to Appaloosa Plains.

For me, I'll be completing my lifetime wish very soon, and I have other plans in mind while I'm still the heir of the Swanson family.

I'll keep track of everything in Chapter 101: Settling Down In A New Town
Coming soon.

[deedee_828]

Right after moving in, I placed all our family urns in their respective places, and was gratified to see Grandpa Jerad pop out and head for his favorite place, a rocker in the nursery!




The next morning I had an aerial photo taken of Appaloosa Plains with our farmhouse near the lower right side.

Swanson Farms looked like it had been built for this town as it nestled perfectly at the bottom of the ridge below the town proper.

And the horse training grounds and Equestrian Center were just minutes away down the road, a fact that was ideal for my future plans!

The town already boasted an Elixir Consignment Store, as well as the requisite public school and stadium, though it was a combination building, unlike the separate buildings in Aggie's Corner.

It even had two franchised venues for Trevor to perform gigs, Performance Park, which was located across from the Elixir Store at one edge of town, and Flying V's Coffeehouse, just down the road from our farm!

And after speaking with the town council, I found out that they had plans to build a festival park on one of the lots across the road from the farm, one the Lexington family had generously donated so it would bear their name.

I broached my ideas on donating a replica of the community park that the Founders in Aggie's Corner had funded and received very positive feedback from most of the board members, though some were a bit reluctant as the only suitable lot in town was the Novigan Community Cat Jungle.

But with my assurance that we would also help fund a smaller cat park outside of the town limits, for our cat loving neighbors and residents, opposition decreased a bit, as they were quite aware of the complaints that had arisen with so many cats right in the middle of town!




As soon as Trevor found out that their was a Flying V's franchise in town and that it was just down the road, he booked it over there to check the place out.

He hadn't expected to find the proprietor on the lot so early, but he went through one of his mime routines when requested, even though he wasn't wearing his costume.




But the proprietor was delighted with his performance, and booked him for a gig for the next evening!

We'd only been in town a few days and Trevor already has his first gig, and it was at a coffeehouse, a step up from a park venue, to be sure!




High on his success, Trevor had asked if any other venues were accepting auditions and was told that Mick's Master karaoke had just opened it's doors, and it was right down the street.

So Trevor took a chance and auditioned for that proprietor too.




And got a gig for Wednesday evening!

He hoped that the young woman booing the current karaoke singer wouldn't be attending his performance because she was a harsh critic!




Trevor wanted to take advantage of the warm summer weather for his performances, so he headed into town and easily booked a third gig for Thursday afternoon at Performance Park.




Our teenagers weren't slouching on making new friends at their school either, as with the transfer of their records, they both were at the top of their classes, and could focus on being sociable.

Karina brought a new friend home from school that same afternoon, a sweet girl named Daisy Miller, who captured my heart with her cowboy hat right from the start!

And Diwan's bemused expression can be attributed to his surprise at finding a familiar face attending the local high school as well!

Did you catch that glimpse of green hair behind him!?!




You didn't think my hopeless romantic heart would leave these two apart did you!?!

I pulled some strings and found a local family to foster Marley as soon as we'd decided on moving here to AP, Daisy's family to be precise.

And she settled into our home just like we did, totally content to be back with Diwan in a familiar place.




But sadly, there were still no teen boys close to Karina's age here in AP either, those attending the local public school being much younger than she was, with her birthday only three days away.

So after she finished her homework with Daisy, she went to brush Sunshine down, hoping to increase their relationship and become friends with her.




Early the next morning, Karina had become friendly enough with her that Sunshine let her ride slowly around the yard.

Karina might not be an equestrian like me, but her love of all animals gives her a special affinity with horses.




That evening Trevor performed his first gig in AP, and all the family attended and quite a few of the town's residents.

For his last act, he juggled flaming batons and had the crowd holding their collective breathe!




It was the perfect finale and he received a huge amount of applause and many stood up in appreciation of his fantastic performance.

I gave him a cheering thumbs up, but was halted mid-cheer when I spotted Leonard's ghostly mother attending the performance.

His sisters had decided to move to AP and had brought their parents' urns along as well.

But I'd not seen a family ghost off a home lot before, and wondered what was so important she decided to join us here.




A few moments later her attendance was made clear when my dear Leonard was engulfed in a shower of birthday sparkles.

We'd been so caught up in the move that we'd lost track of the time and didn't even get to throw a party.

But the crowd added their birthday cheers to our own so it sounded like a party after all!




Mom had taken over on camera duty so I could be by his side.

Leonard took becoming an elder in stride, and me?, my thoughts were filled with the wonderful man I'd known since childhood, now such a distinguished looking elder!




Trevor took advantage of the crowd that was still hanging around and performed for tips in the small side yard.

They all were cheering him on enthusiastically when he repeated his flaming baton act.

I was just glad it was something that showed up in the darkness, being away from the stage lights.




The crowd around Trevor grew and grew, and Leonard's ghostly mom even hovered nearby him to watch as Trevor juggled his blades of steel!

After that, most of the family headed home as they had work and school in the morning.




But Leonard and I decided to take a moment and watch the stars.

With the stage lights of Flying V's behind us, the rest of the valley was in deep darkness and the sky was peppered with twinkling lights, dim and bright.

It reminded us both of all the nights we'd watched the stars together since we were teens.

And as I snuggled closer to Leonard, our hands touched, grasped and held tight, remembering our past and looking forward to our future in this new town.




The morning had me taking Wayfarer over to the Equestrian Center and offering him up for stud service again.

It's quite lucrative, earning us top dollar since Wayfarer is highly skilled in both jumping and racing.




Afterward, we took advantage of the horse training grounds, which boasts a racing track and an amazing series of jumps!

Wayfarer was in prime condition, no doubt in part because we live so close to the EQ and training grounds that he wasn't tired out from the ride over.

If things go the way I've planned, we'll be able to take advantage of the closeness of both areas and free up some space on the farm as well as we won't need a training grounds on the farm.




After school, Diwan stopped at the Cat Park and took advantage of the pond to get in some fishing.

Not having a pond in town was one of the reasons some on the town council were reluctant to agree to our proposal for replicating the park the founders had donated back in Aggie's Corner.




Those naysayers were quickly convinced to agree when we assured them that the new park would include a pond, as soon as Diwan became a young adult and could donate it as his generation's contribution.

Especially after we showed them a photo of the Community Park that was in AC!

Diwan plans on using the large back lot by the carousel for the fishing pond area, keeping it away from the roads on both sides of the lot.

Some were quick to point out that being near the carousel could be noisy, but Diwan countered that by saying it wouldn't be any noisier than the cat fights that occurred all hours of the day and night with pets and strays in the Cat Park!

And being on the non-road side would make it much more secluded than the previous pond.

With Diwan's arguments swaying the council, along with a generous check from us, construction went quickly and we even had other families in town wanting to contribute.

We're hoping that with it's more centralized location in town, this Community Park gets a lot more attendance than the one in AC did, being located so far out of town.




But Diwan wasn't content to just check out the Cat Park fishing hole that week, he also took a trip out to the Appaloosa County Water Treatment lot, that included a fishery and all the species of fish that can be found in the ocean.

If the brochure can be believed, anyway.

Diwan's decided to defer judgement on that until he's caught every type of fish!

And his plans include stocking our farm pond with as many of them as he can, so he'll be fishing a lot.

For an angler that's not a hardship, so Leonard and I are glad Diwan's found something he loves to be his focus, for his life and the farm expansion.




And Trevor continued to perform that first week, showing off his new tricks, this time at Mick's.

His first live show venue performance!

His acrobat skill has increased so he's added a balancing ball routine to his act now.

The thought of it doesn't make me as queasy as watching the Sphere of Nauseousness, but I'll definitely be sticking with solid horseflesh under me!




Trevor had such a great show at Mick's that he leveled up in his career and earned a new outfit.

This one shows a bit more skin and really shows off his muscular arms, all his athletic training has really paid off!

I'm sure there will be those in the audience that will readily agree with me.




We're all settling in nicely her in Appaloosa Plains.

Marley Frio has joined us, living with a foster family in town.

And Leonard's sisters have relocated here too, with his ghostly Mom, Karie, showing up on a community lot for Leonard's elder birthday, as I just couldn't leave the Kindle families behind!

Trevor's acrobat career is going strong and he's already given two performances in town, one at Flying V's coffeehouse, and the other at Mick's, a live show venue.

But it's still our first week here, so there's still some settling in to do.

I'll tell you all about it in Chapter 102: Visitors and Fire
Coming soon.

[deedee_828]

With the weather so warm here in AP, Diwan has decided on a second everyday outfit to include shorts.

He's also changed his hairstyle a bit, opting for a more casual style befitting an angler who doesn't have to impress anyone, least of all the fish!

He's growing into quite the handsome young man, if I do say so myself, but I'm not considering it self-centered as he gets his looks from Leonard and his hair color from mom, continuing the Swanson red!




While Diwan's been focusing on fishing and his new look, we've been busy with visitors to the farm.

New ones, like Alouette Bird, who stopped by to welcome us to the neighborhood, and do an intro piece on our family as she works for the local paper.

Kindle, being the charismatic and friendly one, was the one that agreed to the interview, saying, "Thanks for stopping by Ms. Bird, we're eager to meet our new neighbors and get to know everyone. From my new position at City Hall, I realize more than ever the importance of becoming contributing members of the community. Though family and community have been our family's focus since my great grandmother, Brooke Swanson, started our farm back in Aggie's Corner."

"Is that right Ms. Swanson?  Your family's been living on the same farm for three generations now, and even had it moved here completely intact? Our readers want to know the truth! Some of our residents think that's a bit much, wasting our town's money to have a farm moved like that!"

Kindle taken aback by Alouette Bird's immediate attack, took a breathe and said, "It was your town council that extended the invitation for our family to move here, based on the productivity of our farm and the diversity of what our family could offer…."

"But with you already in the political arena, being employed at City Hall in your previous town and now here, might that not have been through some devious conniving on your part!?!"




Kindle firmed her shoulders and said, "Let's get one thing straight Ms. Bird, we didn't accept a penny from your town council, or anyone on it, to move here! All the funds we used were our own! And even if I were advanced enough in my political career, and I'm not by the way, I would never use that position, or any other, to persuade anyone, in Aggie's Corner or here, to ram an agenda through a town council to illicit funds for my own or my family's use! How dare you accuse me of such a thing! If I see one word of that in print in your paper or even hear whispers of it in town anywhere after this, you can guarantee that suits for libel and slander will be generated against your paper and you personally! My great-great grandfather may no longer be running Swanson, Swanson, and Sons, but my great uncles and cousins will slap a lawsuit on you before you can blink! Is that clear!?!"

"Crystal, Ms. Swanson! I believe this interview is over!"

"It's not over by a longshot! I'm calling your supervisor and we'll see exactly what this attack is all about! If it's something your paper endorsed or if it's all about a newbie reporter trying to stir up dirt and make a name for herself."

Alouette, realizing she's pushed the wrong sim's buttons, backs off saying, "I didn't mean…I think there's been some misunderstanding…It's not necessary to involve my supervisor….No one's saying any of those things, and the paper wouldn't dream of printing anything like that!"

Kindle smiled and pointedly said, "And it better stay that way! If it doesn't, we'll know exactly who's responsible! Now, if you've got some legitimate questions you'd like answered, I'd be happy to answer them."

Surprised at Kindle's offer, Alouette asked, "You'd actually continue with the interview? Even after what I said?"

"If you can stick to the truth, I'd love to provide details about myself and my family so we can settle into our new town in a positive way."




Alouette, given a second chance, is quick to take advantage of it and asks, "You mentioned the diversity of your family members Ms. Swanson. Can you tell me and our readers exactly what your family brings to our town?"

Kindle, waves her arms, encompassing the area nearby and says, "Well, the obvious answer is the garden and it's perfect produce, for starters. My grandmother, Summer, and my father, Leonard, are the gardeners of the family, though all of us have helped out now and again, with planting, watering, and weeding. It's quite time consuming as all the planting and weeding are done by hand, though we do have automatic sprinklers in the outdoor garden as you can see for yourself."

"Can you tell us what produce you focus on? What we can expect to see for sale when your gardens are harvestable?"

"Our cash crop is Red Berry Beans, but we plant a large variety of other fruits and vegetables, which we sell periodically at the consignment store. Of course, this is where the diversity comes in as we also have a nectary garden and nectar makers down in our basement, which is quite extensive. That was my grandfather's domain, and though he passed away back in Aggie's Corner, we do plan on selling his most valuable nectars down the road, ones that pair excellently with fine cuisine!"

"So along with typical garden produce, your family also grows coveted Red Berry Beans, and expensive French grapes that have been made into fine nectars! My readers, especially those that enjoy fine foods and nectar, will eat that up Ms. Swanson!"  She added with a laugh, "Pun intended!"




"And what of your mother, Rielle Swanson? Is she planning on continuing her racing career here?"

"For a bit longer yes, while she's still young enough to endure the physical hardships of racing. But after that, she's hoping to focus on training and selling young horses, before grandchildren come along anyway!"

Raising her eyebrows, Alouette gave Kindle a look and asked archly, "With your siblings still in high school, I'm guessing the focus is on you and your fiancé, the up and coming acrobat, Trevor Gallo, to make that happen!?!"

"I see you've done some of your homework, Ms. Bird! Yes, Trevor and I have been thinking about children, starting our family soon, but before that happens, we'll be getting married. The first wedding for our family here in Appaloosa Plains!"

"Oh, that's wonderful! Congratulations! Does anyone else know about your wedding plans yet?"

"No, Ms. Bird, you are the first one I've mentioned that to, and it's not something you have to keep a secret! Your paper can have the exclusive on that. Now that we've moved and gotten settled in, Trevor and I want to get married soon. As soon as he takes a break on performing, anyway. He's been auditioning for gigs and performing every evening we've been in town!"

"I hear he's quite talented, but I haven't seen one of his shows yet myself."

"Well, he has another performance tonight, if you'd like to attend. He might even agree to a private interview after, if you play your cards right!"




Alouette Bird was so astonished at Kindle's offers that she went against all her journalist training and candidly said, "I can't believe how nice you're being to me Ms. Swanson after what I said at the beginning of this interview! I'd expected you to be a rich snob, living off your family's wealth, butting in at City Hall to push agendas through for you and your own family's benefit. But here you are, telling me all about the produce and nectar you've brought to our town, your mother's career plans, giving me an exclusive on your wedding plans, and even inviting me to your fiancé's evening performance! I guess I've been approaching my interviewees all wrong! They usually make me leave after my first question!"

Kindle smiled and said, "A word of advice Ms. Bird, you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar! No one wants to be attacked or ambushed with dubious questions, especially when it's supposed to be a fluff piece on a new family or project in the neighborhood. Save your hard hitting questions or innuendos for those that deserve them when you're an experienced investigative reporter. Or better yet, leave those types of questions to the police!"

With the mention of the police, Alouette suddenly bursts into tears  saying, "How did you know!?! Please don't tell anyone else! I've been trying so hard to keep my sister's misdeeds a secret, but if you know already…"

Kindle, not sure what's going on as she didn't even know Ms. Bird had a sister, steps closer and tries to console her with a comforting hug, "It will be okay Ms. Bird, I'm not sure what's going on with your sister, but whatever it is really has you stressed, and I'd like to help if I can."




Pulling back, Ms. Bird said, "Please call me Alouette. After how nice you've been and then letting me cry all over you, I don't think we should stand on ceremony any longer."

"I agree. Come down to the nectary with me and you can sample one of Grandpa Nolan's blends. It's up to you if you want to tell me about your sister, but it seems like you could use a friend with a listening ear."

"A friend would be wonderful! I'm not very lucky in that department or in anything else really. If I get one more complaint from my boss, I'm sure he's going to fire me! I've just been so worried about Oriole. She's been lucky so far, not getting caught, but what if my bad luck starts rubbing off on her? What if…"

As Alouette starts to panic again, Kindle, reassures her saying, "Let's not worry about what if's right now. I think you need to sit down and relax with a few glasses of nectar, rather than a sample! You're just a bundle of nerves!"

"I am! I'm the older sister, the one that's supposed to be in control, take care of things, but…it's all just too much!"




I would have liked to chat with the reporter a bit myself, give her a piece of my mind for accusing Kindle the way she did, but I'm glad I let Kindle handle it, especially after the woman fell apart and cried in Kindle's arms!

If it had been for a romantic reason, trouble with in her love life, I could have handled that, but trouble with her sister, and maybe a police matter, it sounded pretty bad, not my area of expertise at all.

So while Kindle brought Alouette Bird down to the nectary, I focused on Sunshine, feeding her some fresh carrots from the garden.




I cleaned her hoofs, brushed her coat until it shined, and then gave her neck a good rub, whispering to her in that special way we had, "Just think girl, one or two more big wins and I'll have completed my lifetime wish! Then it'll be time to focus on you and Wayfarer having a colt or filly for me to train, and we'll all move on to the next part of our lives. You being a new mother, me being the mother of a married daughter, and maybe a grandmother soon."

Of course Sunshine didn't respond, but she whinnied loudly and I took that for agreement.




I did the same for Wayfarer and then, as I was coming out of the barn, I spotted more visitors.

This time ones that weren't giving anyone a hard time.

Ghostly Kobe and Flynn had decided to come out and check out the farm and the new town.




Well, the new fairy paparazzi anyway!

And his wings were the same fiery red as both Flynn and Kobe's.

Maybe that's why Kobe took and instant liking to this one!

Though I'm sure that catnip treat he fed her had a lot to do with it too.

Either way, seeing our two long time family cats, even in their ghostly forms, made the farm more like home than ever.

It was home actually, right down to the last roof tile and disappearing gnomes, but having ghostly Grandpa Jerad show up the first night and now the ghostly cats, it was as if they had given their seal of approval to the new town as well.

I was confident that I'd made the right decision, one of the last big decisions I had to make as heir as our two teens, Karina and Diwan, had YA birthdays fast approaching.




The next afternoon, Kindle met Trevor at Performance Park when she got off work, telling him all about her latest promotion.

Excitedly she announced, "I'm doing so much better than I expected Trevor, I was a Yes Man when we moved to AP, then I got that promotion to City Council Member earlier this week, and now they've given me the honor of being a Local Representative! And with all your gigs this week, you're moving up the acrobat levels even faster than me. Things are working so well here in AP….both of us have found our niches and doing what we've been born to do. Nothing can stop us now!"

Trevor smiled but cautioned, "Don't push our luck Kindle…it's like tempting fate to claim all is right with your world!"




And unfortunately Trevor's words proved correct as his first trick had him missing a flaming torch that engulfed him in flames from the shoulders up!

Luckily he'd dosed himself with a hefty layer of flame retardant as was recommended by the Association of Acrobatic Athletes, Triple A for short, so that the only thing that smarted was his pride.

On the plus side, the audience only consisted of Kindle and two tourists to witness his humiliation.

On the down side, the audience only consisted of Kindle and two tourists!

I guess one of the drawbacks to an early outdoor show but still very disappointing as far as shows go.

Though one of the tourists clapped anyway.

Maybe he thought it was part of the performance?




But after that spectacle, the only audience remaining was Kindle, so needless to say, the show didn't impress the proprietor.

"I've had dentist visits that were less painful than that!" she groused after Trevor's final bow. Adding, "I hope you have a day job!"

Trevor left the stage with his head hung low and smelling like burning rubbish, the only consolation was they he hadn't actually been burned.




But he wasn't the only getting singed as earlier that day I'd totally miscalculated a fire jump riding Sunshine and she unceremoniously bucked me off near enough to the flames that I caught myself on fire too!

I quickly ran for the house and the nearest shower, though I should probably have doused myself in the water trough near the fence.

I ran fast, as my life really did depend on it, but my speed only fed the flames, apparently our Sim Land schools have forgotten the life-saving wisdom of 'Stop, Drop, and Roll'!

Giving our local paparazzi this embarrassing photo  of me dashing for the house!




But luckily that was the end of the flames for the day, and though Trevor and I both kept our distance from the candles on Karina's birthday cake, we both joined Mom and Diwan in enthusiastic cheers for Karina's big moment.




As the sparkles glowed around her, the sound of Karina's intake of breathe mirrored my own.

One of anticipation coupled with a touch of anxiety as to what this all important birthday would reveal.




And moment later, ready or not, Karina stood before us a young adult woman, but still looking sweet and farm fresh with her bow-tied pigtails.

Her smile proclaimed just how thrilled she was with her new grown up stature, though her clothing left something to be desired.

Not only was the top, a light blue, it was also long-sleeved, way too warm for our hot summer weather, and the skirt was a deep purple with a deep gold waistband shot with maroon and, adding to the garishness, topped with a hot pink draping sash!




It wasn't Karina's style or color at all, but her love for cake still persisted as she grabbed a piece and said she'd eat a piece first, maybe two, before she tried on her new birthday clothes.

Leonard was more enthusiastic with Karina being a young adult than I'd thought he'd be, but I did a double take when I took a good look at his outfit, realizing I'd never gotten him new clothes for his elder birthday.

I'm sure his slobby self didn't care one way or the other, and his button down shirt was okay, but with those shorts showing off his skinny legs, ending with his feet in brown dress shoes, it wasn't a look I wanted him to keep for his elder years.

But Kindle wasn't concerned by her father's outfit at all, and continued tooting away on her birthday horn, only stopping to say with a laugh, "Maybe only one piece of a cake, you'll want to fit into your wedding formal, after all. You know weddings are notorious for meeting eligible bachelors!"

Karina only laughed but as I threw a sharp glance at Kindle, I saw the twinkle in her eye and the knowing smirk on her lips.

My oldest daughter might not be a hopeless romantic like I am, but I could see that the wheels were spinning as she went over the residents in the new town, and I could see our guest list growing as the twinkle in her eyes settled into a satisfied gleam.




Karina surprised us and chose Family-Oriented as her YA trait, saying she was just as fond of her family as she was of animals.

I was a bit concerned with her choice as she hadn't had any luck finding a partner her age back in Aggie's Corner and there weren't any boys her age when we got here either.

Being a hopeless romantic, I wanted all my children to fall hopelessly in love with their soulmate, but I didn't want my daughter to set herself up for disappointment.

Though, maybe her family-oriented trait was meant to keep her closer to us rather than focusing on romantic love.

After Karina's trait announcement, I saw Kindle nodding her head with the gleam in her eye growing brighter, so I knew she knew something, or someone, I didn't.

I planned on ferreting that out of Kindle soon enough!

But right after cake, Kindle and Trevor headed outside together.




I followed, hoping to chat with Kindle, but when I saw her and Trevor all cuddled up on the back porch, I just took a photo, and left them to their whispering.




Everyone was busy the next day, Diwan with school, Kindle with her new position at City Hall, Mom and Leonard working in the gardens, and Karina checking out businesses around town to see who was hiring, while Trevor got in some practice for his evening performance.

So I got to focus on the horses all day, such a treat for me!

After getting both horses fed, brushed, and rubbed down, along with some special horse whispering, I took Sunshine over the few horse jumps we have on the farm, and was a bit disappointed as they're not anything like the full jumping courses at the Training Center.

I was planning on getting in my last couple of races soon and the jumps there are amazing, with rails, walls, and even water jumps.

They don't have a fire jump like I do on the farm, but after my last experience, I'd rather not be a human torch again anytime soon!




Friday evening, Mom, Kindle, Leonard, and  I went to Trevor's show and this time he had a great audience!

Everything went well, with all of his fire tricks staying contained, and Trevor got another promotion, moving him up to level 8, Firefly, earning himself a new costume and two new tricks, Giant Ring of Fire and Blazing Ballet!




We were hoping that Karina would join us and maybe meet some new friends her age, but after a long day pounding the pavement looking for a job, she was too tired, and opted for a relaxing night at home.

With her graduation tomorrow morning and Trevor and Kindle's wedding in the early afternoon, I couldn't really blame her.

And Diwan surprised us all by taking Marley to the prom here in Appaloosa Plains!
 
We figured the two of them wouldn't bother attending since they'd gone to the one back in Aggie's Corner, but their new friends talked them into it and Diwan even won Prom King!

I got there after Trevor's performance to get photos of them and drive them home.

Diwan didn't look as excited as I'd thought he'd be about winning another crown, but he explained that some poor loser tried to steal it so prom had ended with a fight.




And Marley wasn't happy either as someone had spilled punch all over her dress first thing and her mom had to bring her a change of clothes, a rather casual top and skirt, though she still looked cute.

Benni Hennessey, a younger girl from their class, certainly had on an interesting formal outfit!

She'd only recently moved her from down south and she though an animal print would fit in, as well as the country look of it with the shirt tied up high, baring her midriff.

But by the stony look on Marley's face, I got the feeling something had happened between these two.

I wasn't far off the mark as it turned out that, being new, Benni had spent the entire evening flirting with everyone else's dates, earning her black marks with the majority of the female students at Crestview School!

I commiserated with both Diwan and Marley, and assured Marley that her top and skirt would be perfectly suitable for the wedding tomorrow afternoon, since she wouldn't have time to get a new formal dress.

She seemed to feel better about it when I explained that we'd all been so busy getting settled in, none of us had really felt up to bothering with something new.

So Mom and I were both wearing the formals we had and it was only Karina that had a new dress, since she'd gotten it for her birthday.

I also mentioned that with her stunning hair, anything she wore looked beautiful, so she had nothing to worry about.

Diwan eagerly agreed with this statement, and though she blushed and tried to downplay our admiration, being proper, I could see that Marley was definitely pleased by our remarks.




Even though Kindle got off to a rocky start with their first adult visitor to the farm, Alouette Bird, a local reporter, Kindle's natural charm and friendly attitude turned it around and they became friends.

And both Kobe and Flynn, our ghostly family cats, have visited us as well, putting their seal of approval on our new town.

Kindle's reached level 6 in her political career and Trevor's continued with his performances all week, and is now up to level 8, though he and I have both had issues with fire recently.

Diwan and Marley attended prom here but they won't be teens much longer, in fact Diwan's birthday will be this weekend, on Sunday, only two days away!

Karina's aged up to a young adult, but hasn't chosen a career yet, or put together her new young adult wardrobe, so that will be coming up soon along with her graduation, which is scheduled for Saturday morning.

Followed by Kindle and Trevor's long awaited wedding----well, at least Leonard and I've been anxiously waiting for it ever since they got engaged back in Starlight Shores!

I'll be collecting lots of photos and getting it all documented in my journal, of course.

So don't miss Chapter 103: First Graduation and Wedding in Appaloosa Plains
Coming soon.

[deedee_828]

Saturday morning we were all up bright and early getting ready for this day packed full of events.

With Karina's graduation scheduled for this morning, she couldn't put off her make-over and trying on her new wardrobe any longer.

She thought the pigtails were cute so she kept them as I snapped a photo of her new look.

I would have preferred her eyes open but  she wanted to showed off her new make-up, a bit more adult than what she'd worn as a teen, but still tasteful and not too much for our laid back country town.




Karina's favorite color is orange, but we don't feel that goes as well with her purple streaked blonde hair so she chose a variety of colors for her new outfits.

For athletic, a soft blue, with a white top, and denim cut off shorts, as she's a farm girl at heart, loving the outdoors and all animals as well.

In fact, she chose Ark Builder as her lifetime wish, hoping to share her life with two cats, dogs, horses, birds, rodents, lizards, turtles, snakes, butterflies, and beetles!

I was thrilled with her choice as it fit my plans perfectly.

And I reminded her that a cat could really help with finding so many of the smaller animals, just look at what Kobe and Flynn provided in that department over their lifetimes!

She said she'd keep that in mind and train her cats to hunt right away.

She's even decided to put her gardening skill, limited though it is right now, to use, and she's focusing on a job at the Science Center in the agriculture department, more for Leonard and I as we both popped wishes for her to become a Scientist.




For outerwear, denim jeans and a light jacket as it's still summer.

She kept her outfits pretty basic, as with all those future pets to care for she doesn't need to look glamorous.




But she went all out on her formal outfit!

When she found this hairstyle, a ponytail but flipped to one side to give it a touch of style, she decided she liked it too much to just keep it for special occasions, and chose it for her permanent look.

Seeing her all decked out like this really brought home that she's not a little girl anymore, she's grown into a gorgeous young woman!

And it brought tears to my eyes to have her carrying on her great-grandmother Brina's beautiful hair.

Maybe she'll pass it on to one of her own children.

I've still got hopes in that area, after all, she's just become a young adult, and I can't believe the single men in this town would overlook someone as sweet and beautiful as Karina.




She'd planned on working on her gardening skill a bit more, but in a shower of confetti, she changed into her graduation cap and gown, which put a big smile on her face.

The rest of us quickly changed into formalwear to help her celebrate her big achievement.




We all sat proudly in the front row as Karina gave her speech as Valedictorian, and laughed along with her and her classmates as they bestowed on her the dubious honor of "Most likely to burn down her house!"

Apparently even with her short time at her new school, she was known for creating some highly explosive science projects in class and her peers were shocked to learn of her new job at the science center, but a bit more relieved once she mentioned her focus was on agriculture.

Then we were following her back outside into the bright sunshine, where she proudly clutched her diploma and, moments later, flung it up in the air with a loud cheer!

Among the family attending was Leonard's sister, Grace, who was expecting another child.




So Leonard took a moment to chat with her about how she and her family were settling into our new town.

He gave her a loving hug and said, "We're hoping you and Ian can make the wedding this afternoon, but we'll understand if you need to rest. Looks like you're going to add that little one to the family soon, if those kicks I feel are anything to go by!"

"I'm going to go home and rest up for it, but my doctor here has recommended l stay off my feet, especially outdoors in the heat. But I'll do my best to be there. Just think, my big brother is going to have a married daughter this afternoon! Your gray hair is perfect 'cause I'm thinking you'll be a grandpa soon enough!"

With mock sternness, Leonard replied, "Hey! My gray hair gives me that 'distinguished gentleman' look!"

Grace laughed and said, "It really does, but I can't resist teasing you!"




Once we were home, we finished up the last minute preparations for the wedding, just as the guests started to arrive.

Leonard was a bit surprised at the large crowd, but with Kindle working at City Hall, and Trevor being a performer, they'd met lots of residents, and made friends with quite a few already, so they'd invited family, friends, and co-workers alike.




Then it was time and as Kindle and Trevor took their places under the wedding arch, guests started finding their seats.

Kindle was not a nervous bride, she looked stunning in her bridal gown as she gave Trevor a big smile and a friendly wave!




A few of the guests found seats but Mom and I stood front and center and others followed our example.

The ceremony started with Kindle placing a simple gold band on Trevor's hand and intoning words that have been said, from time immemorial, "With this ring I, Kindle Swanson, wed thee, Trevor Gallo, from this day forward we share our lives, two minds, two hearts, two bodies, two souls, two that are now one. No longer separate but bound together before these witnesses, and I make this promise to you to today, to love you, to honor you, to respect you, to be the best me that I can be, and to make a life with you, and any children we are blessed with, and to fill that life with love, joy, and happiness, as your wife and the mother of your children. I love you more today than I did yesterday, and my love for you will continue to grow as we grow older and closer, our lives forever entwined. I love you Trevor!"

Trevor's voice was full of his heartfelt emotion as he said, "I love you too Kimble. More than I could have ever believed was possible. But you've made me believe it, never more so than in this very moment."




Then he lovingly placed the matching gold band on Kindle's hand, and began his vows, "With this ring, I, Trevor Gallo, wed thee, Kindle Swanson, my eternal flame, the love of my life, the life of my heart, two hearts that now beat as one, loving each other, supporting each other, to the end of our days. I shall cherish you, and any children we have, from this day forward, my promise before these witnesses is to take the love we share today and to build upon it, day by day, to be the best me that I can be, as your husband and the father of your children. This is the first step on our journey together as husband and wife, a journey that will be filled with as much joy and happiness as I can bestow upon you, and a love that knows no bounds."




Then they shared their first kiss as husband and wife as we threw rose petals over the new Mr. and Mrs. Gallo.

I instantly popped a wish for a grandchild which startled me in it's sudden appearance as I hadn't even had my elder birthday yet!

Apparently overhearing all that baby talk between Kindle and Trevor had released a hidden desire of my own.

Now that they were married, anyway!




Then Trevor stepped back laughing and said, "Can you believe it, we're married, actually married! I got the girl!"

Kindle tilted her head, smiled and replied softly, "Of course you got the girl, my love and I've got you, Kindle and Trevor together forever!"

This had everyone laughing, clapping, and throwing more petals, as congratulations were shouted from all directions.




With her heart full, Kindle jumped into her new husband's arms, which had most of us clapping again.

Surprisingly this included Tate Curley, a former politician who'd retired from the city council after it voted to allow what he calls city-slickers to buy up land in town.

He's been holed up in his home ever since, alienating himself from locals and newcomers alike, so many of the guests were actually surprised that he showed up at all, and truly shocked that he clapped for the newlyweds.

From what we've heard, he doesn't like children, which is why he and his wife don't have any, and he's allowed his grumpiness to make him bitter,  but as one myself, I can spot a hopeless romantic in any size crowd!




Leonard took a moment to introduce himself to his nephew, Wesley, his sister Julia's son with my cousin, Lamar Rhoen.

He seemed a bit disgusted to be wearing formal clothes, a sweater vest with a jacket, that did seem a bit warm for the hot summer day.

But watching their meeting quickly gave way as I spotted a much more intriguing one nearby!




Karina chatting with local bachelor Benjamin Schmidt, who's eyes lit up when she introduced herself.

I wasn't surprised because, rumor has it, that Mr. Schmidt has an eye for pretty girls and Karina is absolutely gorgeous!

But those rumors made me a bit nervous, after all, I didn't want to see our beautiful, sweet, Karina just become the latest conquest of a heartbreaker!




But I didn't have long to dwell on that since Kindle and Trevor were about to cut their wedding cake.

Just seeing the looks these two kept giving each other made me feel that they were truly meant to be.



 
As darkness descended on the crowd, guests grabbed pieces of cake and chattered excitedly, about the wedding and the newlyweds.

Others were preoccupied with what was going on in their own lives, getting promotions, or rethinking their homes.

And I definitely heard a joke or two being bantered around.

You know the kind, wedding speculations; how quickly the newlyweds would decide to start their family, who would be the next bride, or if any singles would indulge in a wedding romance!




It wasn't hard to figure out where that speculation came from, especially after seeing Karina in an intense conversation with Mr. Schmidt again.

I handed mom my camera and stepped closer.

There was no doubt about these two being attracted to each other as I heard him say, "I'm a Sagittarius, Ms. Swanson, but I've always chosen my partner based on their own individual merits rather than their astrological sign, and you are definitely someone I'd like to get to know better! If you're not already spoken for?"

I watched Karina adamantly shake her head and gesture encouragingly as she replied, "No, I'm not married Mr. Schmidt. In fact, I just graduated from high school this morning and haven't really had a chance to meet any one my own age yet. Until you, that is. Since we're both young adults, I think we could drop the formalities, don't you? Please call me Karina."

With a charming smile, he said, "Congratulations on your accomplishment, Karina! It's definitely a milestone becoming a young adult and leaving school. Have you made any plans for your future yet?"




I was probably just as eager to hear Karina's plans as he was, so I shamelessly listened in, though I turned my head away so as not to look like I was blatantly eavesdropping.

But these two were oblivious to anyone but each other as Karina continued,  "I've gotten a job at the Science Center, in the agriculture division, since I've got a little bit of gardening skill. But my real love is animals, horses, dogs, cats, and all the little creatures of the fields and forests. I'd love to have my own ark someday, you know, two of every living creature!"

"I've got a rather large dog myself, her name is Ralston, but not all my friends have taken to her. It's great knowing that a dog, or any other animal, wouldn't put you off! Most girls I know are more concerned about marriage and babies! Not that I don't like the idea of marriage or kids, but I'd like to live a little first, enjoy being young."




My heart raced at his words as, from what I'd heard, a lot of local housewives had suddenly decided they had all sorts of appliances around the house that needed fixing, and that Mr. Schmidt had eagerly accepted any and all offers!

In fact, even though he was employed at Heuber Associates, other rumors were circulating that he was seriously thinking of becoming a handyman full time.

"Oh, I agree Benjamin. The only babies I'm thinking of currently are puppies, kittens, or foals! We've got two horses on the farm, and a cat, but the farm's too full to add any other pets. And we've never had a dog! Do you think I could meet your Ralston sometime?"

"I think that having you over to my place and giving you the chance to meet Ralston, your first dog, would be an honor Karina! I've even been thinking about having her bred as several neighbors have asked about puppies. Maybe you could help me choose her mate?"




Then mom called me from the porch to ask about cleaning up the buffet leftovers and I reluctantly left my post to help her.

But mom's gasp of surprise had me turning just in time to see Karina in a lip lock!

"I don't care if you do break my heart," I heard her murmur, "this is too good an opportunity to pass up!"

Mr. Schmidt's answer was lost as he expertly kissed my daughter!

By Karina's sighs, I knew one thing for a fact, he was definitely handy in that area!




As Mom and I stood on the front porch unable to look away, we got to see Benjamin give Karina a back rub.

Another area he seemed handy in and way too familiar!




But I'm not sure who was more surprised, me, Mom, or Benjamin, when Karina whirled around and asked, "I know this is sudden Benjamin, but I feel like you're my destiny! Will you be my boyfriend!?!"

You could have heard a pin drop as we held our breathes on the porch waiting for his answer.




He took Karina's hands in his own, and we waited for him to let her down gently, as we knew she was just caught up in the romance of her sister's wedding.

But we both got the shock of our lives when Benjamin Schmidt, renowned bachelor and ladies' man, replied, "It would make me the happiest man on earth to be your boyfriend Karina!"




I finally had the wedding of my dreams watching Kindle and Trevor marry today!

But it was Karina who surprised us all by not only graduating, but ending up with a boyfriend, Benjamin Schmidt!

I don't know whether to be happy or concerned, as I'm thrilled she's finally found someone, but not so sure he's the right someone.

And it happened so fast!

Is it going to be just a wedding romance or will he truly be Karina's destiny?

Oh, I was so wrapped up in Karina's romance, I almost forgot to mention that both Leonard and I are ready for a grandchild now!

Mom's surprised us all by keeping Grim at bay this long, so maybe she'll get the opportunity to meet a great-grandchild!

But will it be me or Diwan that gets to tell you all about it?

That's right! Diwan's birthday is just around the corner and he'll be taking over as heir and writing the family journal.

So follow along and see who the author of Chapter 104 will be!
Coming soon.

[deedee_828]

With a whole day to fill before our birthdays this evening, I got the privilege of writing one last chapter in our family journal.

I was so restless I barely slept thinking about all the last minute things I needed to accomplish today.

But I wasn't the only one up, by the looks of things, my two youngest children hadn't even gone to bed yet!

A peek out of the living room window, showed me Karina still deeply involved with Benjamin under the wedding canopy.

It was still dark but a street lamp gave me just enough light to see another passionate kiss, which gave my heart a pang as it was obvious that Karina had fallen in love, and fallen hard and fast!

But what was even more surprising was that Benjamin seemed equally smitten with Karina, being totally focused on her, and her alone, since they'd met.

Which made me wonder if all those juicy tidbits I'd heard on the rumor mill were even remotely true, or just that, rumors made up by bored housewives or singles with not much going on in their lives.

I was really hoping for the latter, but I knew that voicing my misgivings to Karina, who was in the throes of first love, would fall on deaf ears.




I stepped outside on the front porch to focus on Diwan, who must have caught Marley just as she was heading for home as they were standing on the edge of the road.

He was animatedly chatting away with her, and though I couldn't hear their conversation, it was pretty easy to figure out, from Marley's polite stare, that he was telling her all about his latest fishing expedition!

For Diwan, his two favorite topics of conversation were gardening and fishing, something he had in common with his father, as he'd gotten Leonard hooked on fishing so much that he'd become an avid fisherman when he wasn't working in the gardens.




Just as the sun's rays filled our farm with a warm light, he raised his voice in his enthusiasm to ask, "Hey, it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day today, would you like to come to Cinnamon Crest Falls with me? Even if you don't want to fish, you could take photos of me fishing. Mom is always going on and on about taking photos for the family journal. It would be great if you'd do that for me!"

Marley nods her head in agreement, probably thankful that Diwan didn't specifically ask her to go fishing, and gave her the out of taking photos. I'm not picky about photos, well, actually I am, but not about who takes them, as long as we have plenty for my journal.

Though I'm sure Diwan will be happy with way less of them than I've been.

With that arrangement settled upon, I know these two are all set to spend the whole day up at the falls, because once Diwan gets there, she'll be dragging him home just in time for our birthdays tonight.

That boy loses all sense of time when he's fishing!

I do admire his focus, but I'm sure others get just as tired of listening to his fishing stories as they do listening to my racing ones!

I guess that's one of the things he and I have in common, both of us are passionate about the farm expansions that we've chosen.




Back in the house, I paused in the doorway to Diwan's current bedroom, and found Mom and Karina deep in conversation.

Mom was smiling as Karina revealed, "Benjamin doesn't deserve his heartbreaker reputation Grandma, he's not flirted or done anything else with his female customers. He keeps his handiness jobs strictly professional, and he's so good at it he's thinking of quitting his job at Heuber Associates to work full time as a handy man. He's a bit older than me, but still a young adult, it's his beard that makes him look so much older. And he grew that on purpose so he wouldn't look like such a kid! But it seems to have backfired with all the gossip going around about him."

She squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of that malicious gossip flying around on the rumor mill, and added, "I'm the first serious relationship he's had here in Appaloosa Plains, and his very first girlfriend too! And if I have my way, his only girlfriend ever! Until we get married and I become his wife. He's not opposed to marriage or a long term relationship, and he likes kids too. Down the road of course, as he wants to have some fun first and get better established before having the responsibility of a family. His  focus right now is on building up his business and spending time with his dog Ralston. He wants to find a mate for her and have puppies! Isn't that just adorable? Just think, the first single man I meet and he has a dog and wants puppies! He's perfect for me and his dogs will help me build my ark!"

I was thrilled to hear this news and so happy for Karina, but a bit ashamed of myself for not only listening to all that gossip, but buying into it and being so biased about Benjamin before I'd even met him.

I know one thing, that certainly won't happen with Diwan as heir as other people's relationships are the last thing he'd ever be thinking about as he barely thinks of his own!

Which, from what I understand, is a typical male attitude with their topics of conversation, especially with other males, focused on sports, hobbies, food, games, and work, not necessarily in that order!




I realized I'd been dwelling on my own thoughts as I heard Karina squeal and fling herself into Mom's arms, saying, "Oh, Grandma, what a wonderful gift! But are you sure you want to part with her? You and Heidi have such a special friendship, I'd hate to ruin that!"

Mom squeezed Karina tightly, her voice only trembling a little as she said, "That's just it sweetie, I've lived a long, wonderful life, but I know Grim could show up any time, and I'd rather have Heidi with someone who loves her as much as I do. And with you wanting your ark, you can find her a mate in town and let her have her own family."

"Oh, Grandma, that's a perfect plan! And Heidi hunts so well on her own that she'll be helping me find my other ark pets in no time."

Mom said, "You may already have a head start on that! I've left all of her finds in her inventory. I haven't checked it lately, but I'm sure there are a few in there, a rodent, snake, and a bird, at least."




I was a bit choked up by this scene, even though I'd known mom was going to offer Heidi, I hadn't expected the pang of this moment to hit me quite so hard.

After composing myself a bit, I firmed my shoulders for my own big moment with Karina.

Leonard had invited her into our bedroom so we could have our own private conversation with her.

I found them deep in conversation, about Benjamin again!

"I know it's sudden Dad, but I've never felt about anyone like I do about Benjamin! He gets me, makes me feel like I've found the other half of myself. I can't put it into flowery, romantic, words like Mom does, but I knew within the first few moments that he was the one!"




My heart swelled again and my eyes teared up as Leonard enfolded Karina in a warm fatherly hug, saying, "No need for flowery, romantic, words when you have such heartfelt feelings, sweetie. I understand all about knowing! Once I laid eyes on your mother, there was no room in my heart for anyone else. Well, not until you kids can along, but that's a different kind of love. Not any less, just different."

"Oh, I know what you mean dad. I love you and Mom, Kindle, Diwan and Grandma, all so much! You know family means a lot to me, especially with my new trait and it certainly caught me by surprise to fall in love so soon after graduation, but it's just…amazing! Maybe even more wonderful because it happened now and not when I was younger, if that makes sense?"

Leonard hugged her tighter and said, "Perfect sense. Teen love can be fast and intense, but fleeting, especially if it's superficial, based on looks alone, which it has a tendency to be. But some, like your mother and I, knew it was the real thing right away. Though I'm sure that was because of my irresistible trait and her hopeless romantic one, a combustible combination for love for sure!"

With a chuckle he added, "I'm sure she's giving me one of her famous looks for saying it that way too, with the Dean tendency towards fire, but our love has certainly stood the test of time!"

Karina's smile when she caught sight of my face made me realize Leonard knew me all too well and I had raised my brows with that famous Swanson female look!




As Leonard's final comment hit me, my tender heart was doing flips inside my chest again, as  our love had only grown deeper and stronger over the years, and I wasn't any more composed now than I'd been after hearing Mom and Karina's heart to heart.

But I knew it was my turn, so I called the two of them over and got the hardest part over with.

It was harder than I thought it'd be, and I lowered my head so my hat tilted forward to cover my face in my embarrassment, nervously tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear and facing Karina, "Oh sweetie, I need to apologize for thinking what I've been thinking about your Benjamin, listening to all that gossip! Can you ever forgive me Karina?"

"Nothing to forgive Mom! Benjamin didn't want me to be blind-sided about all that gossip so he told me last night that it's going full blast all over town, and with the two of us hitting it off so quickly, that probably just added fodder to the rumors! He was even surprised that he was invited to the wedding."

"I haven't confirmed it with her yet, but I think that was your sisters' doing. I saw the look in her eyes after your birthday, when she realized her wedding might be the perfect opportunity to introduce you to the eligible bachelors in town. And it looks like she chose well, seeing as how you and Benjamin are head over heels already!"

Seeing Leonard all antsy waiting for me to get to our big surprise, Karina's young adult birthday and graduation gift, I put him out of his misery.




He started clapping even before the first words were out of my mouth!

"Now, for our big surprise! With Diwan taking over the farm soon and needing the space for his own expansion, and me becoming an elder tonight, I've decided that it's time to focus on horse training, instead of racing."

"But what about your lifetime wish, Mom? You can't give that up when you're so close!"

"No, of course not. I'm scheduled to race today, and as long as I place, I'll complete it!"

"But Sunshine and Wayfarer are already trained, both of them have maxed their racing and jumping skills, so with the house full, what horse would you train?"

I smiled and said, "If you'd stop interrupting, I'd get to the best part!"

Karina immediately pursed her lips shut and opened her eyes wide in expectation.

But Leonard couldn't stand the suspense any longer and blurted out, "Six Gables Stables, the ranch we stayed on when we first came to town is no longer a rental property as the owner's put in on the market and we've bought it for you! The perfect place to build your ark!"




Karina grabbed Leonard and said, "Oh, oh, oh, I don't even know what to say!"

"Thank you comes to mind," Leonard said with a smile, hugging her back tightly, adding, "It was your mother's idea, knowing Diwan wants to add a fishing pond for his expansion, which I'm all for actually, as we won't even have to leave the farm to fish! With space being tight on the farm, with the horse paddock and jumps, her first thought was having a ranch built on the empty lot next door. Especially since the Equestrian Center and training grounds are just down the road, and even more extensive than the ones we have here. But with the Stables on the market, that was even better with the time table we're on. And it works perfectly with your mother's other gifts."




Turning to me Karina said, "There's more!?! Seriously, you guys don't need to do more, I'm sure the Stables cost plenty…"

"Don't you worry about the cost, we've not had to do that since Grandpa Jared won the lottery. And our Red Berry Beans constantly bring in more than we'll ever need. My other gifts might take a bit longer though. And it'll help us all out in a number of ways, freeing up more space on the farm, helping you out with your ark, and giving me foals to train, as once Sunshine is bred with Wayfarer, he'll move to the Stables with you and once Sunshine's foal is old enough to be on it's own, Sunshine will join you both there, so you'll have your two horses for your ark! And if things work out well, any other foals they have together, I could buy from you and train them! It's a win-win all the way around!"

The hug Karina gave me was even more enthusiastic than one she'd given her father as she flung her arms around me tightly!

"Mom, mom, that's just….perfect, so perfect."




Then, as Karina realized just what all this hinged on, she said stared at the floor saying, "So someone needs to move out, now, right away, so we can get started on this, right? And since I already have a house, a full blown ranch…the sale is final right? The ranch is mine?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you have to move out right this minute! We have family birthdays tonight, and we want you here to celebrate with us!"

"I'll come back for that, I wouldn't miss your birthdays for the world! Besides, it's just down the road! Oh, I'm so excited….my own home, a ranch, with Heidi, and then Wayfarer, and Sunshine after her foal is big enough. Wait until I tell Benjamin! He's going to be so thrilled, he was worried a bit about my ark with how small his house is, and already having Ralston, and wanting her to have puppies. German Shepherds aren't small dogs! But the ranch is huge and they'd have plenty of room!"

We couldn't dissuade Karina and she rushed out of the room saying, "I'll just pack an overnight bag for now, and Heidi's bed and toys, and food dish. Dad and Diwan can bring over any of the bigger stuff tomorrow, or the next day, whenever they get a chance. I'll let Grandma know so she can say goodbye to Heidi."




Mom was a bit shocked at how quickly Karina was leaving us, but grateful that Karina gave her a moment to say goodbye.

I got a sweet photo of them together for my journal.

"Now, you give me some smooches Heidi and be a good girl for Karina! Find her lots of pets for her ark. If Grim gives me more time, I'll come visit you in your new home."

With a farewell hug and one last treat, Heidi went off to the Stables with Karina.




I was still in shock at how fast Karina had left, but I wasn't going to waste the precious opportunity this gave me.

I went outside and whispered to both horses, rubbing them down and letting them know their own turn for romance was finally here.

"Our sweet Karina has moved out Sunshine, along with Heidi, so this is your chance, girl!"

I stepped away and let nature take it's course, and my equine friends didn't let me down.

They stood close together nuzzling each other and trotted off side by side to the outdoor stall.




Then I realized my mistake, as with the possibility of a foal on the horizon, I didn't dare race Sunshine in the noon races!

But after pondering my dilemma for a moment, I decided it was for the best as Sunshine had reaped most of the racing glory throughout my career, being my first horse.

So it only seemed fitting that it would be Wayfarer that got the honor of being with me at the apex of my career, the moment I completed my lifetime want and earned 40,000 Simoleons from racing!

Here's the photo that would grace the cover of the most prestigious horseracing magazines throughout Simland!

The caption would read, 'Rielle Swanson, horsewoman extraordinaire, riding renowned stallion, Wayfarer, came in a respectable third in the International Queen's Cup, the first International race for the stallion. But it was more than just another race for her, as this win is the culmination of her achieving her lifelong dream! A feat that truly deserves this heroic pose we captured as the two left the Equestrian Center this afternoon.'

And the attached article included the following information from my interview, 'Congratulations to Ms. Swanson and Wayfarer and best of luck in your future endeavors. The horsewoman has confided that she'll now focus on training the expected foal of her beloved mounts, Sunshine and Wayfarer. And that both horses will soon be taking up residence at Six Gables Stables, their care and supervision being overseen by none other than Ms. Swanson's daughter, Karina Swanson! Dare we hope that the younger Ms. Swanson will be following in her mother's footsteps? Or at least providing some top of the line horseflesh for future races?'




I was high off my racing success when I got back to the farm, but a loud voice from the nectary had me hurrying down to see what was going on.

I found Diwan holding a megaphone and excitedly encouraging the plants to grow!

I didn't even know this was something you could do with the grow stations, but his enthusiasm had me grinning, though I did let him know it was almost birthday time, so not to be too much longer.

Marley, who was snapping photos of him and even shared one with me, promised to hurry him along so we could get started soon.

Seeing how well the photo turned out, I was hopeful that, with Marley's assistance, Diwan's section would have some great family photos after all!




Stepping into the back hall in the house, Leonard greeted me with a big smile saying, "Congratulations honey! I never doubted for a moment that you could do it!"

I laughed, twirled him into my arms and said, "And here's something else I can do!" as I kissed him passionately!

Unfortunately, that's when Diwan stepped into the hall, and seeing us in a romantic clinch, mumbled, "I thought it was time to celebrate our birthdays!?!"

Leonard and I were both too busy to say anything, caught up in our kiss and finally Diwan realized we were already celebrating, so he left in disgust, saying, "I'll be waiting by my cake if you two ever come up for air! Gross!"




True to his word, Diwan was waiting by his cake as Leonard and I took our places behind him, cheering away.

But his gaze wasn't focused on his cake, as across the room, others were cheering as well.




Trevor, Kindle, Mom, and a very excited Marley, who, though proper, knew that a birthday, especially the all important young adult birthday, was an occasion to be truly excited about!




Diwan quickly made his wish, blew out his candles and stood before us, hands on hips, proudly showing off his new look, and loving the design on his jacket, in his favorite color, red.

He was a handsome young man, that's for sure, and he chose Handy for his young adult trait!

I was momentarily rendered speechless, truly a unique moment for me!

But, not unexpected really, and it had nothing to do with his new trait and everything to do with realizing all of your babies are now grown up!

Leonard took Diwan's new status in stride, chuckled, and said, "Now you can help me keep that old washer going son, maybe even upgrade it so it stops breaking!"




But we didn't have long to think about it because another cake was all set for another important birthday.

Not mine!

Elder birthdays aren't much of an occasion to celebrate, at least those of my gender don't think much of them.

But Marley's young adult birthday was of utmost importance!

And luckily Grim didn't show up to ruin it this time, like he did at Diwan's teen birthday.

Marley raised her eyes, threw up her hand, and made her birthday wish!




But honestly, if her clothes hadn't changed, I would have barely known she'd aged up as she looked just as fresh and lovely as she did as a teen, with the same hairstyle even!

Mom and Kindle both clapped and shouted their birthday congratulations while Marley's gaze stayed locked on Diwan, almost as if she was in shock.




I took a quick look at my son and saw a myriad of emotions flash across his face as his own eyes met Marley's, then he quickly looked away and broke out in a loud cheer!

I wasn't sure if it was to disguise his own feelings or to make sure he could be heard over Leonard's and Trevor's enthusiastic birthday cheers.

Neither of them hid their appreciation for a pretty girl, that's for sure!

As that thought struck me, I frowned thinking that's exactly how ugly rumors got started, and was probably what had happened with Benjamin as he was as charming as my Leonard or Kindle's Trevor, as it only took one person to ruin a person's reputation or give them a notorious one!




But while Marley and the others grabbed cake, there was something important I needed to do, while I was still an adult.

"Happy Birthday Diwan!"

"Thanks Mom! Can you believe I'm really a young adult!?! And Marley too!"

I interrupted before he got caught up in that thought, saying, "It's hard to think that all of my kids are grown up, that's for sure! But you're more than just a young adult Diwan, you're now the Swanson heir!"

"Now!?! Right now, you're turning heirship over to me!?!"




I leaned forward and pulled him into my arms as his own held me close, and I whispered, "Yes, now, Diwan. I have every confidence that you'll do your absolute best to continue the traditions on our farm and make it even better! Your father and I will still be here, of course, helping out, giving advice, but only if you ask for it. From this moment, the farm and the family journal, are your responsibility. You make all the final decisions, along with your partner, of course. Never forget…"

Diwan chuckled in my ear as he said, "Happy wife, happy life!" And then he paused, and asked excitedly, "Does that mean I can invite Marley to move in right now? Tonight?"

I held back my laugh and said abruptly, "That, my son, is not something I can condone!"

Diwan pulled away startled by my tone and said, "But why not!?! I thought you liked her!?!"

I couldn't keep up my pretense any longer and laughed saying, "I love Marley, almost as much as you do! But asking her to move in is a decision that the heir would make, not his mother!"

Diwan's look of relief was almost comical, as he shook his head and said, "Aw, heir jokes already!?!"

"It comes with the territory, so get used to it! And now, if I can read looks correctly, I think there's some else that wants a moment of your time."




I've completed my lifetime want and I'm a jockey with 40,000 simoleans worth of earnings under my belt!

As far as inheritances go, it's not much, not even as much as one crop of Red Berry Beans brings in, but reaching your goals, your lifelong dream, isn't always about simoleans, or at least it shouldn't be.

It's about doing what you love and turning that into something special, and I feel I've done just that training and racing Sunshine and Wayfarer.

But mostly it's about family, and I feel more than blessed in that area.

My father, Nolan Dean Swanson, gave us his love and the legacy of his nectar for generations of Swansons to enjoy.

My mother, Summer, who's been blessed with long life and is still with us, the heart of our family who has kept us and our gardens going strong.

My sister Breeze and my brothers, Dean, Ben, and Ward, living their lives in other towns, carrying their family heritage with them, and passing it on through their own children.

Last, but certainly not least, my own children, grown now, and starting families of their own.

Kindle and her Trevor, who's close to realizing his own dream of becoming a Master Acrobat.

Karina, who's moved into Six Gables Stables with Mom's cat, Heidi, and will soon have my horses, Sunshine and Wayfarer, joining her to help build her ark. And I'm sure it won't be long, before her young man, Benjamin, and his dog and pups join her!

My son, Diwan, the new Swanson heir, who, with his chosen partner Marley by his side, will now take the reins and continue to build on our farm's traditions, adding his own, but more importantly than that, doing it with happiness and love, raising the next generation of Swansons.

Along with fishing, of course! Lots and lots of fishing!

My time as heir is over, but his has just begun.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rielle Swanson

P.S. Chapter 105 will be the beginning of generation four.
As soon as Diwan starts it, of course!
Me, I'm going to go check on my beloved horses and make sure Sunshine is getting plenty of love and attention during this special time for her.
Well, after my birthday, of course, but Diwan will be responsible for recounting that milestone.

[deedee_828]

Day 1

I became heir tonight.

Me, Diwan Swanson, third child and only son of Rielle Swanson and Leonard Diwan Kindle.

Right after I became a young adult, Mom hugged me and told me she was turning heirship over to me.

Of course, I didn't know that was what Mom planned when the day started, for me it was just Sunday, a beautiful day for fishing up at Cinnamon Crest Falls.

I'd even persuaded my girlfriend Marley to come with me, not that she was keen on fishing but she'd agreed to take photos of me for the family journal that I also inherited. This journal.

I really wasn't sure how to begin.

Mom said to write from the heart, but I told her guys didn't do mushy stuff, well not a lot of guys, including me.

She told me writing from the heart didn't just mean 'mushy' stuff, all lovey-dovey and romantic, it could also mean writing about what you know and love, what's important to you as you live your life each day.

So, here's Marley's first photo of me, fishing, of course!

I thought it turned out great as the water is so clear you can see the fish swimming around in the pond!

That certainly makes it easy to know where to throw your line and catch the biggest fish, which is what fishing is all about, well, not so much size, as quality, but with fish, size is a big deal too, just ask any fisherman!

Marley's doesn't have a photographer's eye for the skill, but being proper, she doesn't do anything by halves and she explained how 'composition' was the most important thing in photography, and not just about the fish. She was thrilled to have captured the sunlight reflecting off the water, the fish swimming just beneath the surface, and me standing so patiently on the shore, the quintessential fisherman.

I wasn't sure exactly what she was talking about, but since she was all excited and happy about it, so was I.




I didn't have the heart to tell her mom would have preferred a close-up shot of me, and I have the feeling Mom won't mention that to Marley either, so as not to hurt her feelings.

Mom's always been a big one for feelings, her own and others, but that's not me at all.

I care about my family, of course, and Marley.

I got a photo of her up at the Falls with some wild horses that showed up.

Mom loves Marley's colorful hair and is always going on and on about it, especially how cute it would look on a grandchild!

I just roll my eyes and thank my lucky stars that she hasn't embarrassed me by saying that in front of Marley.

Yet.

The horses didn't seem impressed by either me or Marley, so we both kept our distance.

Marley's not especially keen on horses, or cats, but she loves dogs, so I'm hoping we have room on the farm for one some time soon.

It's the only big animal we haven't had yet, and I think a dog would be great, and I know Marley would love one.

I'll have to ask my sister Karina about that since she's the animal lover in the family and just moved onto a ranch that our folks bought her as a birthday/graduation gift.




Dogs were still on my mind when we got back to town, so after dropping Marley at her place, I made a quick stop at Karina's new place, Six Gables Stables.

To my surprise Karina was standing on the porch and she yelled, "Tell Mom I'm going to be a bit late, Benjamin and I are busy with Ralston and her pups!"

"Then why are you out here?"

"Because Ralston doesn't know me and having a stranger near a dog in labor isn't a good idea."

"I'll take your word on that and let Mom know what's going on. How many pups so far?"

"Two, but the third one is rather large and might be stuck, so that could mean a trip to the vet."

I didn't have time for the whole story but the gist of it was that Benjamin's dog, Ralston, unexpectedly had puppies, ones he didn't know about, as though he'd been planning on breeding her, he hadn't found another pure blood German Shepherd yet.

Apparently Ralston wasn't as concerned with that little detail and found her own mate!

It might have been unexpected for Benjamin, but I was considering it a lucky break for me as adopting one of those pups for Marley would be the perfect gift!




But my hobbies, gardening and fishing, are my big focus, as well as building up my handiness skill, which should be a lot easier with my new trait.

I even talked to the plants in the nectary garden since I discovered it was a special feature of the grow stations we have down there.

Marley took a photo of me doing that too because she said I looked so cute.

Mom was so shocked that talking to the plants was a thing, Marley gave her a photo too.




Then it was time for my birthday, and I aged up in this awesome jacket with a red design!




But there wasn't time to stop for cake as we still had two more birthdays to celebrate.

Marley went next and she aged up as beautiful as ever!

I'm not big into looks but I have to say that I really got lucky in that department as Marley's beautiful!

Dad and Trevor must have thought so too, as they were yelling so loud I had to yell even louder to make myself heard!

But before I could go over and offer my birthday congratulations, Mom intercepted me and turned heirship over to me right then and there!

It was a bit of a let down really.

What I thought would be a big moment was over fast, and frankly, I didn't feel any different.

Well, taller, because I was now a young adult, but I'd thought that Mom handing over heirship would make me feel a lot differently, older and wiser, maybe?

But the biggest thing I felt different about, besides my height, was knowing that what Marley and I had as teens was going to be even better as young adults, as that look we shared was like a bolt of lightening!




After telling me I was now heir, Mom's answer about asking Marley to move in proved she was totally serious about me making all the family decisions.

Well, not totally serious, as she'd turned it into an heirship joke, but she followed that with one of her Mom looks so I knew she'd seen that look pass between me and Marley after Marley aged up.

And though wanting to talk with Marley was definitely on my list of top priorities, my heirship responsibilities came first.

"There'll be plenty of time for Marley and me Mom, but not before we celebrate your birthday! That's my first decision as heir!"

Mom was reluctant to take center stage, but gave in with good grace, standing before her cake while the rest of us clapped, tooted party horns, and twirled noise makers, including Karina, who'd finally made it to the party, but she was a bit disappointed that she'd already missed mine and Marley's big moments.




But once Mom blew out her candles, and stood before us an elder, Karina joined in with the rest of us as we yelled our birthday congratulations.

Mom did look older, especially with her long white hair, but her old worn cowboy hat was back in place, so she looked more familiar to me that way than she had with that outfit dad bought her in Starlight Shores.




Kindle must have thought so too as just as she was crowing about Mom's new look, I took the opportunity to meet Marley face to face.

I vaguely registered Kindle's words as she said, "Mom, the birthday gods even gave you your hat back! You definitely must be in their good graces."

But her words weren't my focus as I stood drinking Marley in, who was still watching Mom, with a smile curving her lips.




But it was Marley's outfit that had me staring in shock, a firefighter's uniform!

I'd known Marley was brave, but I'd never expected that she'd go so far as to become a firefighter.

A career choice that wouldn't be allowed for my partner, my wife!

Marley must have been reading my thoughts as she said, "I'm not sold on the idea Diwan, changing it wouldn't be an issue, for my career or my LTW, it's just what they suggested for me on career day, so I signed up. Now that I'm a young adult and I actually see the uniform, it's okay, but if a better option was offered…."




I took her hands and said, "I hope you consider me and the farm better options Marley!?! Mom and Karina have already brought Wayfarer over to the Stables, so there's space here on the farm. Will you move in with me?"




Marley's hands squeezed my own and then her arms were circling my waist, as she said, "Yes, yes, of course! I didn't want to presume, make you think I was expecting it, that wouldn't have been proper at all, but seeing you after your birthday, I knew you were the only guy for me!"

I stroked her face with one hand as my other rested on her shoulder, "And your beautiful face is the one I want to see each and very day. When I wake up in the morning, over breakfast, in the gardens, fishing, all of those things wouldn't mean as much if you weren't by my side."

As the words came out of my mouth, I don't know who was more shocked, Marley or me!

Turns out Mom was right after all, as though I don't consider myself much of a romantic, what I said and felt at that moment was just that, romantic!

And writing it down wasn't hard either.

Instead of feeling embarrassed, it felt exactly right.

Putting how I felt about Marley down on paper made it even stronger, and I didn't feel like less of a man, in fact it was just the opposite, and made me realize that being a man, being strong, also meant showing your love for others.

My family and especially Marley, who made me feel whole, complete.




We kissed right then and there, in front of everyone, and I was surprised that it no longer felt awkward, like it had when we were teens.

I guess that's one advantage of being a young adult, one of the perks, feeling on a equal footing with my older sisters, my parents, even Grandma Summer.




Marley made a quick phone call and quit her job with the fire department, then she went and changed her clothes.

She's pretty efficient and she was back in my arms in no time, saying, "There, that's all settled. Now what?"




I explained that, as heir, two expansions were available, one for the farm, and one for the farmhouse.

Since I knew exactly what I wanted my fishing pond to be, it would only be a matter of contacting a construction crew and showing them my plans.

For the house I hadn't given it much thought so I said, "As far as the house expansion, I could really use your help with that! In fact, I think it's actually best if I leave those details up to you. We've got a lot of stuff in storage that you can use and plenty of funds for anything you want that you can't find in storage."




Marley was pretty excited about being the one to make decisions for the house expansion.

But her excitement only increased when I said, "Before we get started on those projects, the first order of business is for you to decide what you want your LTW and career to be. But it has to be something already here on the farm. Gardening maybe, though I'll certainly be helping with that when I'm not focused on fishing, which is both my career and my LTW, so I'll be trying to catch perfect fish for my own private aquarium, and selling the rest to increase the farm's income. You could join me in fishing, though I don't think that would be your first choice, or you could even continue with the horses, but it'll be awhile before Sunshine's foal is old enough to train for racing, and we don't have room for any other horses on the farm right now."

"Are those all my choices? Gardening, fishing, or racing?"

"No, there's one more. And I purposely saved it for last, as though you're not a snob, you are proper and athletic. Both traits that might enjoy something none of the rest of us have bothered with much, Grandpa Nolan's nectary! He built up quite the collection over the years and we've never sold any, I'm not even sure how much is down there or what it'd be worth now, but it should be enough to get a head start on a LTW none of us has chosen yet, Bottomless Nectar Cellar."

I saw the gleam in Marley's eyes as she threw up her hands and said, "You've never sold ANY of it!?! And no one's ever completed that LTW!?!"

"No, Grandpa Nolan wanted to save it for someone who would appreciate it, and I can't think of anyone better than you to have that honor!  You would get to stomp grapes and get all that exercise, though I'm not sure if it actual helps increase your athletic skill. But there's exercise equipment down in the nectary cellar, to use when the grapes are taken care of and batches of nectar are fermenting."

"Could it be my career too? Selling the nectar?"

"You'd have to check with City Hall on that or maybe ask Kindle, she might know since she works there. I've never given the nectar much thought, besides encouraging the grapes to grow!"

Marley nodded and said, "Then that's what I want my Lifetime Wish to be, Bottomless Nectar Cellar! After I check with Kindle or City Hall, I'll decide on my new career. If nectar-maker isn't available, I'll be a gardening, as I'll need the grapes and other fruits for my nectar anyway!"

And to our shock, once Marley switched her LTW to Bottomless Nectar Cellar, it completed instantly!

Not only did Grandpa Nolan have over 400 bottles of nectar, but it's estimated value was far and above the amount required to complete the LTW, over $400,000 simoleans!

Marley threw up her hands in amazement saying, "Well, I wasn't expecting that, but now I can focus on the house expansion. I'll check with your Mom and Grandmother and get an inventory of what's in storage."




While Marley was busy with that, I called the contractor's about starting on my fishing pond.

"That's correct, deep enough for me to stock it with fish, not just an ornamental pond. And I'm hoping to stock it with every type of fish available here in town, so it's got to be fairly large."

The contractor said it was doable but, with all the new construction in town, it might be a few days before he could come out to the farm and check out our lot, make sure we even had a large enough spot for something that extensive.




I didn't have much choice to agree as his firm was the third one I'd called and the other two couldn't fit my project in for weeks, which would cut down on my fishing time, since it was summer already.

Once I got off the phone, I stood there grumbling a bit, saying, "Looks like it'll be a bit longer before I can catch fish in my own pond!"

Mom laughed as she snapped my photo and said, "Welcome to heirship! Hurry up and wait is par for the course! Look how long I've been waiting for a foal of Sunshine's and Wayfarer's. But that's finally happening and it'll be worth it in the end. And you've already done so much, made so many decisions your first day as heir, in the first few hours even!"

I paused and said, "You're right, Mom, I need to focus on the positives! Marley's moved in, chosen a new lifetime wish and completed it already, and she's even started thinking about the expansion to the house. And I do have a contractor lined up to come out to the farm.  They could have all been busy until Fall, which would have been a very late start. All in all, it's been a great day and a great beginning to my life as an heir!"




Since I had the time, I put all this down in my journal, as the coming week looked like it could be busy.

Mom was already talking about new wardrobes for me and Marley, though neither of us considered that a big priority.

The fish, plants, and nectar don't care how we're dressed!

And Marley is too frugal to want to waste money on unnecessary clothing, but she does like to dress properly for whatever she's doing, so she may want a few nice things.

For the house addition, Marley's focusing on adding another room or two upstairs, and seems to think all the stuff we have in storage will be plenty for what she has in mind.

Mom's all excited about Sunshine and Wayfarer's coming foal since she's waited so long.

And me, well, I'm excited about having Marley living here with me and having my own fishing pond right here on the farm!

Heirship's not been all that bad so far, and even writing this journal hasn't been the chore I thought it would be.

Though I've decided to call my writings Journal Entries, as Chapters are typically longer, and though this one is a lot longer than I expected it to be, I may be too busy to make other entries as long as this one.

Besides, writing chapters makes me feel like I'm writing a novel, and this isn't just a story, it's my life, mine and Marley's!

So Journal Entry 106 could be more of the same or way different, as you never know how the future will turn out, and ours is just beginning!

[Nella]

I'm still reading this story, a couple of chapter at time but I've a lot to catch up.
This story makes me want to start one on my own, but I have too many challenges right now. Maybe in the future.

[deedee_828]

I'm still reading this story, a couple of chapter at time but I've a lot to catch up.
This story makes me want to start one on my own, but I have too many challenges right now. Maybe in the future.

Thanks for reading Nella---I started my Farmacy game as something to do when I wasn't ready to play my TJ game, and it ended up having a life of it's own.
So I definitely know what you mean about having too many challenges going on. I do hope you give the Farmacy challenge a try in the future though, it's interesting to see how other players accept the challenge and how their farm expands.

Now on to Diwan's Journal Entry!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The contractor's started work on the fishing pond and found water quite quickly, but by the end of the first day, it sure didn't look like much!

It was definitely going to take some time before it was ready for me to start populating it with fish.

Which meant I needed to catch some!



So the next day I headed up to the water treatment/fish hatchery with Dad and he took this photo to get that out of the way.

Which left us the whole day to focus on fishing, one of my favorite ways to spend the day!



Marley was busy too, she started working on her gardening skills by working in the nectary garden.




Once she'd harvested plenty of grapes, she squished her first batch!

She told me it was odd having the grape skins and juice ooze up between her toes, but all that stomping was a pretty good workout.

I was too focused on seeing this photo of her in a bikini to even care about workout benefits!




Once Marley made her first batch of nectar and earned a skill point, Kindle went with her to City Hall so Marley could see sign up for a career.

They had both openings available, but with Grandma Summer and dad being gardeners, she chose nectar-making as her career!




But Marley didn't stop there!

With gardening and nectar-making skill points under her belt, and her career chosen, she got busy upstairs, now that the renos were done up there.

The contractors added two more bedrooms with a full bath between them, just like Marley wanted, in addition to starting my pond, so it was now ready for furniture and décor.

Marley chose blue stripes for the boys room and a bright pink flowered print for the girls and used furniture and paintings we had in storage.

She didn't bother with matching anything and said that could wait until the rooms had children to occupy them so their favorite colors could be used and the rooms decorated specifically for them, frugal and proper to the core, that's my Marley!

That made sense to me, but I could tell that Grandma and Mom would have liked to spend a little more time on the rooms, but they bowed to Marley's wishes, as others had done to theirs when they were heirs.




While all that was going on, Dad and I caught lots of fish different types of fish, having enough of specific types to stock the pond at home with at least four different ones!

But that wasn't the only benefit of our day because, just as we decided we'd better call it a day, we got to see this beautiful wild horse.

Dad and I figured we both had spent too much time in the sun, because we swore it had a horn.

But Unicorns are just mythical creatures, right? Right!?!"




First thing after getting home, I went out to check the progress on the pond, and was startled to see that it was starting to look like an actual fishing hole!

The pond itself was dug, with rocks, trees, and flower bushes surrounding it on the two sides closest to our property lines.




All in all, it's been a wonderfully productive day, for Marley especially, and we went to bed satisfied at all we'd both accomplished.

But not to my small single bed in the nursery, that had been moved upstairs in the boys room with the bunkbeds.

Marley had discovered a hover bed in storage and had it placed in the old kids' room upstairs, which was now our bedroom.

Of course, Mom snuck in a took a photo of our first night together in it!

Lucky for me, I'm buried under the covers fast asleep, after being out in the sun and fishing all day.

Otherwise, I'm sure my face would have looked redder than my hair!




Early the next morning we were startled awake by a commotion downstairs.

By the time I stumbled down there, wiping sleep out of my eyes, Mom was taking photos of ghostly Great-Grandma Brooke congratulating a very excited, and loud, Kindle, on her coming child.

I would have preferred a little more shut eye, but I got looks from everyone, even Marley, when I asked what all the fuss was about.

I mean it's not like they caught a ginormous fish or won the lottery, like Great-Grandpa Jared, sims have babies all the time, it's not a big deal really.

But you can bet I didn't say what I was thinking out loud, getting that look from all the females in the house at the same time had me squirming quite enough for one day.

Especially when dad chimed in with, "Just wait son, when it's your child, your whole perspective will change!"

And by the satisfied smiles on all the women's faces, I knew they agreed with him, so I just shrugged and said, "We'll see. Not planning on that for quite some time yet."




Since I was up so early, I'd been hoping to get in another glorious day of fishing, but I was informed that Kindle had a  political fundraiser slated for tonight and it would be necessary for everyone to help get ready for it!

When I protested that there wasn't much I could do for a party, I was met with that same force of females telling me that I needed to work on a new wardrobe.

And my sweet Marley agreed with them again, saying I definitely needed proper clothes for such an up-scale function.

So instead of fishing, or even gardening, I got to pick out new clothes!

I quickly chose most of my outfits, shorts, jeans, and even a suit, so I'd be properly attired for tonight's party.

But I balked at trying them on and posing for pictures, and I got my way for once!

Though I did have a camera shoved into my hands as Mom and Marley showed off their new outfits.

One of Mom's favorites was her new athletic outfit, even without her purple streaked hair, she chose to go with a white and purple track suit.




And I have to admit that she looked pretty amazing in one of her formal dresses, even as an elder.

Mom's not quite gotten used to her new elder look so I told her that she looks perfect for a grandma-to-be.

But instead of smiling, she looked at me like she was going to cry!

Marley frowned at me and began discussing a second formal outfit, one a bit more conservative for Kindle's party, though I'm not sure what I said to make mom almost cry or make Marley give me that look.

But I didn't have time to figure any of that out, not that I could, smarter men than I have been trying to figure out women and not been able to accomplish it!




Besides seeing Marley in her new outfit had me doing a double take!

Marley was just so…perfect.




I was so blown away by how beautiful she was that they had to remind me to stop staring and take photos!

So I quickly zoomed in and captured this close-up, my breathe catching as I realized this was the face I was going to wake up to every morning, and kiss goodnight each evening!




As I was congratulating myself for being such a lucky guy, I was jolted out of my reverie by Marley asking, "Does this outfit look okay for tonight's party Diwan?"

Once my eyes were back in my head, I stammered, "You look gorgeous Marley!"

And actually remembered to take the photo without being yelled at that time.




Marley said it wasn't necessary, but I snapped one of her in her everyday clothes too.

It may have been just a simple top and skirt, but on Marley they looked fantastic!

I asked about her trying on her swimsuit again, so I could see her in it in person, but she just gave me this look and said, "I promise to try it on later, when we're not so busy."

I was about to protest that I wasn't all that busy, but then she blushed and shot a glance at Mom, which made me blush too!




By then it was time for Kindle's party, and I was shocked at how much time it had taken just picking out clothes!

A whole beautiful day wasted on clothes…but then I remembered how pretty Marley looked in her outfits, and I decided that the day hadn't been a total waste.

After all, I still had Marley's promise that she'd show off that bikini for me, when we weren't busy, which I hoped meant later, in our room, when we were alone!

With that thought uppermost in my mind, I couldn't wait to get the party started, get through it, and get to that promise, so I started snapping photos of the arriving guests.

I don't recall the man's name that Trevor was chatting with, but his clothes were definitely memorable, and he kept going on and on about hamburgers, his favorite food, I guess.

Dad was busy talking to Karina about a band that had been playing at Mick's, raving about their drummer, so I tucked that information away as a possible place for Marley and I to get some alone time one evening.

Maybe this party wouldn't be a total waster after all!




Since it was Kindle's party, her first political fund-raiser, I made sure to get a photo of her too.

She'd been hitting everyone up for contributions, since that was the whole point of the party, and family was no exception.

Our brother-in-law, Benjamin, was happy to do so though, and he's such a nice guy he probably would have even if he hadn't been married to Karina.

I heard Kindle explaining it was for a great cause as they were planning on using some of the funds to expand the movie theater and add some culture to the town.




I stepped closer as Kindle mentioned the town council was hoping to draw bigger celebrities to town, stars that could really put us on the map.

That's when I noticed Ben's face, or actually could see Ben's face, as he'd shaved off his beard and had his hair cut!

Karina was right, he did look much younger and closer to her own age without the beard, and I was glad to see that he was wearing a formal outfit, similar to my own, and not one like that first guy I saw.

I even snapped the photo just in time to get Mom in the entryway, so I think my photography skills are getting better!




I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, and found Marley doing her part for the cause as well.

"Local Representative Swanson will be doing all she can to make sure all of the town's citizens and pets benefit from  any contributions to her campaign. I for one will be donating specifically for our dog parks, as I love them the most over all other animals. But my boyfriend, Diwan, Ms. Swanson's younger brother, loves being outside, gardening, and fishing, just as much as you do Mr. Fox! He'll be on board with all of your causes to keep our town's parks, gardens, and fishing spots pristine and intact, while adding some much needed improvements."

"Now that's something worth contributing to, Ms. Frio! I keep saying that progress is well and good, and I know the new clubs have brought in some much needed tourists and simoleans, but we don't want to do away with all of our trees and beautiful ponds! Though, I must say, a few amenities up a Cinnamon Crest Falls wouldn't hurt. If she had a place to sit and read, while I fished, I might persuade my Cheyenne to join me up there. And some, um… facilities for the ladies and children wouldn't hurt either. Nothing too loud, or out of character for the place, wouldn't want to scare the fish, but I'd love to take my son, Dakota, up there and it's be easier with things in place."

Marley had everything under control out here, so I headed back inside.




To find that, now that he'd given Kindle a generous contribution, Ben was persuading Karina it was time to go home.

And the look he gave her had her quickly saying, "Great party everyone, thanks for inviting us, we're heading home now."




That started the exodus and the rest of the guests quickly said their goodbyes, along with giving Kindle more contributions.

She made over 10,000 simoleans at her little party with only a few guests!

But now that the party's over and a great success, and I've got my journal entry done for the day, I get to spend the rest of the evening with my Marley.

And you can bet that it won't take me long to give her that same look that Ben gave Karina, hopefully with the same results!

I won't be telling you about any of that, but I'll jot down a few more notes if anything special happens.
Catch you in Journal Entry 107!

[deedee_828]

Well, I'd hoped for another day of fishing, maybe up at Cinnamon Crest Falls, after hearing Mr. Fox talk it up.

But it wasn't meant to be, because something exciting did happen, first thing the next morning.

The contractors showed up and put the finishing touches on MY fishing pond!

Marley did the honors and took the first photo of me on the bench, reading a fishing book, of course.

Sunshine even joined me, sniffing along the bench and blowing hot horsey breathe all over me.

She seemed a bit restless, but not me, I was enjoying learning about catfish and what bait they preferred, and the lemonade Marley brought out really hit the spot!




And a few hours later, I got to fish in my own pond!

Dad joined me for the big event and we grinned like fishing fools as we stood there, with Sunshine trotting back and forth, a bit more agitated than before.




Her restlessness proved to have been horse labor, as she trotted towards the barn and Mom, and had her foal!

A little filly that looks just like Wayfarer, so Mom named her Fareshine!




Everyone wanted to pet and feed Fareshine, but Mom got first honors.

Of course, Sunshine stayed close by, not letting her new foal out of her sight.




And Fareshine preferred staying close to her mother most of that day.




That evening Trevor had another show, so he showed off his new make-up and costume.

All the women oohed and aahed, while dad and I ribbed him about wearing make-up and almost no clothes!

It was all in a good fun of course and we wished him luck for his performance, but frankly, with Trevor's talent, he doesn't need any luck, he's just so good!




And he proved it with another smashing performance that left the audience stunned and begging for more!

I was so entranced by all of his tricks that I only took a few photos.

One of him on the balance ball.




And another of him doing a one handed handstand.

But it's kind of dark, and I'm too far away.




But just when I remembered to use the zoom and add some light, I got this awesome one of Trevor balancing in a ring of fire!

I know I could never do anything like that, safe and sound on the ground with a fishing pole is my idea of a good time.

But Trevor's performance, with that fire ring trick, had him just short of maxing his LTW!




After Trevor's performance, we all headed home, and I got in some night time fishing.

I have to admit the glow pads on the pond really do add to it's draw.

Those were a little addition that Marley surprised me with, saying that they're pretty and practical as they're supposed to draw mosquitoes to them, so they don't feast on me.

And she was right, the soft glow was great company and I never got bit, not even once!




As I headed into the house for the night, I got to see Sunshine standing over little Fareshine, who was curled up on the ground underneath her, both of them sound asleep.

What a sweet sight to end my day with and the thought of getting to curl up next to Marley was even better!




Early the next morning, Marley even joined me out by the pond, as she fed Sunshine a treat.

I thought she was a bit dressed up for fishing, and when I mentioned it she said, "Yes, a bit. But I'm heading into town to the elixir store, and I wanted to be properly dressed. We do most of our business with them so I'm going to formally introduce myself and drop of some of my newly made nectars, to start earning a bit of cash for my career. And some of your grandfather's too, as even his lesser quality bottles are worth a few hundred simoleans a piece now!"

"Wow! At that rate you'll reach level 10 in the nectar career in no time! I hope I can level up as fast in my fishing career as you're going to as a nectar maker!"

"You'll do just fine Diwan. You fish everyday and you're only planning on keeping thirteen perfect ones for your LTW. Do you have any perfect ones yet?"

"Four or five at my last count. But I have quite a few that I could sell that aren't perfect."

"But you wanted to use those for stocking the pond right?"

"Yes, but I could always wait on that."

"If we needed the simoleans, I could see you doing that, but we don't, so just keep getting batches of ten and get the pond full of all the varieties you can, just like you planned."

I smiled as Marley's words reflected my own true feelings, my girl can read me like a book!




Marley even had her picture taken as she introduced herself to the consignment specialist.

My family's been really good about helping me out with photos, as though I've gotten better at remembering to take them, I'm never going to be as….diligent as Mom! (Y'all know that's not the word most of us would have chosen but I'm a good son!)




One of the nice things about getting to fish right there on the farm lot is that I don't miss out on seeing all the things going on at the farm.

For instance, when I took a break for lunch, I got to watch Fareshine as she nursed from her mother.

I guess she knew it was lunch time!




When she was finished nursing, mom brushed her down, getting her used to being both fed and clean.




And Mom had built up their relationship enough so that she could even get in a horse whisper, strengthening it even more.




Then Kindle had her baby!

With the usual freaking out, first dad, then Trevor, and even Mom, though you'd think she'd be used it after having three kids of her own.




But Mom and dad didn't freak out for long, in fact, they started flirting while Kindle was still in labor.

I don't know what made me more uncomfortable, Kindle having her baby or Mom and Dad getting all romantic right there in front of all of us!

Probably the latter as no one wants to think about their parents having a love life!




But as soon as little Evan was born, everyone focused on him.

Kindle fed him, snuggled him, and got him settled into his crib, while she went to lie down and recover in her own bed.

Then Trevor picked him up and just stood there holding him with a stunned look on his face.

He'd known Kindle was expecting this whole time, so that confused me a bit, but Grandma Summer said that reaction was normal for a first time father, and I'd find out when it happened to me.

I just agreed with her, but couldn't imagine a child changing my life all that much.




Grandma Summer got her turn next and settled into a rocker with Evan, saying, "I never expected to get to see a great-grandchild, so I'm going to spend as much time with him as I can! Grim's really gone above and beyond for me, and I'm not going to waste a minute of the time I have left."

Grandma's words and the smile on her face gave me an unexpected pang in my chest, though I'm not sure why.




Later, when Evan started crying, I was surprised to find that it was Marley that got to him first.

Seeing her smiling up at the crying nooboo, and hearing her croon, "Don't cry little one, Auntie Marley's here, and she's going to get you all taken care of."

And just like that she changed him and his crying stopped!

Wow! What a great mom Marley's going to be!

Wait! Just wait! How did that thought sneak into my brain!?!




Seeing Marley with our nephew  and having that thought about her being a great mom really threw me a for a loop!

I was so stunned by it that I retreated to the bench by the fishing pond to gather my thoughts and write down this journal entry.

Maybe, just maybe, my family was right and being a parent, a father, would change me?

It seemed that having a nephew already had, at least in connection with Marley.

But I had so much to accomplish still, so much I needed to do to complete my LTW,  to start making simoleans to add to the family funds.

Shouldn't I do that first, or have it well in hand, before thinking of….children!?!

It was just so much to think about that my brain was on overload and then thinking of holding Marley close at bedtime, well, that didn't settle any of those thoughts at all!

Hopefully sleep would settle me down and get me back on track without these wayward thoughts and feelings turning all my carefully laid plans to dust in the wind!

Maybe I just need to fish more and think less!?!

I'll let you know how that works out in my next entry.

[deedee_828]

With my thoughts in a whirl, I took inventory of my fish, and discovered I had eight Perfect ones!

Not a bad total really since I'd only been a young adult and heir for a few days, but that still left five more perfect fish for me to catch.

Which still left me struggling with focusing on fishing and my lifetime wish or starting a family!

Since I hadn't mentioned any of this to my family, it was hard to bow out of attending Trevor's performance, especially since it was a family affair, with Kindle even bringing little Evan!




Despite my thoughts, I was quickly focused on Trickster Trev!

Just as amazed as the rest of the crowd with his tricks, like the balance ball, which he did a handstand on!




Then his ultimate trick, spinning around in a ring of fire!

This time I was a bit further away, but the lighting was better, so I caught him upside down in the bottom of the ring.

I don't know how he does it, I'd get dizzy doing a handstand on the ground and he does it on a ball and in a ring blazing with fire!




And when he took his final bow, he was a Master Acrobat, completing his lifetime wish!

Kindle wanted to contribute to all the applause, so she tried setting Evan down for a moment.




But Evan was startled by all the yells and clapping from the crowd, so Kindle had to pick him up for a cuddle, to get him calmed down.

It was a momentous accomplishment for Trevor, but it had me seriously thinking about my life plan. Again!

Trevor and Kindle had a son, but Trevor completed his LTW while  Evan was still a nooboo, and Kindle had completed hers long ago!

Sure, Marley had completed her LTW right after moving in with me and choosing it, but I was far from completing mine!

So I had no business even thinking about having a child at this stage of the game, especially since Marley and I weren't even engaged!




I saw a couple of searching looks that Marley had been giving me, and was grateful that something else happened that had Marley focusing on something besides what was going on with me.

After we got home from Trevor's show, Karina stopped in to chat about Ralston's puppies.

A conversation that had Marley squealing with excitement!




Karina had even brought a photo of two of them!

And they sure were cute!




But Karina topped it off with something even better, bringing along the puppy that had already aged up and giving him to Marley as a gift!

Kimo's father is Walter Blackburn and he's definitely a chip off the old block as he's got the same boxy build, definitely a dog for the farm.




Once they were in the house, Karina crouched down, rubbing Kimo's ears, and explained to him that this was his new home, and Marley his special sim.

She talked to him just like he was a special friend, and for an animal lover like her, I guess that's how she feels about them.

I don't have that same rapport with any fish yet, but maybe when I've got them is fishbowls, I'll know what that feels like.

Is become friends with a fish even possible, like you can with horses, dogs, and cats, or even birds and turtles?

I guess I'll find out.




But Karina hadn't just brought Kimo over, she also brought other photos to add to my journal and she helped me add notations too!

While we'd all been busy settling into our new roles here on the farm, she and Ben had been busy too as Karina had a lot of catching up to do making friends with Ben's dog, Ralston, and her pups.

Though Heidi was perfectly at ease in her new home, making herself comfortable right in the entryway!




And getting to know the puppies.

Here's Heidi playing with either Danny or Sheba, Kimo's littermates.




Karina was even busier taking care of all her minor pets as she'd purchased bird cages and terrariums for all the ones Heidi had already caught, but they constantly needed feeders replenished and cages and terrariums cleaned.

Here she is feeding one of her Parakeets, Mr. Puffin, with Tweety waiting for her seeds.

Ralston decided to check out one of the lizards, Rocky, the Iguana.




Even minor pets need some one on one time too, so here's Karina playing with Charlie, the Spotted Turtle, just before settling him into his very own terrarium, next to Ron, the red-eared slider turtle.




Just look at all the terrariums Karina has set up in the barn!

Lizard ones in the back, housing the Gecko, Izzy, next to Rocky.

Rodent habitats on the side, homes to Squeaker and Macro.

Carefully arranged in the middle, in front of the turtle terrariums, are all the stackable, cylindrical ones for insects and butterflies.

I can't believe it, but she even named them all!

Azul, a Blue Mission Butterfly, and Crimson, the Red Admiral one, there on the right column.

Pillbug, Terry, and Ladybug, Thaddeus. Of course there are male ladybugs, just think about that!

And a Red Assassin bug, Natasha.

Two light beetles, Flicker and Sparks, which made perfect sense.

A spider named Wilbur and two Honeypot Ants, named Bobbie and Mason.




She didn't even mind handling the womrats!

I had to admit Squeaker was pretty cute, for a rodent.




Both of her snakes, Slytherin and Scales, resided in the walkway across from one of the box stalls.

These two are both garter snakes, so not dangerous, but she didn't want to take any chances with them around her other small pets.




Then Karina sprung the news on us that she and Benjamin were expecting!

First a no fuss, no muss, private wedding, and now a nooboo on the way!

Wow--maybe Marley and I could do the same thing!?!

As dad crushed Karina to him in a congratulatory hug, Mom caught my eye and gave me a smile, with a slight shake of her head.

She knew what I'd been thinking even without me saying a word, well, about the private wedding anyway, as I'd not even mentioned to Marley my thoughts on having a child.




Taking one look at my face, Karina dragged me off to the nursery under the pretext of checking on Evan.

Once she'd done cuddled him and gotten him settled back into his crib, she said, "You've been awfully quiet Diwan and Marley keeps shooting you very concerned looks, is everything okay?"

I wanted to shrug her question off, but everything just poured out!

"You know how it is Karina, you have a life plan and then things happen that you weren't expecting at all!"

Karina nodded, "Yeah, I was pretty blind-sided when I met Benjamin at Kindle and Trevor's wedding! And things moved fast after that with Mom and Dad buying The Gables and me moving there right after they told me about it. Then Ben came over with Ralston to check my new place out and she had her puppies, so they ended up moving in and then we got engaged and married! It was just one huge thing after another, bam, bam, bam! But what's happened in your life that you weren't expecting? You became heir, Marley moved in and chose a Nectar-Maker LTW and career, your expansion got built. It's a lovely fishing pond, by the way! I'll definitely have to come over and see it in daylight, maybe even get in a little fishing. Didn't it turn out the way you wanted it to?"

"Oh, the ponds great! Better than I expected actually. Marley, Mom, Grandma, and Kindle all got together and added the finishing touches, the lily pad lights, the arbor bench, the little table, even brought me out some lemonade my first day out there. The thing is…it was Evan that got me to thinking about some things, seeing Marley with Evan actually…"

Karina stared at me, her eyes going wide, "Oh, oh, you don't want kids!?!" Her voice rose in shock as she said the words.




"Please Karina, not so loud. And that's not it at all. It's the opposite…seeing Marley with Evan, it just hit me like a brick that she'll be a wonderful Mom!"

"So why is that a problem?"

"It's not a problem exactly, just that I didn't expect to feel that way so soon or ever really, you know my focus has always been fishing and gardening, keeping the farm going. I figured I'd have my lifetime wish completed, before Marley and I had kids. We're not even engaged yet!"

"So, you're thinking about having kids sooner rather than later! That is a bit unexpected coming from you. What does Marley have to say about all this? I mean she'd be directly involved after all."

"I haven't discussed it with her yet. I don't even know how to bring it up. I was the one that asked what all the fuss was about when Kindle found out she was expecting Evan. And I've been in shock since the thought entered my mind! I should really stick to my original plan but…I'm not sure I want to do that anymore. I guess I just need some time to think , and like you said, discuss it with Marley, if she's not on board with it, that will definitely be the end of it. Besides, with eight of us in the house, it's a bit crowded right now."

"So you'd need to discuss this with everyone, not just Marley." Karina said, nodding, then added, "If it would help you out, Diwan, give you a bit of breathing room, I could take over the journal for a bit?"

"Really? That would be a load off my mind Karina, and it would give me some time to get my thoughts straight, figure out what I really want, then discuss it with Marley, and the rest of the family, if our plans have changed."

"I'd consider it an honor and a privilege, Diwan! But, a non-heir has never written in the family journals before. Is it allowed?"

I couldn't help the wide grin that split my face as I said, "As heir, I hereby decree that my sister, Karina Swanson Schmidt, has my permission to write however many journal entries she so desires as I take a short leave of absence. Not from heirship duties or farm maintenance, namely gardening and fishing, but solely the writing of said journal entries, of which this will be my last, until she returns the responsibility to me." Laughing I added, "Is that official enough for you!?!"

Karina shook her head, trying not to laugh, but her words were all big sister, as she said, "You are such a dork, baby brother! I guess you didn't get enough of presiding over the royal court as a kid, either that or heirship really has gone to your head!"




So not only has Trevor completed his lifetime wish, but Karina surprised Marley with one of Ralston's pups, Kimo.

Then she wrangled my dilemma out of me and offered to take over the family journal for a bit.

An offer I quickly took her up on!

Not only will this help me out, giving me time to focus on my thoughts and discuss them with the family, but now Karina will be able to tell you all about her ark, pets, and pregnancy herself.

You know, now that I think about it, having her record her thoughts during her pregnancy might actually be a great benefit for me and Marley.

Even more of a win-win scenario!

Diwan Swanson signing off, and handing this journal over to my thoughtful older sister, Karina Schmidt.

Since she helped me with so many photos and notes for this one, I know she'll do a great job on her own entry.

Journal Entry 109 will be her responsibility, the heir has spoken!!!

[deedee_828]

Hi family, Karina Swanson Schmidt here.

I'm getting the honor of recording my own thoughts for our family journal, something a non-heir has never had the privilege of before, partly to help by baby brother Diwan, the heir, out, and partly because I love the idea of getting the opportunity to show off my ranch and family!

Some may think that with our baby not being born yet, our family is pretty small, just Ben and me.

But for an animal lover like myself, I consider all my pets to be part of my family.

You've met a lot of them already, so I won't bore you with repeating all the ones I helped Diwan introduce you too.

But there are a few that have joined the family in the past couple of days or grew up!

First off, Heidi's kitten with Muffin Lionheart, a gray and tan female with a white striped head, that I named Miffy!

Isn't she just adorable?




Then Sheba, Kimo's littermate, aged to an adult dog, with Ralston watching fondly nearby.

Sheba has her father's coloring, just like Kimo and Danny, but with a much leaner build, even leaner than Ralston's.




Danny quickly followed suit and Benjamin and I even got to twirl birthday noise makers for him, with a paparazzi there for the event as well.

He grew up looking similar to his father and Kimo, both in coloring and build.

None of Ralston's pups look anything like her, not one little bit!

Benjamin was a bit disappointed with that outcome, as he was hoping at least one of them would take after Ralston and at least look like a German Shepherd, even if they weren't pure bloods.

I didn't mind either way, I love all animals, pure bred or not.

I mean, I named all my insects, and consider them pet friends too!




Then I talked to Wayfarer, and since Sunshine can't join us until Fareshine grows up, he was agreeable to having another horse to keep him company here at the Stables.




Introducing, Gaucho Schmidt, the first pet I've ever adopted!

Along with my new  bird friend Crow, enjoying his tree perch.

Crow hasn't told me his name yet, but he does keep chatting on and on about sparkly objects!




While I've been busy trying to figure out why my lifetime wish, The Ark Builder***, won't complete, despite having two of everything on the list, Benjamin has been working on his new lifetime wish, The Tinkerer.

That wish requires him to master both handiness and logic, a much better fit for him as he's already got eight handiness skill points and four in logic!

Benjamin's not really sure why he even had Heartbreaker as his lifetime wish as he's never even had a romantic relationship before I came along, not even as a teen.

That's one thing we both have in common as our romantic relationship is the first one for both of us, the only one we plan on having too!

So while I was catching insects and minor pets, and struggling to figure out what I was doing wrong, Benjamin spent time at the library studying logic, to get that skill built up.

We've only got this week to fulfill our lifetime wishes, before I hand the reigns back to Diwan, so we need to make the most of the unprecedented opportunity!




Benjamin kept busy at home too, upgrading a lot of items, including our two fireplaces.

He wanted to get all the experience possible as he never knew what might be broken in resident's houses around town.

He's fixed a lot of clogged plumbing, and spraying sinks, along with TV's and Computers, on the fritz, but fireplaces were knew to him, so he did a fireproof upgrade on the one in our living room, and a change fire color on this one here in the kitchen.

We thought about the auto fire light upgrade, as it automatically lights the fireplace when a sim walks in the room, giving you a cozy fire moodlet, but we weren't sure how safe that would be with a baby, who would soon be a toddler, crawling and walking around from room to room.




I'd read that catching the minor pets, either myself or with the assistance of a cat, was the trick, instead of just stocking the terrariums with a pet.

So I checked out ponds for turtles, catching two more, Leo, and another one I re-named Larry, as I already had a turtle named Charlie, and that would do.




I even caught two more birds, both pretty red cardinals.




And then two more snakes, rodents, and lizards.

There was only enough room in the barn for two more, so the snake terrariums went inside the barn.

Which made it necessary to put these four terrariums outside.

But my Ark Builder lifetime wish still wouldn't complete, which was very disappointing.

Apparently, I've done something incorrectly along the way, but I wasn't going to fret about it.




Because my body suddenly made me very much aware of it's new occupant!

Benjamin was just as thrilled as I was about our coming child.

Well, he indulged me by listening to all of my plans for the baby, anyway!

The best method for teaching him or her to walk.




Bottle feeding techniques, the benefits of cuddly toys, and even the best child development strategies.

We discussed all of those while playing a game of chess.

Well, I discussed them as Benjamin focused on gaining his last skill point!




Since almost every conversation we had focused on the baby, we even dreamed about our child!

I don't know where this photo came from, but it mysteriously showed up on my dresser!

It seems innocent enough, but thoughts of a stalker did cross my mind!




I spent the next day watching kids TV and listening to kids music, with Ben being ever so solicitous and pampering me, which I accepted shamelessly.

I was trying to increase the percentage of our twins chance, since having two children at the same time went along perfectly with the rest of my menagerie!

Though Benjamin and I both wanted a boy, I figured one of each would be perfect.

My percentage had gone from 500% with Benjamin having the fertility reward, 1000% when I was able to get the treatment, and by the time the day was over with all that kids TV and music, I was at 13,000 percent, which I figured gave me a really good shot for twins!




So I convinced Benjamin that I didn't need to stay at home the whole time and we spent the rest of the next day at the library, with me reading a baby book, while Benjamin got closer and closer to that last logic skill point he needed.

(Another mysterious photo!)




With the studious affect of the library, he obtained his last logic skill point and completed his lifetime wish!

I actually took this photo myself.




Since I had all the pets we could harbor in our home and I knew in my heart that I'd completed the wish, having all 6 major pets and myriads of minor ones, even if it wouldn't complete, I decided to choose a new one.

One that I could accomplish quickly, before the baby was born, and I gave control back to Diwan.

After looking through the choices of lifetime wishes available, I chose Culinary Librarian, since I had 5 skill points in cooking and I could purchase quite a few new recipes.

While I was doing that, Benjamin focused on reading a baby book, Baby Incoming: Preparing with Vigilance.




With my purchases in hand, I headed back to the library, and flew through the recipes at top speed!




Benjamin stayed at the library with me, as my time was getting closer, and talked about our coming child and his new found knowledge with anyone that would listen.

Under the guise of teaching logic even!

Though I guess it was pretty logical for an expectant father to do such a thing.

As Benjamin warmed to the subject, his voice rose in his excitement, and I heard his enthusiasm clear in the other room!

It brought a warm feeling to my heart and a smile to my lips knowing he was so happy that we were going to be parents.




And I'd chosen wisely for my new lifetime wish as, even though I still had several recipes in my inventory to learn, I became a Culinary Librarian in almost no time at all!




Just in time too, as when we got back to the house, I almost doubled over as a cramp shot through my lower abdomen!

I'd been seriously thinking about going to the spa for a massage, as I'd been having cramps in my lower back for quite some time, but I'd attributed them to all that reading at the library.

Apparently they were actual labor pains, and though Benjamin stayed calm, he insisted on taking me to the hospital.

(I've found out that our mysterious photographer is someone called a Watcher---she insisted she was benevolent, but it still sounded a bit stalkerish to me!)




I was indeed in labor and everything went so well that they released us later that night.

Benjamin and I were thrilled to be together as a family with our son, Bryce!

Though I was a bit disappointed it was just a single birth.

All that boring kids' tv and music for nothing!




With Bryce cuddled, fed, and changed, I settled down with him in the rocker.

After seeing the photo Benjamin took of both of us, I realized that my face reflected the very serious thoughts I was having, that this innocent nooboo was at the mercy of two very new parents!

The thought was quite sobering and now I completely understood why others have this same look when rocking their nooboos.




Then I let Benjamin have some daddy time, playing and cuddling Bryce, before settling him into his crib, which we'd placed in an alcove in our room, so he'd be close by and we'd hear him if he needed us.




It's certainly been a week of accomplishments here at The Stables!

Benjamin completed his lifetime wish, The Tinkerer, mastering both handiness and logic.

I completed my new lifetime wish of Culinary Librarian, learning a multitude of recipes.

As for my Ark Builder lifetime wish, since I have two each of the major pets, and four each of many of the minor pets, I feel, in my heart, that I've accomplished the essence of it.

And the highpoint of the week was having our son, Bryce!

Before I pass the journal back over to Diwan, I'll let you in on a little secret, Bryce won't be an only child for long!

I've really enjoyed having the opportunity to document all of this in the Swanson family journals, and I hope the momentary respite has given Diwan the time he needed to decide how he wants to proceed with his own life.

Benjamin, Bryce, and I, and baby # 2 soon, along with our pets, will see you all from time to time, (as I'm sure that Watcher Lady will keep stalking us for photos), but my journal entry, number 109, is complete!

I now submit the journal back into your more than capable hands, little brother!

Where his heirship will continue with Journal Entry 110.
Coming soon.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
***Author's Note:
I read multiple threads, here at Carl's Forum, and others, that discuss having issues completing the Ark Builder lifetime wish.
https://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/forum/index.php?topic=8373.0

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/The-ark-builder-lifetime-wish/td-p/2809932

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/510681/trouble-with-the-ark-builder-ltw

https://www.reddit.com/r/Sims3/comments/hjyb65/ark_builder_lifetime_wish_ive_completed_it_but_it/

Unfortunately, I didn't read that information until after I chose it for Karina and had switched, temporarily, to playing her household, as I really wanted her to complete this wish.

It's a lifetime wish that wasn't doable on the main farm lot, but with having the Swanson horses, Heidi, the cat, and with Ben having Ralston, I figured it was a great fit for Karina and the Stables Ranch. Not only would it allow Karina to fulfill her lifetime wish, but it would free up space on the main farm lot, and give Marley the opportunity to adopt a dog or two, since she's a dog person.

But only Gaucho the horse was adopted as I added Wayfarer, Ben, Ralston and her puppies to Karina's household via Nraas>Master Controller>add sim, since I was still playing with the main family and didn't realize doing this would affect her LTW.

It doesn't specifically say the pets need to be adopted by the sim with the wish, just that they need to have 2 of all of them. And nothing about genders or ages of the pets either. (But I should have known better than to take it at face value!)
The Ark Builder: 30,000 Lifetime Happiness Points
Traits That Inspire This Lifetime Wish: Animal Lover
Goal: Have 2 each of cats, dogs, horses, birds, lizards, turtles, rodents, snakes, butterflies, and beetles. The collection helper can aid you a lot, as will getting a cat to help you catch the smaller creatures. Animal Lover is the trait of choice since the others are focused on one kind of animal.

From <https://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/lifetimewishes/>

[deedee_828]

Boy was I surprised when Karina handed me the family journal back at the end of the week.

A week that, just like she said, was packed full of accomplishments.

And I did take advantage of the time she gave me.

Spending a bit of time dwelling on what I really wanted to focus on in my life, while harvesting some of our late fall crops and watching Kimo  play with his littermate, Danny, who Karina had left with us for the day.




Marley had been busy that week too, focused on Kimo of course.

She built up their friendship, little by little, as she kept him brushed and well-groomed.




And they played a lot too, tug of war, games of chase, and keep away with a rubber ball.




And, I don't know if you noticed it in the first photo, but the trees had already lost their leaves and were rimed with frost, as the temperatures plummeted below freezing.

In fact, fishing was out of the question as our pond froze!

But it wasn't a hindrance as I used the opportunity to learn to ice skate.

First with Kindle, who was much better at it than I was, having practiced back in Aggie's Corner.

As we circled round and round, weaving in and out of the lily pads, I opened up and had a bit of a heart to heart with my big sister.

It was definitely easier having to focus on staying upright, rather than having to look her in the eye, as I explained how I'd felt when I saw Marley with Evan.

Kindle didn't even say I told you so, she just laughed a bit and said, "It's surprising when stuff happens that changes you isn't it? I never dreamed that I'd love living the rest of my life in a country town, but visiting Starlight Shores was enough of the big city life for me. If you and Marley want to start your family sooner, rather than later, that will definitely make it easier for us to get our own place!"

"I don't want you push you guys off the farm…."

"You won't be Diwan! We've always wanted our own place, but we stayed here to give mom, dad, and Grandma Summer, the opportunity to spend some time with Evan. It helped us out too, having family here to take care of him, especially with Trevor's gig schedule. But now that he's a Master Acrobat, he can step back a bit, and we can find our own place. We've already discussed moving after Evan was born, but with the sad looks on their faces, we told them we'd hold off until after Evan's toddler birthday. Besides, we want to give Evan a baby brother or sister soon and we can't do that here. So this will work out perfectly."

With a huge sigh, I said, "If Marley wants to have a short engagement, a simple wedding, and start trying for a family right away! And if I can get Mom to go along with the simple wedding bit!"

Kindle almost lost her balance as she jerked towards me saying, "You haven't even discussed this with Marley yet!?! She's the first one you should have talked to Diwan! You keep skating and I'll send her out to join you! And you let me deal with Mom!"




Before I could even protest, Marley was beside me on the pond, and I was so nervous that I almost fell!

Marley must have seen the panic on my face, and not about falling either, because she looked down at her feet, when she asked, "What is it Diwan? What's wrong? Things haven't been right between us for awhile and I can't figure out what I've done! Please tell me, I can't bear it anymore! Kindle said you wanted to talk to me and wouldn't tell me why, so just put me out of my misery."

I was still gulping and trying to form a coherent sentence when she added, a sob in her voice, "You want to break up don't you!?!"

I was so astonished at that that I blurted out, "No, no Marley, never that! I am such a complete idiot."

Thinking to myself, first Karina thinks I don't want kids and now Marley thinks I want to break up with her when the truth is I feel just the opposite! I've definitely got to work on my people skills, spending all my time fishing has made me hopeless in communicating my feelings.




The clouds overhead started taking the light, as well as dropping icy cold rain, so we decide we'd better head inside.

But when we reach the covered back porch, Marley spins around and asks, "So if you don't want to break up with me, what's going on with you? Every time I look at you lately I catch you watching me with a very peculiar look on your face. Have I been spending too much time with my grapes, making nectar, or done something…improper?"

Knowing I couldn't just blurt out that I wanted us to have a baby, I stalled for a bit, holding out my hand.




Marley stepped towards me and grasped it tightly, smiling, saying, "Please tell me what I've done to put this distance between us!?! I'll do whatever I can to fix is Diwan, please, let me try."

I look in her eyes and say, "It's not you Marley, it's me."

But instead of reassuring her, my lame words have her snatching back her hand and trembling.

I'm not sure if it's because of the cold, or my words, so I say, "Let's go inside so you can warm up. I guess we really need to talk."

Marley heads inside but her back is ramrod straight as she says, "I wish you would stop with the platitudes and clichés Diwan. Just tell me straight out, so we can get this over with!"




I sat at one end of the couch but, instead of sitting next to me, Marley sat stony-faced on the other end, staring straight ahead.

I could see she wasn't going to be the one to make the first move, so I scooted over towards her.




"The thing is Marley, you know how much I've been focusing on fishing, gardening some too, but mostly fishing, trying to catch those 13 perfect fish for my lifetime want?"

She turned towards me, her face full of distress, saying, "Everyone knows how much you love fishing Diwan! What does that have to do with us!?! With you being so distant this week?"

"Well, the thing is I had my life plan, our life plan actually, mapped out in my head. We'd have our young adult birthdays, I'd ask you to move in, and we'd focus on our lifetime wishes and careers for awhile."

"And that's what we've been doing. But that was just a week ago, so what's changed?"




"Well, you've been totally focused on your grapes and making nectar, even working on your athletic skill in your spare time. So like I said, it's not you that's changed at all. In fact, I find you more beautiful and perfect than ever!"

At those words, Marely's face lost that strained look and she relaxed a bit, her eyes going soft and dreamy.

"The thing is, right after you moved in, we both focused so much on other things, going along with my life plan, and then something happened that had me re-thinking it! Something that had me thinking more about us than lifetime wishes or careers!"




When I slid closer and put my arm around her, Marley didn't pull away, but settled against me, her head falling to my shoulder as we cuddled close.

Then I shifted and so did she and just before our lips met, Marley whispered, "Oh, Diwan, I've missed this so much. I wouldn't mind a change to the life plan if it meant more of this, us being close."

After that we didn't speak for some time.




When we came up for air, I said, "And it's all my fault! I had such a change of heart about my life plan that I felt foolish and instead of confiding in you, I kept you at a distance, made you think I didn't care about you any more! But that stops now!"

I sprang up from the couch, pulled her up beside me and added, "Marley Frio, I love you more than anything else in my life, more than gardening, more than fishing, and you deserve to be told that at every opportunity. I have been sadly lacking in my romantic pursuit!"

And, with what I hoped was a gallant flourish, I presented her with a large bouquet of red roses.

The ecstatic look on Marley's face told me I'd done the right thing, for once.




Then I swept her into my arms and looking deeply into her eyes, I said, "I don't want to wait until I catch five more perfect fish! I want us to focus on each other, right now, this minute, and for the rest of our lives!"

I bent closer and kissed her soundly!

The kiss went on and on, and I didn't pay any attention until my arm went numb and I was in danger of dropping her.




With the momentum I had going, once she was safely back on her feet, I knelt down on one knee and heard not only her gasp, but the collective one of our family members in the hallway!

I did my best to ignore all of them, except for Marley, though I'd been aware of their presence for some time, they'd been peeking in since Marley and I'd come inside.

I'm sure that was all Kindle's doing, part of her 'dealing with Mom', which probably meant her telling everyone what a fool I'd been! (But I hoped Mom had been taking plenty of photos!)

I didn't want to mess up this moment, so as all of that flitted through my mind, I carefully balanced on my knee and drew out that all important little black box, popping it open, with the diamond solitaire flashing in the light.

As Marley bent closer towards the ring, I asked, "Marley Frio, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife!?!"




Those behind us fell silent, but Marley didn't keep them in suspense for long as she jumped up and down, shouting, "Yes, yes, of course, I'll marry you! I thought you wanted to break up and all the while you were just agonizing over proposing!"




As Marley admired her engagement ring, I said, "That's the perfect word for it too, agonizing! But not just about proposing. Marley, I want us to get married, as soon as possible!"




Marley didn't even hesitate, but flung herself in my arms and whispered, "Is today too soon for you?"

"Really? You mean it? Today? What about guests, the big wedding every girl wants?"

"I just want you, Diwan, and to be your wife! We could even have a private wedding. I don't need anything fancy, you know I'm not into fancy!"




So that's how Marley and I found ourselves under the wedding arch in the front yard, with my family as our witnesses, along with a sleeping Kimo.

Marley wasn't into fancy, but she is proper, and since we all had formal clothes, they had to be worn.

Luckily the rain had stopped, and by the time we'd all dressed in our finery, the sun had set.




But it was rather chilly, so we kept our vows simple, and spoke from our hearts as we placed wedding rings on each others fingers, intoning words that so many others had repeated before us, "With this ring, I thee wed."




Then Marley was in my arms and we were kissing as my family, our family now, showered us with rose petals, and clapped as they yelled, "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Diwan Swanson!"




Dad was even on the ball and got this great photo of Mom and Trevor wiping tears from their eyes during the ceremony.

And Grandma Summer and Kindle basking in the romance of it all.





Then Mom made us spaghetti with veggie sauce, Marley's favorite, for our wedding supper.

Mom's plan was for us to enjoy our first dinner together as husband and wife, alone, in the kitchen, but we chose to eat on the sofa, joining Dad, who was sitting there reading a fishing book.

"Well, all three of your children are married now Dad! Got any good advice for me as a newly married man?"

Dad didn't even bother to look up from his book as he said, "Another grandchild would be nice," then his lips quirked into a smile.

I nodded enthusiastically, saying, "That's the next step of my new life plan!"

Beside me, Marley blushed, and kept her eyes focused on her plate, but she didn't reprimand either of us for saying something improper, especially in mixed company.

Or call me out on that aspect of the plan, as I hadn't actually mentioned that bit to Marley yet.

I mean, making up, proposing, and getting married seemed like enough for one day.

Besides, with Kindle, Trevor, and Evan still living here, it wasn't like we could even try for a baby yet.

But I knew I better start explaining the whole plan to Marley, as she was definitely the star of the next part.




But after we put our dirty plates in the dishwasher, Marley surprised me with a shy kiss, which was in direct contrast to her bold words, "I know we can't try for a baby right away Diwan, but that doesn't mean we can't practice!"

Then she said seductively, "Go get ready for bed and I'll meet you in our room!"




I might be slow at times, like most fisherman, but Marley's words had me lighting a shuck for the nearest bathroom, as they say here in Appaloosa Plains!

And not too long afterward, Marley joined me in our bedroom, looking more beautiful than ever!

We started off by tickling each other, which quickly led to other things, things that need no explanation, as we shared our bed for the first night as husband and wife.




Well, I finally made things right between Marley and me, so right that we're now married!

And though we can't actually start our family yet, with our house already full to bursting, we're definitely planning on being a more romantic couple, which is pretty perfect with winter fast approaching and no way to fish and most of our garden plants dormant.

Next up is our nephew, Evan's, toddler birthday, so it shouldn't be too much longer before we have some baby news of our own!

But we're not the only Swansons in town with kids, Karina's Bryce will be a toddler before we know it, and she'll be having her second child any day now.

And Kindle's already confessed to wanting to give Evan a baby brother or sister, so I'm sure that will happen soon after they move out.

I thought I'd be way behind both of my sisters in the parent arena, and I know you can't see me, but I'm grinning like a fool at the thought of Marley and me becoming parents!

With the weather turning colder and winter fast approaching, that puts an end to the fishing, and most of the gardening, so my focus will be keeping my new wife warm and happy!

I won't be mentioning much about that, but I'll keep you posted on the upcoming Swanson family birthdays in Journal Entry 111.
Coming soon. (Well, as soon as I can tear myself away from my new bride!)

P.S. That information about a Watcher Lady that was taking photos of Karina and Ben was a bit concerning, but as long as she helps me out with photos from time to time, I guess I can live with that. Unless she starts being more intrusive than Mom---if that happens I just may have to sick Kimo on her! Beware Watcher Lady, you have been warned!

[deedee_828]

The next day Grandma Summer called the family together and then brought Evan to his cake.

Trevor had been practicing a new acrobat routine outside, and didn't even take the time to remove is face paint as he was so excited to see his son become a toddler!

Dad and I clapped and yelled, which had Mom shushing us a bit, as she said we were being so loud it was probably scaring Evan.




Once Grandma blew out his candles and set Evan on the floor, and his birthday sparkles disappeared, I must confess that he did look rather startled by all the commotion.




But not as startled as we all were by his blonde hair!

Then Mom gasped and said, "I think, I think….oh, let me get him to a mirror and see if what I suspect is true!"

Once she did that, we all gasped even more as mom's suspicions proved correct!

With a longer hair style, we could see that, not only did Evan have the Dean cheekbones, like Mom had passed on to Kindle, he had also inherited Mom's blonde hair streaked with purple, passing on Great-Grandma Brina's beautiful locks to yet another generation!




Knowing that Kindle and Trevor wanted to move to a place of their own soon, Grandma Summer got him started on his toddler skills.

She started with talking, and though he was slow at mimicking the words she was saying, he caught on fast enough.

Though we were a bit surprised by Grandma's choice of words, with him being a newly aged up toddler.




But her reasoning became clear soon enough as he shared his favorite word with all of us!

His cheekbones and hair color weren't all little Evan got from the  Nolan/Dean side of the family, but their preoccupation with fire too!

No wonder Grandma hounded him about dangerous things until he repeated it!

"Fire bad Grannie?" he asked with a disappointed look on his face.

Seeing Evan's sad look and trembling lower lip, Grandma Summer didn't have the heart to tell him that, so she said, "Not bad, Evan, just something to be very, very, careful with. It can be dangerous and cause terrible loss. But your parents can explain more about it when you're a bit older."




With talking completed, Grandma Summer focused on walking.

On his first try, Evan amazed us all by promptly taking a few tentative steps towards her!




And soon Evan had mastered walking too.

Boy, being family-oriented, and having so much experience with her own children and grandchildren, has made Grandma Summer an expert at this!




After some snuggles, Grandma got him started on potty training, which, like most toddlers before him, he was definitely not thrilled with!




But after that harrowing experience, he was rewarded with a bottle.

Which definitely put a smile on his face as he happily drank it, saying, "Do baba by my se'f!", after his first successful sip.

I know that watching him learn his toddler skills and hearing him speak his first words put me over the moon, and I'm just his Uncle, so I had no doubt that Kindle and Trevor were proud as punch of their first born son!




But Grandma Summer doesn't stop there in her endeavors to satisfy the appetites of the young ones on the farm, as soon as Evan is settled down with his, she steps outside, and patting Fareshine, she holds up a gigantic, foal-sized one for her to consume.

"I know you prefer nursing baby girl, but with your mother racing around the lot to satisfy her need for speed, it gives all of us the chance to feed you!"




While Grandma was busy outside with Fareshine, I heard loud pounding from the house and, following the noise, I found out that Evan had discovered the toy drum.

He played with it happily for quite some time, and as I watched and listened, just seeing his delight at making sounds, had me delighted too.

I marveled again at the change in my focus, who would have ever thought that just becoming an Uncle would have instilled such a desire for fatherhood.




But soon Dad came to get Evan ready for bed, saying, "You've had quite the day young man, learning to walk and talk, trying out the potty, holding your own bottle, and learning to play on the drum! Now it's my turn to spend time a few minutes with you. How 'bout some tummy tickles!?!"

Evan was giggling and laughing before dad even got his fingers close to his tummy, and seeing the two of them together made me smile even more.

If I'm anything even close to the father and grandfather my Dad is, my kids are going to be the luckiest kids in Appaloosa Plains!




That evening Kindle and Trevor got invited to a party at the Bird sister's home.

Mom was going to attend with them, so she got all dressed up, but then she changed her mind as she decided she'd rather spend some time with Evan.

She sat in a rocker with a very solemn expression on her face as Evan played with the xylophone nearby.

I didn't even have to ask what was wrong.

The thought of this little guy moving out with his parents soon had me feeling a bit sad too.

But it was necessary if Kindle and Trevor wanted to add to their family, giving Marley and I the chance to start ours.




With my change of heart, our sudden engagement and wedding, followed by Evan's toddler birthday, we'd forgotten about another family birthday.

Over at Oriole's party, Trevor was engulfed in sparkles, shocking himself as well as the party guests!




So much so, that he ended up having a mid-life crises, even though he looked pretty much the same to me, same hair, same clothes, no big deal really.

Frankly, I thought that was something reserved for females, or maybe rich, old, men who started pursuing much younger women!

But with Trevor succumbing to it, I just hope it passes me by when the time comes for me to become an full-fledged adult.




But I had better things to do with my time than to spend it thinking about Trevor's mid-life crises!

After all, I had a beautiful new wife that needed my time and loving attention.

Lying beside each other in the bed we shared each night, chatting about our days and sharing these private moments, well, I wouldn't give that up for a fortune in gold!

(I'd thought they'd been private moments, but when this photo showed up on our nightstand, I realized that I was going to have tell that Watcher Lady that she needed to stop invading our privacy! Helping me out with a photo now and then, when I wasn't around to take one, is one thing, but stalking couples is there most intimate moments is something I can't condone. If Marley had seen it, I'm sure she would have blushed several shaded darker than the pink highlights in her hair, at the impropriety alone!)




But when it also included this shot of mom sleeping and dreaming about a new baby in the family, well, I relented and decided to let her off the hook.

This time.




Early the next morning, when we ventured outside, the air had a distinct bite to it, with heavy clouds promising snow later that day.

To my dismay, I found water spouting in the garden as none of us had remembered to turn off the sprinklers that Grandpa Nolan had upgraded to autowater!

I checked the nearby plants to make sure the water and cold temps hadn't damaged them, and though they were all covered in frost, they all seemed healthy enough to survive.




Marley chose a happier task and gave Sunshine a good brushing.

Marley loves dogs, but she's become fond of our horses too.




But even having to clean up the mess in the garden couldn't dispel my thrill at being married!

I didn't even care who noticed as I admired my new wedding ring, while the heavy clouds dropped their burden, snow covering the ground and flurries swirling around me.




Hearing nickering from the other side of the house, Marley and I discovered Fareshine kicking up snow!

She was having a blast playing in the cold, white, flakes as they fell faster and faster, swirling around her and deepening on the ground.




Then Mom and Kindle came outside and started making an igloo.

They asked if Marley and I wanted to help, but we opted to head inside where it was warm.




Marley and I took a shower and then I caught her admiring her wedding ring too.

It warmed my heart to know we both felt that sentimental about being married.




But the rumbling of my stomach had me heading for the kitchen, where I joined Grandma for a bite of breakfast.

Well, a whole stack of pancakes, actually, as working out in the garden in that cold air had given me a ravenous appetite!

After she finished, though there was a smile on her face, Grandma's eyes had a sad look, as she stayed seated, just staring out the kitchen window.

Then I found out why as Grandma explained Evan's achievement earlier that morning.




Evan had completed his potty training!

Grandma was thrilled about that, of course, especially since Evan had done so with his Dad playing with Kimo, which was a huge distraction as he's such a large dog that he dominates the whole room.

But then Grandma realized that Trevor wasn't just playing with Kimo, he was saying goodbye!

With Evan's last skill of his big three completed, it was time for him and his parents to move to a home of their own.




All of us here in the farmhouse had enjoyed having Evan around so much that the thought of him leaving, brought a sadness to our hearts.

But it would have a two-fold bonus, as in a home of their own, Kindle and Trevor could have another child, and Marley and I could start our own family.

So sadness, yes, but also the beginning of new adventures for all of us.

I'm shocked to say that not only is this account a full entry, but I've got so much more to add that I'm making this a double entry!

The down time of winter has had the unexpected benefit of more free time than I had imagined, even being a newly married man.

So stay tuned for Journal Entry 111: Toddler Time and Winter Wonders Part 2
Which is coming up next.

[deedee_828]

Yes, it was time for Kindle, Trevor, and Evan, to pack up and move to a home of their own!

Trevor sat at the computer in the hall making the final arrangements.




And when we all said our goodbyes and watched Kindle scoop up Evan, with Trevor hustling his family out to the waiting taxi, there wasn't a dry eye among us.

Trevor tried to bolster everyone's spirits by telling us they'd visit and we could visit them, but even with that thought, Kindle and Evan looked pretty sad too.

I knew that we'd miss all of them terribly, especially Evan, as he'd been filling our house with his childish laughter, such a happy sound!




In fact, it was so quiet in the house with him gone, that Marley and I retreated to the nectary, to focus on other tasks so we didn't dwell on the emptiness of the house.

I tended the life plants in one of the nectary gardens, as some of them needed weeding and others were ready to be harvested.




Marley got in a workout stomping more grapes in both the nectar makers.

And with her looking so cute in her bikini, I was hard pressed to keep my mind on gardening!




But then she showered and dressed and made two more batches of nectar.

Something that had me returning to my gardening tasks as it wasn't nearly as fun to watch as the fruit squishing.




All the exercise that was inherent with fruit squishing just wasn't enough for Marley's athletic tastes.

So after both nectar machines were humming and chugging along, doing their thing, Marley started working out on the weight bench!

I didn't mind really, as her athletic gear showed off her great figure too.

In fact, it drew me even closer as my thoughts were filled with my girl!




It didn't take long for Marley to notice my appreciation, or to figure out what was on my mind!

And soon she was in my arms and the only thought that both of us had was being together.

We were still in the honeymoon phase of our marriage, after all!




Since there wasn't an appropriate spot in the nectary for togetherness, we headed for the house.

Then, as we spotted the igloo in all it's finished glory, we both looked at each other with the same thought.

And this whole sequence of events was caught by that Watcher Lady!

Who knew that igloos could flip around like that!

If it hadn't been for that, I might have protested such an invasion of our privacy, but since it was such a cool photo, I let it ago. Again.




When Marley and I were snuggled up close, just relaxing, in the now warm interior of the igloo, she asked, "Diwan, I think I heard music!"

Which had me saying, "So did I!?! It sounded like…"

And as we looked into each other's eyes, we both smiled, and whispered, "A lullaby."




With Kindle, Trevor, and Evan's departure leaving such a void in the house, Mom and Dad were thrilled to be invited over to the Schmidt household, to help celebrate their son Bryce's 1st birthday!

 But when they arrived, the front door was wide open and plaintive cries were heard from upstairs!

Dad rushed up to find little Bryce alone in his room, needing a diaper change and a bottle.




With Bryce's needs satisfied, he was happy to be safe in his grandpa's arms.




But Mom heard sounds of a more urgent sort, and discovered why poor little Bryce had aged up all on his own.

Karina was in labor!




Karina was too far along for Mom to even think of taking her to the hospital, though Mom found out that Benjamin was getting the car, which is why the front door was wide open.

But Mom had barely sat down when her wish for another grandchild completed!




And Karina delivers the first baby girl of generation four!

Since Benjamin didn't have any family, Karina chose to name her after Dad's mother.

Welcome to the family, Karie Schmidt!




It was easy to see that Karina was pretty exhausted after the hard work of labor, so once Karina got Karie settled in her crib, Mom got Karina tucked into her own bed too.




While Mom was taking care of them, Dad had gotten Bryce put in his own crib, and the little tyke was so exhausted, he fell instantly asleep.

It was late by then, so Dad figured it was time to leave and head home.

He donned his coat and watched over Bryce for a moment, whispering, "Sweet dreams, little guy."




But Dad couldn't leave without meeting his new granddaughter, 'just for a minute', for which Karina insisted on getting up, even though she was almost asleep on her feet!

By then, Benjamin was crawling into bed, and he seemed just as exhausted as Karina.

Mom was urging dad to put Karie back in her crib so they could leave, and Karina and Ben could get some much needed rest.




When Mom shared all the photos and walked us through the exciting events at the Schmidt home, I couldn't help but panic!

Is THAT what Marley and I had to look forward too!?!

A series of sleepless nights taking care of our baby!?!

My thoughts must have clearly shown on my face as Mom patted me on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Diwan, there will be five of us here to take care of the baby. Your father and I have had plenty of experience, and your Grandmother is an expert with babies and toddlers."

Mom's words had me feeling a little better, and Marley's face showed her relief too, so I know she was having the same disquieting thoughts as I was about becoming a parent.

But after I had gone to bed, Marley's relief turned to complete joy as that lullaby we both heard proved to be a positive premonition of our hopes and dreams of starting our own family.




As a result, her dreams were all about the coming baby, first her dreams were filled with baby bottles and caring for a newborn.

But since I didn't have the confirmation that she did, mine were focused on fishing, showing that Mom's words had relieved some of my anxiety about endless sleepless nights.




The rest of Marley's night focused on the baby being older and learning the important toddler skills of talking and walking.

While I, in my current state of ignorance, had moved on to dream of all those wonderful fresh garden vegetables come springtime.




Upon waking the next morning, I made up the bed, as Marley clapped, filled with happiness at what she was about to tell me.




And soon my joy matched her own as I took in her rounded tummy and the delight on her face!

I didn't need her confirming words, but they thrilled us both as she said them aloud, "We're having a baby Diwan! My dreams last night were all about baby bottles, blocks, and teaching her to walk!"

"Her!?! How do you know it's a girl?"

Marley shrugged and added, "Just a feeling, I guess, or maybe a hope. Wouldn't you like us to have a girl?"

I didn't want to disappoint Marley, so I replied, "Sure! One who looks just like my beautiful wife, in fact!"

As Marley had been talking about a girl, I'd actually wished for a boy, but since we'd planned on at least three children, I figured, if it wasn't a boy the first time, maybe I'd get my wish one of the others.

And though I didn't have a specific wish for a girl, a daughter who looked like Marley sounded wonderful.




Boy or girl, I couldn't resist doing all the dad-to-be things, like listening to the baby, and feeling Marley's tummy.

When the little guy, or girl, kicked against my hand, I couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading across my face as I said, excitedly, "I felt him, um, her, the baby! That was incredible!"




I was so thrilled at that point that I started jabbering away, "And Mommy wants to teach you your letters and help you play with blocks! I'll play with you too. And when you're big enough, we'll go fishing together!"

Marley laughed, saying, "The baby isn't even here yet and you're already talking about going fishing! It'll be some time before that can happen! A lot of bottles, diapers, and cuddles, before she, or he, is old enough to hold a fishing rod!"




I laughed and said, "True. But there's somewhere here right now that I can cuddle!"

I pulled Marley into my arms, my voice going deep and husky, as the laughter left it, and I enveloped her in a  tight embrace, saying, "You are so beautiful!  I love you, Marley Frio Swanson! You've made me happier than I ever dreamed I'd ever be!"

Marley's arms swept around me, one hand resting on my shoulder, while the other wrapped around by head, pulling me even closer, saying, "I love you too, Diwan!"

I was so excited, I whispered, "What about baby names?" Then unthinking, I added, "We usually honor married in spouses by using their family names."

As Marley went still, I mentally kicked myself for bringing that up!

And her words confirmed my blunder as, a sad note in her voice, she said, "It would be nice knowing my family, knowing where I came from, who I am…."

Then a thought struck me and I voiced it, hoping I wasn't building up Marley's hopes and setting her up for disappointment, "You're of age, so maybe you could find out something about your birth parents, now?"

Marley hugged me again, and with new hope in her voice, said, "Oh, Diwan that's a wonderful idea!




Later that morning, Kindle called with news of her own, Evan was going to be a big brother!

With Karina and Ben having a toddler son, Bryce, and a newborn daughter, Karie, and Marley and I expecting our first child, Mom and Dad will  be fulfilling their wishes to have five grandchildren very soon!

And with winter full upon us, we should all have plenty of free time to prepare for the new little additions, and spend quality family time together.

I'll tell you all about it in Journal Entry 112: Finding Out About Family
Coming soon.