Monday, December 18, 2017

Tranquility Creek Holiday Special 2017



Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the town
Little virtual people
Were all writing down

Letters to family,
Coworkers, and friends
To give them all updates
Before the year ends

They told of birthdays and weddings
Of the floods and the fires
They told of the new wonderful nannies they hired

The little ones too,
Crayons and pencils in hand
Wrote their own letters
To a certain bearded man

But once they had finished
And sealed the notes tight
They soon had a problem
That cold winter night

As they stood at the mailbox
Their skin turning blue
They found themselves wondering
Who to send the notes to

After all, every person they ever had met
Every grandma and grandpa
Every uncle and pet

They lived right here in town
They lived just down the road
They must already know
What the letters all told

"What will we do with these now?" they all cried
As they stood by the mailbox instead of going inside
"Is there nobody out there who would want to hear
Of what has happened to us this past year?"

Just then, the mysterious voice did appear
And collected each family's tale of their year
She also collected the little one's letters
Saying that she could reach Santa better.

She took all the letters and put them online
(It took her a great deal of her pre-Christmas time)
So now even though Christmas won't come for a week,
Enjoy holiday wishes from Tranquility Creek!

🎄-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🎄


Dear Friends,
             This has been quite the year for the Hannon family. We now have a high school graduate on our hands! Shark's enjoying his young adulthood so far, and Mikel has loved having his extra help down at the bakery. Speaking of, we hit a big milestone this year-Crazy Cupcakes actually started to turn a profit! I just can't tell you how proud I am of Mikel. The kids are too, even though they may not be able to say it. The twins are not far behind their brother; they'll be graduating soon enough. I just can't believe it-it seems like yesterday we were chasing around 3 toddlers!
              I hope you all have a wonderful holiday (whatever that is...) and wonderful new year. 
               Love,
               Tetra, Mikel, Shark, Clam, and Betta


Hello, Everyone!
          I hope this letter finds you well! It's been a roller coaster ride around the Bernard house lately. You might notice there's one fewer in the photo this year (wait...we've never done this. How would you notice...never mind.) Anyway, my first baby is all grown up! Bahama and Sage's wedding was simple, but beautiful. And it ended up being not only a wedding but a birthday party for Haiti. I can't believe that fussy little toddler has grown into such a...well...let's say spirited young woman.
        Sadly, we lost Khloe to old age a. As you can imagine, it's been hard on everyone but particularly Croix and Cyprus. Croix has been channeling his grief into his work-he just got promoted again! I just hope that Cyprus can find something similar. Ezekiel's been having his share of successes at the office too.
          Hopefully, next year is a little bit more stable for us all. (Who am I kidding...we've got two teenagers now...). But maybe at least it will be the year I finally achieve my dream of catching 20 different types of fish...I'm so close!
 Sincerely,
 Bermuda, Ezekiel, Croix, Cyprus, and Haiti




Dear Friends,
              You might notice some...changes to the Howard family! Sadness married Cyrus not too long ago, leaving Hope as an only child. You'd think that would mean that things settled down around here, but you'd be wrong. One night, we all went out for a family dinner and Disgust found this...thing...the mysterious voice said it was called a cat. I'd never heard of it before, but before I knew it not only was it living with us, but we'd also taking in something called a dog...
             I know it might seem a little strange to have these things in our house, but Amygdala and Cortex have really livened up the place. Hope keeps joking that we're trying to replace her and Sadness...at least, I think she's joking. She's been getting just as much of a kick out of them as me and her mother, though.
I hope you all have a great new year! (I have to remember to ask the mysterious voice what a year is...)
Love,
Herbert, Disgust, and Hope


Hello from the Palmers!
          As you can see, it's been busy around here lately! Both our boys are in school now. I'm pretty sure they get into even more trouble now than they did as toddlers-case in point, the little furry thing at our feet. His name is Rocket-Hank found him outside and took the opportunity to take him in as a roommate. We were going to make him get rid of it, but...well, maybe losing Mom earlier this year has made both of us more sentimental. Besides, it was a good way to bribe him out of wearing bear costumes to school. (Don't ask.)
      Dory's been doing great at the local play group; she's learning something new every day! Pretty soon she'll be in big school like the boys. Josiah's been doing well at the science lab-he talks my ear off every day when he gets home. I don't have the heart to tell him I don't have a clue what he's talking about. Brett's been getting pretty good at the woodworking table, too...which is good, because I have a feeling that thanks to Rocket we're going to have to be replacing a lot of our furniture pretty soon.
Happy Holidays,
Eve, Merida, Brett, Josiah, Hank, Flick, and Dory (and Rocket)

Dear Santa,
       I'm still not really sure how this works...is it one letter per house or one letter per kid? Because my cousins Hank and Dory and I live in the same house but we want a lot of different stuff. Hank wants a basketball hoop-Aunt Merida told him we'd have nowhere to put it because of the trees but he wants one anyway. He also wants some toys for Rocket...can you bring things for a raccoon? Anyway,  Dory wants...well, I don't really know what Dory wants. Just some girl toys, I guess. And I really, really want violin. I asked Mom but she just said something about it already being loud enough! Can you bring a violin that doesn't make a lot of noise?
I promise we've been really good all year...well, mostly. That counts, right?
Flick, Hank, and Dory





Dear Valued Supporters,
            I just wanted to thank you all for your support of my campaign for city council! As you probably know, I won the election and began serving on the council not too long ago. I couldn't have done it without all of you.
           My family and I wish all of you a very happy holiday season. (Yes, they've grown up fast, haven't they? Erica's out of high school already and Lorelei's not far behind her. Getting them to pose for this picture was quite the challenge.) I can't wait to see what positive changes I can make on the council next year!
Sincerely yours,
Misty Flenderson, Tranquility Creek City Council Representative & Family





Dear Friends,
              Where to start? This year has been such a whirlwind. You may notice that we no longer have toddlers...we've got 3 "big kids"! The twins started school not too long ago. Sunshine is the class social butterfly...I think she's going to run a gossip column when she grows up. Wind isn't quite as social, but given how smart she is I guess that's to be expected. Snow is getting used to having his sisters at school...slowly. You also may have noticed another new addition...so new, in fact, that she doesn't even have a name yet! We noticed at a party recently that Wind really opened up when she was around our friends' dog...so we decided to give it a whirl. We're choosing between some very interesting name options...but don't worry, I'm sure the mysterious voice will fill you in soon.
              Sadly, we lost my mom and dad recently as well. I always knew it would happen eventually, but it still felt too soon. (My dad ended up going during the twins' birthday party...I hope they weren't too traumatized.) Hugo also had something of an interesting year...let's just say he took up some experimental gardening that had some unexpected results. It was a learning experience for all involved!
Best wishes for the new year,
Lightning, Hugo, Snow, Sunshine, and Wind

Dear Santa,
         Could you please bring me a brother? I already have two sisters...and they're driving me crazy!
Snow Flenderson

Dear Santa,
         For Christmas, I want a set of new chipmunk dolls. My friend at school has them and they're really neat. Oh, and some new necklaces and bracelets and stuff. All the other girls at school wear them. And could you please bring me a new dollhouse? One with more than two dolls? It's hard to have a lot of friends over to play when there's only 2 dolls.
Sunshine Flenderson

Dear Santa,
          Please bring me some new books. I promise I'll tell my new dog not to bite you when you come in, but she probably wouldn't anyway because she's very nice. Also, I know I'm supposed to leave you cookies but I'm going to leave you something healthier instead because I don't want your blood sugar to crash after you leave our house. It can be very dangerous when you are driving, especially when you're flying in the air.
 Wind Flenderson


Happy....Sweater Day, everyone! 
           Apparently this is something that we do now. Never a dull moment around here. As you can see, the kids aren't really kids anymore. Daisy's off and married to Lucas and she's already given us three adorable grandchildren. (Just don't let Azalea hear you call her Grandma. She still thinks she's fresh out of high school herself, the way she trains.) Now Thistle's almost ready to graduate too-soon it will be just us and the twins around here.
           Speaking of the twins, get a load of them! They're in high school now too. Lily's...well, still Lily. It still seems like everything the girl picks up she's good at. I think it's starting to get to Rose...who am I kidding, I know it's getting to Rose. Not that Rose isn't doing well in her own right-she just brought home her first A from high school the other day! Azalea and I couldn't be prouder.
           Here's hoping everyone....stays warm? (Seriously, though, if anyone out there knows exactly why we're doing this, could you please let us know?)
Love,
Silas, Azalea, Thistle, Rose, and Lily



Dear Friends,
         I wish I could be writing this letter under happier circumstances, but I'm afraid it's been pretty sad around the Lytle house recently. Of course, you all know about what happened with Hunter, but I'm afraid our troubles were just getting started. 
       We lost Nimbus not too long ago. This time it was to old age. I miss him terribly, but the hardest part has been seeing what losing him has done to Emerald. I never imagined that either of us would be leaving our baby girl behind us so soon. She's doing her best to be strong-we both are-but losing her dad has taken a real toll. Maybe that's why I said yes to this crazy idea she had about her boyfriend moving in with us. Yes, I know. They're still in high school. And believe me, they are still in separate bedrooms. I made sure of that. But having Hosnian here has made Emerald...Emerald again. (Besides, having the extra help around the house has been wonderful. Nimbus left behind a huge garden that is just too much for either one of us to take care of, and neither of us has the heart to pull it out.) 
        Here's hoping that things get better soon,
        Charley, Emerald, and Hosnian



Greetings from the local zoo!
           Ok, not really. But boy, does it feel like that around here these days. The triplets are growing up so quickly. They've started going to the local play group-the girls love it, but you should see the other parents trying to tell them apart! (Poe was not really happy when he found out about the play group uniforms, but we still managed to get them into color-coded sneakers. I just can't wait for the day when they're old enough to switch colors to try and trick us. I might even suggest it myself.)
           Of course, it's not all toddler wrangling around here. We lost both of my parents recently to old age. Poor Asteroid still doesn't really understand that they're gone. He still says things like he's going to go and find them in a rocket ship and bring them back home. (I know that's what he's asking for-hopefully he'll think a toy rocket is ok.) He's really getting a kick out of the triplets now that they're old enough to boss around-they follow him like little ducklings! After being the youngest for so long, he's really enjoying being the big brother for once-even if he's really "big uncle".
Love,
Universe, Poe, Asteroid, Celestial, Aurora, and Eclipse

Dear Santa,
        Can you bring me a rocket ship? Not a toy one, a real one. I've been trying to put the one in the yard together but it's really old, and I don't have all the parts. It's really, really important-I have to use it to find my Mom and Dad! If you can't bring it put together that's ok-I can have the triplets help!
Asteroid Kauker


Hello, everyone
        First of all, if you're reading this letter, let me be the first to say "Congratulations!" Riley had a very exclusive list. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it has something to do with the newest addition to our family. Adopting Nestle went so well that Riley and Candy decided to adopt again. Starburst was already a toddler when she came to us, which I think thrilled Nestle even more-she's already got a playmate! For some reason, though, Riley doesn't like for us to talk about Starburst's adoption very much. Starburst does have some very odd habits, though, but I guess that's true of all toddlers. (You would not believe the fight to get her PJ bottoms on for this photo. They stayed on for all of 30 seconds.) Riley keeps saying it's because she's an alien, but I was married to an alien for a long time and never noticed any of these things. I guess we'll have to wait and see when she grows up.
        Speaking of aliens, though, was sadly lost Blair to old age recently. I think that was the reason Candy and Riley chose to adopt an alien as their second child. I know Blair would be so proud of both her girls. She may not have always said it, but she loved them more than anything. Riley's carried her memory on in other ways, too...the walls in that art room are getting pretty full!
Lots of love,
Marlin, Riley, Candy, Nestle, and Starburst
          


Dear Friends,
         Greetings from the always crowded Bernard house! I always imagined that after the kids grew up things would quiet down a bit around here-boy was I wrong! Leia surprised us all (herself included) when the triplets were born. I guess it makes sense, though. She's got twins in her DNA from both sides. We're probably just lucky it wasn't more!
           If we thought having 3 babies at once was tiring...it's nothing compared to having 3 toddlers! Rey, Padme, and Finn are all in play group now, and it seems like every 30 seconds there's someone crying or something that's broken around here. Leia and Poe even have a pact to not get their kids together until they're in real school.  I thought it was silly when they first told me...and then Rey spilled paint all over the upstairs carpet. They see their cousins at play group enough, anyway.
          Salmon's getting up there in years (please don't tell him I said that) but he shows no signs of slowing down. Of course, who am I to talk. I've got no intentions of retiring either. Of course, sometimes I do wish Salmon would choose something a little less...demanding to do with his time. But if nagging him hasn't worked so far, what are the chances it will now, right?
Best wishes,
Jamaica, Salmon, Leia, Pine, Rey, Padme, and Finn


Hello, everyone
           This is certainly fun, isn't it? (Although I'm not convinced that all these lights aren't going to set something on fire.) Things are much quieter around the Bernard house these days. With Hosnian moving out to live with Emerald and Charley, we've just got Cori left at home. We'd thought she'd enjoy being the only child-she seemed to always want to be the center of attention when she was younger. But I guess it doesn't mean as much if there's no competition. Or maybe she's just growing up. Who knows?
           She's still as determined as ever to find out about her birth parents. I wish I could help her out more, but we just have no information to give. I just hope that she doesn't do anything crazy to find out once she's out of school. But I have to admit, I'm a bit curious myself. I'd like to meet the people who gave us our wonderful daughter. 
Love,
Aruba, Trout, and Corellia


 Greetings from the Hannon/Doe Family!
          Well, things have certainly been...interesting around here lately, that's for sure. For starters, Amethyst just joined Garnet up at the high school. It's strange, I would have thought she'd be excited to be back with her brother again-they were always so close when they were little. But I've barely seen the two of them talk recently-about school or anything else. I know, I'm probably over-thinking it.
       Garnet's still a straight-A student. He doesn't seem to have many friends, but I guess that's to be expected when you spend so much time on homework. He barely has time to say more than two words to us when he gets home and then it's straight to his room...I mean, what else could he be doing in there, right? Christin keeps saying we should be keeping a closer eye on him but I think his grades speak for themselves.
         Speaking of Christin, she's been getting  more and more work down at the paper recently. We've gotten to try some great-and not-so-great-restaurants around town; who knew there were so many dining options? I wish I could say the same for my job, but it's a little hard to make a living in programming when your computer is constantly breaking down...hey, maybe I can ask that Santa guy all the kids are writing to for a new one, huh? It's worth a shot.
Love,
Mackerel, Christin, Garnet, and Amethyst




Greetings from the Flendersons!
         Life around here is pretty much the same as always. Viola's in high school now-hard to believe our baby's almost all grown up! Her creative side is growing every day, too. (Brock and I tend to argue over who she inherited it from.) Her dad's been trying to teach her music lessons, but her real love seems to be writing-she's even got some of it published already! With all the stories you hear about how hard teenagers are, Brock and I consider ourselves so lucky to have one who uses her time so well instead of putting herself in harm's way.
Hope all is going well for you too (whoever you are),
Isla, Brock and Viola



Hello there!
          So...I guess I'm supposed to sum up what's been going on with us lately in the Rowan house, huh? Seems like Adrianna should be doing this-after all, she's the writer in the family. (And a pretty good one too, if I do say so myself.)
         Well, first of all, you may notice that we've got two teenagers on our hands now. I can't believe how fast the twins have grown up. (And hopefully now that they're in high school they'll stop fighting so much. Ha...I know. Wishful thinking.) Things have been going great at work, too. I'm not quite at the top of the chef game yet, but I'm getting close. 
         Adrianna's had a bit of a rough patch lately-I don't want to go into details except to say that I think she handled it beautifully. Much better than I could have, that's for sure. (She probably could have written a better letter too...it's too bad I don't know who this is going to so I can't send some cookies or something.)
With love,
Nemo, Adrianna, Athena, and Hermes


Happy...um...pajama day?
        I can't say I really know what all this is about, but the girls are loving it! Both of them are in school now, which means the toddler years are finally behind us. Marylin says she's relieved, but I think she kind of misses her role as the playdate organizer. Snapple's adjusted pretty well to school, though, so I guess all that extra socialization was good for something. Sprite's still happy just to finally have her own bedroom. (She discovered the other day that her door has a lock on it...I think the teen years might be coming early in this one.) 
        With both the girls in school, Marylin's finally been able to get back to her writing. She's just published another book, and I couldn't be prouder of her. As for me, things are going pretty well down at the restaurant, if a bit more slowly than I would like. Good things take patience, I suppose. 
Love,
Moss, Marylin, Sprite, and Snapple

Dear Santa,
       So, Mommy asked me to write a letter for both me and my sister. She just started school and her writing isn't that good yet. I think I would like some cool new posters for my new room. Maybe like one toy, but not too many because soon I'll be too big for them. Snapple wants a new dollhouse, though, and a doctor set.
Thanks,
Sprite Lytle


Hello there!
         Greetings from the Kauker family! As you can see, there have been a lot of changes around here lately. Gemini and Libra are both in school-can you believe it? (I know I can't.) Both of them are doing great. It's hard to believe that not too long ago I was a nervous wreck taking care of my first baby! Of course, then I remember that the teenage years are just around the corner...I guess if nothing else it will be a good source of material! 
I hope everyone's having a great time with all these decorations and pretty outfits...I can't say I really know what it's all about but the girls are loving all the sparkles.
Love,
Galaxy, Leanna, Gemini, and Libra

Dear Santa,
      Is it true that you really bring toys to kids for no reason? Mom said it's because we put sparkly stuff all around our house, but we have had a lot of sparkly stuff before and nobody's brought us anything. If it is true, could you bring us some new crayons and paint for the art table? They have these cool ones now that don't make a mess on the floor or anything!
Gemini and Libra Kauker



Dear Friends,
         Ok, I'll admit, maybe asking for the blue decorations was a bit overkill. But I guess it's just our family's thing now. Anna's been killing it at the restaurant lately-and I'm not just saying that because I get to take the leftovers to work. (Though having a wife who's a chef does beat hospital cafeteria food any day.) Of course, it's got it's drawbacks too. We haven't been able to get Unicorn down to the park as much as the other kids her age-after all, Anna's got to sleep sometime. But when I do get to take her on my days off, I swear she's the smartest kid in that play group. (Not that I'm biased...)
        Dragon's turned out to be a pretty awesome big brother, too. He's turning into quite the natural leader. Some of his old play group friends have joined him at school and he's put himself in charge of showing him the ropes! It won't be long now before he's got his little sister tagging along behind him.
 I hope everyone has a wonderful...shiny box day? Yeah, let's go with that.
Love,
Forest, Anna, Dragon, and Unicorn

Dear Santa,
        Can you please bring me something to make my hair blue? My mom's hair is blue and my sister's hair is blue, but mine isn't. Oh, and you know what else? I need something that can find out if there's any yucky vegetables in my food...my mom's been trying to hide them in everything she makes and I know that sometimes I'm eating them without even knowing! Oh, and could you please bring my sister something she can play with alone while I'm doing my homework?
Thanks,
Dragon Lytle



Greetings from the big city!
                First of all, let's get the obvious question out of the way. Yes, getting this thing up into our apartment was a nightmare. Our elevator looked so much bigger before we tried to jam a tree into it. I would have worried about weird looks from our neighbors, but...well, let's just say I don't think having a tree inside would phase them much. Our hope is that we can save up enough to move into our own penthouse by the time the kids are in high school. Houston just started, and Madison's still in play group so I think we've got enough time.
                Other than the neighbors, though, living in the city has been the best thing for our family. Between the festivals, the lounges, the karaoke...there's always something going on around here. Of course, these days we're spending more time at the park-when we can get enough sleep to go, that is. I just hope that we can make the switch back from being nocturnal after we make the big move!
With love,
Buzz, Susana, Houston, and Madison

Dear Santa,
       I know this might sound weird, but...is there any way you could bring me earplugs? And maybe some for my sister, too? I'm always so tired at school because the people next door make so much noise at night. It didn't used to be so bad when I was little, but now the teacher won't let me take a nap anymore. Or maybe you could bring me a drum kit so I could make noise during the day and keep them up?
 Houston Palmer


Happy...Sparkly Tree Day, Everyone!
            I hope everyone else is enjoying their sparkly trees as much as we are. (And by enjoy, I mean spend every waking moment keeping our toddler from trying to play ball with the decorations.) It's been busy around our house. Mark and Harrison finally started school, which I'm sure was a relief for Daisy-now she's only got one toddler to chase around all day. Carrie's been having a rough time at play group without her brothers, though. I just hope she's able to find a friend eventually. The mysterious voice promised her a surprise if she kept going...maybe it's in one of these boxes. (I know it sounds crazy, but I could have sworn I saw one of them moving around...)
Best Wishes,
Lucas, Daisy, Mark, Harrison, & Carrie

Dear Santa,
         Do you really bring presents just because we put up a sparkly tree? That's so cool! Anyway, I'd like some new robots. Mark does too. Oh, and whatever surprise the mysterious voice is giving my sister...we want one too. It's not fair that she gets something and we don't. I don't know what it is yet, though, so I think you and the mysterious voice have to talk. (Don't worry, she talks to everyone.)
-Mark and Harrison



Dear Friends and Family,
           Hello from the Palmers! As you can see, our family is quite a bit bigger now! Our twins, Harbor and Moat, recently gained a little sister! (They're thrilled...I think.) Ocean is growing up so quick-now all three of them are in play group. (Thankfully, otherwise I'd never get any writing done!)
          Speaking of, I just published my first mystery novel. It's a new genre for me, but I had to get away from the kids books for a bit. My publisher seemed to love it, though. He said mysteries were my true calling. (But then again, he said that about the fantasy and the romance novels I sent him too.) Jessie's been loving practicing her cooking skills for the kids-I think we've got the only toddlers who actually love trying new foods. (Maybe my next new calling will be parenting advice books.)
Lots of love,
Planet, Jessie, Harbor, Moat, and Ocean



Season's Greetings!
           I hope everyone is enjoying their decoration time. I know most other families in town went with the tree, but I thought this was more subtle. (It was also much less likely to be knocked over by a rambunctious toddler.) One day I'll have to figure out what these Of course, our first in in school now. Tempera's grown out of her fussy phase (mostly) since starting, which is helpful because we've got Crayola coming up right behind her now. Luke's been as busy as ever at the station restaurant, but he's been trying to spend some more time at home with his girls. We finally got to take a family picture, at least, so there's that. And as you can see, the girls are super excited to open their Candle Day presents. (I think that's what we're celebrating here-you'll have to forgive me. The candle holder didn't exactly come with instructions so I'm kind of making it up as I go.)
Love,
Cindy, Luke, Tempera, and Crayola.

Dear Santa,
         I don't know if I'm even supposed to write to you. Hank said that I can't write to you because we have the candle thing in our house instead of the sparkly tree. I think that's kind of silly-you can leave presents by the candle thing too, right? If not, we have a tree outside you can use. Anyway, could you please bring me one of those puppy things? Everybody's getting them and they're so cute! I think Crayola would like it too. She even did a drawing of one she saw at playgroup. I'll send it to you too so you know what kind of puppy she wants.
Love,
Tempera Bernard


Hello, everyone!
       As you can see, we opted for a less...seasonal photo. (Let's just say Balcony is already very opinionated about what she will and won't wear.) Thankfully, her playgroup uniform seems to be in the "yes" pile for now. It's been great having someplace for her to go during the day-especially now that her big brother Chimney is off at school. He hasn't been there very long, but so far so good.
       Thunder's doing great at down at the software company. I'm glad he's found a job that makes him so happy. My music career is doing alright too...of course, if you'd ask Thunder he'd say that's the understatement of the century. He's always asking me to sing in public-to the kids, in karaoke contests, you name it. Obviously I don't hate it (it is my job, after all) but I swear if he keeps showing me off like this I'm going to go hoarse! Chimney's starting violin lessons soon, though...maybe then Thunder will have to split his attention?
Happy...letter day (I guess)
Alderaan, Thunder, Chimney, and Balcony

Dear Santa...
        I don't need a whole lot of new toys. I just had my birthday a little while ago. But could you bring me a violin? There's a really cool one I saw that's all green...it's more fun-looking than a boring brown one. Oh, and maybe bring my sister a unicorn or something like that
 Thanks,
Chimney Bernard


Hello, there!
          Well, let me answer everyone's first question right off the bat. Hunter is doing fine...no, not just fine. He's doing amazing. Settling into our new home has been quite the experience...especially since you may have noticed we have a new member of the family now. Zyrtec is so much like his dad-it's been quite the challenge now keeping them I mean, keeping him safe. Hopefully once he grows up a bit he'll learn to be more cautious.
         Hunter's job down at the restaurant is going well, but he's actually taken up painting in his spare time as well to help make ends meet. I told him we should have included some of  his paintings with this letter but he said it would lessen how much he could sell them for if he gave them away for free. Which I guess is true...besides, I actually have no idea how many people are reading this letter, come to think of it.
Well, whoever's out there, I hope you're enjoying all this as much as we are.
With love from Leigh, Hunter, and Zyrtec




Greetings from our new little family!
         Yes, the Bernard family tree has grown yet another branch! Lori and I have been loving married life...although, we didn't get to enjoy it on its' own for very long. Madrid came on the scene rather quickly. I guess I should have expected that-from what Mom says Luke was practically a housewarming gift when her and Dad got married too. She's been getting bigger every day-I swear if I were to measure her that often you would be able to see a difference. (Lori got me to compromise at once a week.) She's been having a blast down at the play group-it's so crazy how someone so little can have like, friends and stuff already, but she does. 
          Lori's been training like never before-her team's been doing outstanding lately (all because of her, of course.) I know she can't wait for Madrid to be big enough to practice with her-although, she's already showing interest. I swear, she throws those ball pit balls farther than any other kid in that group. (Ok, so the other parents don't really see that as a talent...but I do.)
Here's hoping everything keeps going this well!
Love Han, Lori, and Madrid


We're Home!
         Ok, so it's not much of a home yet...we're actually still in the middle of construction. But we still wanted send a quick note along with everybody else. Married life has been great so far, but I think it will be better once we actually have a roof over our heads. (We do have some walls, though, so we're halfway there!)
See you at the housewarming party,
Sadness and Cyrus


Hi, everybody
        So, I don't know exactly how this is all supposed to work. I mean, who gets the weird tree and who gets the candle thing...so I decided to get both. Why not, right? Anyway, we just finished moving in and quite frankly anything to brighten up the place is welcome right now. Hopefully I can start selling some paintings quick so we can get some actual furniture in here. Moving out on our own has been pretty overwhelming, but it's also been pretty amazing. I can't wait for everyone to see what we do with the place...once we decide what to do with the place, of course.
Love,
Bermuda and Sage

🎄-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🎄


A Message From the Mysterious Voice: Happy Holidays, everyone! This is something I've been meaning to do since starting Tranquility Creek. Back in my TS2 blog, Tranquility Bay, I started a tradition of posting a holiday-themed entry every year on (or close to) Christmas Eve. (This was before I started my current job, back when Christmas Eve was actually a day off.) Most years, I simply badly photoshopped all of the Sims together into one giant card, but the first year I actually did individual holiday cards and letters for each family. Since Tranquility Creek has never really had a holiday special before, I thought it would be fun to bring that tradition back. (In fact, the opening poem is pretty much directly copied from Tranquility Bay with only some minor adjustments) 














Saturday, November 18, 2017

Flenderson 1: Round 17



Last round, a bit of a sibling rivalry erupted between sisters Erica and Lorelei, which forced Aldo and Misty to employ some newly-learned parenting techniques. This was made a bit more difficult by Aldo constantly making use of his new earphones. Meanwhile, Misty continued to advance in the political career.


Lorelei: Mom, what are you doing getting home so late?

Misty: Ugh, I've been in meetings all day. The city council is trying to figure out what to do about these little pests that suddenly appeared everywhere.

I take it you mean all the stray animals...

Misty: First the toddlers and now this? This town is falling apart! And of course nobody on the council believes me-they're all trying to get us to let these things in our houses!

Lorelei: Oh, come on, Mom. They're not that bad. They're kind of cute.

Misty: Cute? Lorelei, for all we know they're crawling with disease...


Thistle: Hey...

Erica: Hi...sorry to show up so early. I just had to get out of my house.

Thistle: Let me guess...your mom?

Erica: Yeah...

Thistle: Well, I guess we can start our date a bit early. Why don't we head down to the new park by the wharf?

Erica: Yeah, that sounds nice.


Thistle: So...what's the crisis this week?

Erica: The...furry things that are everywhere now.

Thistle: What? How could she be upset about those? They're adorable!

And they also stand much less of a chance of eating you than your family's current pet.



Speaking of...

Erica: Well hello there...aren't you just the cutest thing...

I think she likes you.

Erica: Doesn't she belong to anybody?

I don't think so...

Erica: So she's out here all alone? That's so sad...you know what? I'm taking you home with me!


Erica, are you sure that's a good idea? Your mom doesn't seem that keen on these things existing, let alone living with her.

Erica: What? Look how sweet she is! Mom will come around. I'm sure of it.


Well, ok...welcome to the family, Arcanine...


Huh, maybe Misty had a point about the diseases...

Erica: There we go. Now we just have to make you all pretty so everyone will love you..


You know, the sweater is a nice touch, but I don't think it makes up for the drinking from the toilet...


Aldo: ... Um, mysterious voice? There's a...thing...in the house...

That would be Arcanine. Your daughter brought her home yesterday.

Aldo: Misty hasn't seen it yet, right?

I haven't heard any screaming, so I'm guessing no...


Aldo: So...what do these things do, exactly?

Well...you could try teaching her some tricks.


Aldo: Hey, you're pretty smart...


Yeah, she really is...


Erica: Hey there, girl...did you have fun with Dad today?

I think Dad may have had more fun than Arcanine...

Erica: Good...now we just have to figure out how to win over Mom...

Wait, she still hasn't seen her yet?

Erica: I've been keeping her in my room at night...Mom's been working such long hours it's been easier than you'd think to keep her hidden.


Aldo: Ok, Arcanine...jump!

Really? You set up an obstacle course in the backyard?

Aldo: What? She's too smart for the normal sit and stay stuff...this dog's a genius!

If you say so...


So I take it you're enjoying your new companion?

Aldo: Yeah...you know, it's kind of nice having someone to talk to during the day while the girls are at school and Misty...oh, no...

What?

Aldo: I forgot to take down the course before we went inside and Misty'll be home any minute...

Misty: ALDO!!!


Misty: Just wait until she gets home...sneaking one of those...those things into my house...

Aldo: But Misty, she's not disease-ridden, I swear. And she's really smart, too...I've taught her all kinds of tricks, and she can even jump through hoops!

Misty: I don't care, Aldo! Anything that just appears out of nowhere like that has to be dangerous!

Aldo: Like the toddlers were? Misty, come on. Just give her a chance. And besides, Erica's graduating soon anyway...

Misty: (sigh) I guess it would only be for a little while...


Misty: If that thing doesn't behave itself on Friday night...

Erica: She will, Mom. I swear...


What's happening on Friday?

Lorelei: Mom's having a dinner party...it started as a birthday party for Erica but it kind of grew from there.

More political supporters?

Erica: No, this time it's our relatives. Like, all of our relatives.

Really? That's a lot of people.

Lorelei: Tell me about it.


Aldo: Oh, everybody's just going to love you. Yes they are! Yes they are!

Um, Aldo? Shouldn't you be upstairs woodworking?

Aldo: I'll get back up there in a minute...she just needed some attention...

Why do I have a feeling Erica's going to have a fight on her hands when she moves out?


Erica: So, my birthday party's on Friday night. You're invited too...I'm not sure if my mom would have remembered to call you.

Hope: That's ok. Hey, do you think I could bring Cortex? 

Erica: I don't know...my mom's still not that ok with having one dog in the house. But we should take them down to the park one day; they'd have so much fun playing together!



Misty: Aldo, you were supposed to finish making the chairs for the party today...don't tell me you spent all day playing with that dog...

Wait, Aldo has to make the chairs?

Misty: Why not? 


Look, I'll take care of the seating, ok? I think you guys are running short on time.


Misty: You make one wrong move and you're out...you know that?


I guess it's time for the moment of truth...


Isla: Happy birthday, Erica...

Erica: Thanks...

Moss: This food all looks great...your mom did a great job!


Hope: Happy birthday...

Erica: Oh, thank goodness you're here...I've been making small talk with random aunts and uncles all night.

Hope: Wow, you sure are related to a lot of people...

Yeah, that Flenderson DNA really got spread around...


Ok, let's do this before we end up missing it...Happy Birthday, dear Erica...


(And I just realized while writing this that I forgot to pick Erica's third trait...hopefully the reward traits will make up for it. Never would have thought she'd end up with emotional control...)


Shark: What's up, buddy? You look scared...


Gee, I can't imagine why...there must be 50 people here.


Marlin: This was a great idea, Misty...I can't remember the last time all of us were in the same room together...

Mackerel: I'm surprised you can remember much of anything anymore...

Marlin: Hey, you're not getting much younger yourself, you know...


And I see Arcanine finally made her escape to the yard.

Wind: Nice doggy...

Harrison: Whoa!

What?

Harrison: Wind never talks...I don't think I've ever heard her voice, even in school!

Really?

Harrison: Yeah. This dog must be magic or something.


Lorelei: Well...

Misty: What?

Lorelei: Admit it. Having the dog here didn't ruin the party.

It does seem to have gone rather well...despite the dishes on every horizontal surface.

Misty:  Well...ok. She didn't ruin the party. But Erica's still taking that thing with her when she moves  out...


I think you might have to have a chat with Aldo about that one, Misty. But that will have to wait, because it's just about time for me to be moving on. See you next round, everyone!


A Message From the Mysterious Voice: Happy early Thanksgiving, everyone.  Another lot, another pet! Arcanine isn't exactly the exact dog I would have made for these guys in CAS, but she grew on me as the week wore on. (I don't want to make everybody's pet in CAS since technically you're not supposed to enter CAS after the beginning of the challenge.) And I can't believe I forgot to pick Erica's third trait! Hopefully I can go back in and add it after the fact. The dinner party was my way of trying to do a Sim-Thanksgiving dinner; didn't really turn out that way since everybody pretty much ate on the couches and then flocked to the stereo, but it was close enough I guess.