<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717</id><updated>2011-11-15T07:31:58.971-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Elune Legacy</title><subtitle type='html'>Nightlife Xtreme</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>10</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-116874794271259868</id><published>2007-01-13T20:10:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-13T20:12:22.713-08:00</updated><title type='text'>:(</title><content type='html'>A Pets reinstall wiped all my custom neighborhoods! Unfortunately, I had deleted my backup files so the Elunes got wiped from my hard drive *cry*. R.I.P. I'm going to start another Legacy soon.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-116874794271259868?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/116874794271259868/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=116874794271259868' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/116874794271259868'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/116874794271259868'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2007/01/blog-post.html' title=':('/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-115559027408849519</id><published>2006-08-14T13:05:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-08-14T14:27:24.820-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ch. 8: Kids!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/mariluxekidstable.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/mariluxekidstable.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wow, it has been a -while-, hasn't it? I've been really busy offline, plus I also started the Prosperity challenge (yikes!).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Without further ado, let's jump right back into the story of the Elune Legacy! Derrick &amp; Lauren's twins, Maribel &amp; Luxe, grew up into school-aged children. They grew up very well, thanks to their mother's dedication.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Despite slight personality differences, Mari (as the family often calls her) &amp; Luxe grew to be very best friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/mariluxekidschess.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/mariluxekidschess.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Do you think we'll get bored with this game like we did playing red hands with Mom?" Luxe asks her sister.&lt;br /&gt;"Maybe, but I don't think Dad is going to buy us another game until we're good at this."&lt;br /&gt;"Oh yeah. He says playing this will get us school-ships. Buy why would our school need ships? It's not close the beach or anything."&lt;br /&gt;"I don't think they are ships. I think they are bags of money. Didn't you hear Dad talking about them a couple of days ago? Let's just ask him to explain again when he has a day off."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They did understand the purpose of scholarships soon after that conversation, and they worked hard enough to have a good chance at getting said scholarships. Neither of the twins liked elementary school all that much, but their mom's enthusiasm about teaching them made studying a little less painful. Mari &amp; Luxe soon excelled in all of their school subjects.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/mariluxelaurenhomework.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/mariluxelaurenhomework.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren must have a natural talent for teaching, for the twins maintained their A+ averages quite easily.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick kept busy climbing the career ladder. As much as he'd love to make time for his daughters, he was usually only home after the girls had already gone to bed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurpreg2.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurpreg2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I think my next promotion is going to come sooner than later. I've managed to catch up with the classes I skipped last semester, Lauren! I might earn my M.D. during the next few months, after all! Finally, after all that school is over, I'll have more time for the girls."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren was very happy and hopeful to hear this news. She thought, "That's wonderful, especially since I think I'm pregnant again..." but her mouth was too full of grilled cheese to speak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/laurpregcook.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/laurpregcook.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren was indeed pregnant with baby no. 3. The whole family was very excited about her pregnancy. Unfortunately, there aren't many pictures from this time period. Lauren gave birth to another beautiful baby girl who was named Keisha Elune.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurkeishabirth.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurkeishabirth.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only a few minutes after Lauren had the new baby, the phone rang &amp; Derrick answered it. There was a lot of static on the other end of the line. "Congratulations on the new child," Derrick heard an almost undecipherable voice say. He was not sure if he had heard correctly, for this was indeed a very puzzling call. "Huh? Who is this?! I think you've got the wrong number..." The caller hung up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Derrick, come introduce yourself to your daughter before I feed her! Look at her, she seems so hungry."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick quickly hung up the phone and turned his undivided attention to his wife &amp; child. The mysterious call just as quickly escaped his mind.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-115559027408849519?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/115559027408849519/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=115559027408849519' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/115559027408849519'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/115559027408849519'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/08/ch-8-kids.html' title='Ch. 8: Kids!'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-114876426408488013</id><published>2006-05-27T14:07:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-05-27T17:26:36.180-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ch. 7: Twins &amp; the Perpetual Pizza Uniform</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurmaribabytalk.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurmaribabytalk.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick baby-talks to little Maribel, who doesn't really like to be held &amp; seems to be screaming at her dad to be quiet. I'm sorry, but you'll have to look at Lauren's pizza uniform for a while longer. The family can't afford new clothes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The married couple is amazingly staying composed, even chipper, in the midst of having twice the baby expenses that they had planned for. It helps that both parents are working, although they both can't help regretting not being able to spend more time with the little ones. The babies are taken care of by nannies when both Lauren &amp; Derrick are at work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurtwins.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurtwins.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The twins as babies turned out to be pretty low-maintenance. They were both quiet &amp; didn't wake up too many times in the middle of the night. Maribel was a fidgety one and disliked attention except when she needed a bottle or a new diaper. She was almost always trying to squirm her way out of being carried. Luxe was more sociable and enjoyed being bathed &amp; burped.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurtwinstoddlerbday.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurtwinstoddlerbday.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Time to enter terrible toddlerhood! Oh boy... The twins' personalities' didn't change much when they entered this stage, except now they are able to wreak more havoc! By the way, here are their personality stats:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maribel (Sagittarius) - Sloppy (3), Shy (1), Active (10), Playful (10), Nice (10)&lt;br /&gt;Luxe (Gemini) - Sloppy (4), Outgoing (7), Active (9), Playful (7), Nice (6)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/mariluxetoddlers.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/mariluxetoddlers.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Actually, it was only Maribel who tended to be a handful, and it was only because she confused everyone. Luxe was entranced with the Charisma-raising bunny &amp; she was content playing with that all day. Maribel mainly sat &amp; observed her surroundings with her piercing eyes. No one could tell what she was thinking, especially since she was dead quiet most of the time (even after she learned how to talk!). She seemed emotionally detached from everything and avoided interaction with everyone...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/twinsparent.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/twinsparent.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;...Except when she was hungry. Hmm..is that dad or mom giving her the milk? I'll guess dad.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Maribel was so quiet most of the time that the old nannies with deteriorating vision often forgot she was even there at all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/nannies.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/nannies.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Why did they hire both of us for one baby? I have nothing to do!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren &amp; Derrick didn't know this about the nannies until Lauren came home from work one night to find this:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/maridirtybath.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/maridirtybath.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aside from her whimpering (and the state of the bathroom), Maribel was okay (to Lauren's relief). Luxe was in her crib, tucked in &amp; asleep. Lauren was horrified with the negligence that had occurred and promptly fired the nannies. She talked to Derrick about hiring different nannies but how she'd really rather stay home if they can figure out a way to get by financially. Derrick was so upset with what had happened to Maribel. He knew that it was worth it to try living on a single income if it meant Lauren raising their children the way only an excellent mother can. He &amp; Lauren have been really good at pinching pennies so far, and he could see that it might be possible for him to be the sole simoleon provider.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After thorough deliberation of worst-case scenarios, Lauren quit her job and was happy to become a stay-at-home mom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/laurrepairman.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/laurrepairman.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her bad luck with local services continued, however.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derenergizer2.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derenergizer2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick's starting to feel more pressure from the responsibilities of job + medical school + twins. He's increasingly depending on the energizer to help him stay awake so that he can work overtime for extra money and then go to class. He's already had to drop a couple of courses during the current semester, so his graduation is definitely going to be delayed somehow. Will he be able to hang in there, especially while trying to fulfill his wife's lifetime want of marrying off SIX children? Or will he give up and just hope he wins the SimLotto?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-114876426408488013?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/114876426408488013/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=114876426408488013' title='6 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114876426408488013'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114876426408488013'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/05/ch-7-twins-perpetual-pizza-uniform.html' title='Ch. 7: Twins &amp; the Perpetual Pizza Uniform'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>6</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-114401515559857068</id><published>2006-04-02T14:51:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-05-27T17:26:20.213-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ch. 6: Marriage, Etc.</title><content type='html'>Derrick &amp; Lauren's marriage got off to what they both felt was a satisfying start. Their communication was good, and they remained optimistic about improving their financial &amp; living situation. Quirks such as Derrick's &lt;strike&gt;cooking&lt;/strike&gt; food-burning &amp; Lauren's walking around in granny undies whenever possible further endeared the newlyweds to each other.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/derlaureating.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"You tempt me so with your half-dressed granny allure."&lt;br /&gt;"Oh, shut up and have some of this properly-cooked spaghetti."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I suppose life tended to be uneventful for the couple. Derrick steadily continued to climb the medical career ladder, and Lauren got a part-time job as a political lobbyist. She was more interested in culinary careers, though, but there were currently no culinary job offerings for her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The only 'exciting' thing that occurred was that someone tried to rob them of the only electronic entertainment they had. The trusty burglar alarm went off, but the thief was unfazed by it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/robbertv.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren snapped this quick photo of the thief, to show the police in case he got away. As she aimed the camera, she heard the thief whisper to himself, "He he, this is for Manette."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/robbercopfight.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The police came in time, though, and the policewoman was able enough to capture the criminal. Lauren &amp; Derrick received a small (too small, if you ask Derrick) monetary reward for helping apprehend the thief.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren forgot to mention what she heard the robber say, and she would forget about it for a long time. Derrick had told Lauren about his past, but he didn't mention Manette's name. In the back of her head, she had assumed that Manette was the name of the robber's boss or significant other. It didn't matter much to her, as long as the robber ended up in jail.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick was more shaken about the attempted robbery than Lauren. He cried about it for a couple of days, worried that he incorrectly judged the safety of his neighborhood. Lauren assured him that they lived in a very safe town, where burglars were rare and always got caught. Derrick believed Lauren, but he still felt depressed. Fortunately, a quick pick-me-up wasn't too far away:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/derenergizer.jpg" border="0" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Is it caffeine? Is it a B-12 injection? No, it's the Super Energizing Contraption! Ok, now I'm just being silly...Ha ha ha!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren thought this might cheer him up as well:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/laurshavehead.jpg" border="0" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She was so amused.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/derlaurbaldlove.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick was not "amused" per se. Let's just say he put his arms around Lauren, looked at her with come-hither eyes, and whispered, "Oh sweetie, my mood isn't the only thing that just went up..."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/derlaurpreg12.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;Of course&lt;/i&gt; Lauren got pregnant soon enough. The couple were so happy to be expecting! Just when Derrick thought he couldn't love his wife even more, he did. Aww.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/derlaursleep.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The pregnancy was pretty smooth. Lauren mostly slept and ate. Derrick continued to work at the hospital as a nurse and he started studying to become a doctor. He found out that the only way he could get a high enough salary was to earn an MD, so that's what he aimed for. The hospital was impressed with his loyalty &amp; hard work, so they agreed to subsidize a significant portion of his med school tuition. Derrick wasn't too excited about having to get student loans to pay for the rest, but he decided it was a necessary evil.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unfortunately, Derrick spent most of his time away from home due to his unrelenting work shifts &amp; medical classes. He was at work when Lauren went into baby delivery mode.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/laurbirthluxe.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Twins! Lauren had no idea she would give birth to fraternal Elune twins. They were adorable baby girls with Derrick's piercing green eyes &amp; Lauren's shiny jet-black hair. Lauren named the first one to come out Maribel, and the second Luxe. Luxe had slightly darker skin than Maribel.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/laurbirthmaribel.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is Lauren holding Luxe. "I feel sorry I left your sister on the floor, but I can't try to hold both of you. Don't worry, Daddy's going to be here soon. I'll make sure of it." Lauren called the hospital to send Derrick home "right now, dammit!" Lauren fed, bathed, and put the babies to sleep before Derrick arrived home. She was so tired, so she decided to take a nap insted of waiting up for her husband.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/derbabies12.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick rushed home as soon as he was informed that Lauren had delivered their babies. He was extremely psyched about having twins. He felt like the luckiest dad in town when he came home &amp; tucked in his two sleeping angels. "I can't wait to play with both of you!" he whispered.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-114401515559857068?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/114401515559857068/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=114401515559857068' title='6 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114401515559857068'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114401515559857068'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/04/ch-6-marriage-etc.html' title='Ch. 6: Marriage, Etc.'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/vivycakes/Elune/th_derlaureating.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>6</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-114212559808078502</id><published>2006-03-11T17:01:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-05-27T17:26:03.463-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ch. 5: Heck Yes "I Do"</title><content type='html'>Derrick was both afraid and eager to propose to the beautiful pizza-delivering love of his life, Lauren Reeves. On his way home from work that very evening when he was going to pop the question, he picked up the engagement ring that he was going to use to entice Lauren into matrimony. He had ordered it the day before from a jewelry store about 3 blocks from the hospital. He picked the best-quality diamond that he could afford, and the store was kind enough to accommodate his budget.  He kept the ring in his pants pocket, so that he won't accidentally leave it behind when he met with Lauren. That would be disastrous!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He planned to take Lauren to her favorite restaurant, Bernard's Botanical Dining. Before his big date, Derrick first took a shower &amp; then a short nap. His long hours as a paramedic and nursing classes he's been taking at the hospital have really cut into his free time, namely Lauren-time. He'd been spending most of his non-working hours sleeping, which annoyed him. He called Lauren up as soon as he woke up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/dercalllauren.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/dercalllauren.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Hey sweetie, what's up?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Oh, nothing to write home about. I'm on my way to deliver a vegetarian pizza to the Walshes on Corkpike, which I guess is very unusual."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Why unusual? I don't think I've met those people."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"They're a VERY rich family here in Finnland. Everyone who's talked to them or passed by their house knows that they're completely motherloded. I don't remember them ever ordering pizza before because Mrs. Walsh is a homecooked food freak."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Oh, I see...I'm just calling to see if we're still on for tonight! I have some surprise good news!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Really! Well, I sure would like know what's going on in that head of yours, since I haven't talked to you in about 20 hours! I miss you."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I miss you, too."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"You can pick me up at work in about 25 minutes. See you!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick showed up on time for his date, of course. He didn't tell Lauren where they were going to have dinner. When the cab dropped them off at Bernard's, Derrick greeted Lauren with a passionate smooch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaursmooch.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaursmooch.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Ooh..you're extra frisky tonight," Lauren remarked. "Your surprise news isn't about you getting an energizer, is it?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"No, no, it's a tad much better than that! C'mon, let's eat!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlauraftersmooch.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlauraftersmooch.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Oh, Derrick! You took me to Bernard's Botanical! I could never afford to dine at this place--and neither could you! I hope you got some sort of cash bonus at work, because I'd hate to think that you're spending all your savings on dinner."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Don't worry about nonsense like that. I just wanted to take you to this place that you love, since you know...*mumble**cough*I love you*cough**mumble*. But Lauren heard him!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurholdhandsbotanical.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurholdhandsbotanical.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They were such a sweet couple at dinner, holding hands and all that junk. "So, what's the surprise, Derrick? I need to know!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Well, I don't know how interested you'd be in this, but it should have a great effect on the quality &amp; quantity of our dates, he he. I didn't tell you, but I've been studying to be a nurse at the city hospital. They've been training me for free because I agreed to keep working there for another 6 months. I'm finally getting my nursing credentials tomorrow!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"That's wonderful! I love that all those long hours you're working are actually getting you better jobs. You deserve it. So, when do you start being a nurse?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Tomorrow as well. Of course, I get a bonus with the promotion. So, you needn't worry about my spending habits. I'm very frugal. I haven't even bought any fancy-schmancy flooring for my house! I do hope you don't think less of me now that I'm going to be a murse."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"No way."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Whew! That's a relief, especially since...(takes out the little jewelry box)"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurlilboxbotanical.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurlilboxbotanical.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*Gasp* "No way!" exclaimed Lauren.&lt;br /&gt;"Yes way!"&lt;br /&gt;"What the..."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurengringbotanical.0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurengringbotanical.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"It's so shiny! Derrick, this is the most dazzling thing I've ever seen!"&lt;br /&gt;"I'm glad you like it."&lt;br /&gt;"I love it! I love YOU. Oh...and...I accept!"&lt;br /&gt;"Yippee! We're getting married!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurwoohootalkbotanical.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurwoohootalkbotanical.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick asked Lauren what she wanted to do next. She wasn't shy about wanting a little somethin' somethin'. So they went back to Derrick's place to do a lot of somethin' somethin'.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurafterwoohoo.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurafterwoohoo.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*Ahem*&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurtalkmarriage.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurtalkmarriage.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren was ready to get married any time. She was even poorer than Derrick, so it's not like she needed any time to pack or shop for stuff. They couldn't even afford to throw a small party. They agreed to marry on Derrick's next day off, which was 2 days later. They got the postman to sign the marriage papers as a witness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurmarried.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurmarried.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I love you, Derrick."&lt;br /&gt;"I love you, Lauren."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren brought in a mere $1000 [I read that there's a bug of some sort and they don't really bring in anything, but I didn't check] &amp; 3 maxed out skills: Charisma, Body, &amp; Creativity. She is a Family sim who wants to marry off 6 children. (Derrick is also a Family sim, and he wants to graduate 3 children from college).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren is a Cancer, sloppy [3], outgoing [7], lazy or active depending on her mood [5], very serious [1], and nice [6].&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The newlyweds have decided to postpone their honeymoon until who-knows-when. Their first priority is to build a more suitable home for raising little Elunes.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-114212559808078502?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/114212559808078502/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=114212559808078502' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114212559808078502'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114212559808078502'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/03/ch-5-heck-yes-i-do.html' title='Ch. 5: Heck Yes &quot;I Do&quot;'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-114183604723123984</id><published>2006-03-08T08:23:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-05-27T17:25:49.463-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ch. 4: Love Smells Like Pizza</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurddate.0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurddate.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lauren &amp; Derrick had a dream first date! Woohoo! Derrick was *shocked*, in a good way. They had fun at dinner &amp; dancing afterward. Derrick found Lauren to be a sweetheart and a great conversationalist. Look at that, he's finally smiling! LOL&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaursstereogift.0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaursstereogift.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He received a present from Lauren the next night. She sneaked this snazzy stereo in while he was taking a shower. Derrick loved the stereo, but he was still missing some essential household items. So he sold the stereo to buy a fridge and a TV.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derhasatv.0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derhasatv.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Hey, that's my neighbor Doremie on the news. I didn't know she was a Hall of Famer!  I really should start watching the Yummy Channel sometime soon so I can cook Lauren that salmon dish that she loves. I hope she doesn't feel bad that I sold the stereo."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaursweettalk.0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaursweettalk.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nah, she didn't mind at all. She just gave him a vase full of beautiful red roses. They seem to keep having fun with each other. Derrick is falling in lurve, and I think he's hearing wedding bells in his head! "Nah, not until next week!" He wasn't done planning that special date yet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/deremt2.0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/deremt2.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The beginning of the following week, Derrick was ready to propose. Here he is the morning of the proposal. His recent promotion to paramedic has given him a bit of a confidence boost. Good Luck, Derrick!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-114183604723123984?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/114183604723123984/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=114183604723123984' title='7 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114183604723123984'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114183604723123984'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/03/ch-4-love-smells-like-pizza.html' title='Ch. 4: Love Smells Like Pizza'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>7</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-114177563303177623</id><published>2006-03-07T15:45:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-05-27T17:25:25.633-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ch. 3: Derrick Gets a Job</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derbarista.0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derbarista.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our story resumes at the bar, where Derrick is almost done indulging himself. He swears he's just had one drink, and only to further calm his recent aspiration-desperation nerves. He wants to make it a point that he's nothing more than a social drinker. Anyway, he checked out the barista, but after making small talk with the lovely girl, he felt that he was just not that into her. He gave her his phone number, just in case she felt like getting to know him. Frankly though, he didn't think she was the type to call up her customers. He was right. &lt;i&gt;"Gawd, I hope I have better luck finding a job than what I'm currently experiencing trying to find a date!"&lt;/i&gt; he wrote in his diary later that night.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick successfully found a job the following day. It seems the gods of luck read his diary and took his latest entry into consideration. Simsville City Hospital had a full-page ad in the Finnland Times looking for qualified individuals to train as EMTs. According to a news item in a different page, the city hospital had been undergoing a massive renovation of its facilities which was turning out to be much more expensive than previously projected. As a result, lower-level employee raises were going to be delayed for at least another year. The hospital lost a considerable number of employees who resigned and took jobs at better-paying private hospitals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/deremt.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/deremt.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick had no medical experience and understandably doubted that he'd get the EMT job. Fortunately, he had a stellar interview with the hospital chief administrator, who was desperate to hire as many people in as little time as possible. After attending a half-day orientation seminar and an overnight EMT crash course at Academie Le Tour, Derrick was issued his EMT certificate. He's good to go!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/dermoneytrees.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/dermoneytrees.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Being an EMT paid pennies, but being employed and socializing with the neighbors earned Derrick enough aspiration points to acquire a few more sources of income. He spent most of his early earnings on building himself a real (tiny) house, with a roof and windows and an alarm system. He wanted a TV and refrigerator so badly, but he was afraid they'd just get stolen if he had them while he was still living out in the open. He had to to content himself with freestyling and ordering delivery food while his house was still under construction. He sometimes went to the mall in the mornings to watch TV, but he's usually too lazy to bother going out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The third time he ordered pizza, the delivery girl coyly flirted with him. "Um, Mr. Elune...Derrick, right? I don't usually talk to customers because this stupid job makes me anti-social, but I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime..."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurenflirt.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurenflirt.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Wow...are you serious? I mean, thank you for the offer, uh...(reads nametag)...Lauren! May I have your number?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Of course," Lauren pulled out a permanent marker from her pocket and wrote on Derrick's pizza box: &lt;i&gt;"Lauren Reeves, 001-0263"&lt;/i&gt;. "Ok. I have to make another delivery.  I wish we could talk more, though. Bye!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick thought Lauren was kind of cute before, in a plain sort of way. But the way she came up to her when no one else was noticing really piqued Derrick's interest. He probably would've asked her out eventually, but now he can't wait to see her again.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick called Lauren up as soon as his house was finished. [Sorry, I wasn't talking a lot of pictures at this time, and forgot to take early house pictures. You're not missing much!]. They had dinner at Red's Famous '50's Diner.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derlaurddatedine.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derlaurddatedine.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick's hoping that this date with Lauren will be the exact opposite of his date with the social worker (whose name he does NOT want to remember, thank you). He's not exactly doing himself any favors by wearing his bright purple pajamas, however. Then again, Lauren didn't bother to change into something other than her grease-stained work uniform. Maybe they are MFEO (Made For Each Other)?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-114177563303177623?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/114177563303177623/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=114177563303177623' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114177563303177623'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114177563303177623'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/03/ch-3-derrick-gets-job.html' title='Ch. 3: Derrick Gets a Job'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-114154783247613428</id><published>2006-03-05T00:32:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-05-27T17:25:07.036-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ch. 2: ExtraSucky Perception</title><content type='html'>Derrick's new address (and he hopes to stay there for a while) is 422 Apache Lane. It's a 5x6 lot next to a church. After quickly setting up his bed and other bare necessities, Derrick walked up to the sidewalk in front of his new home. He looked around, wondering if anyone delivers the newspaper in his street. He spotted an old woman in a gypsy outfit walking down the sidewalk. The woman approached him and introduced herself as a world-renowned matchmaking expert. Her exact words were, "Hello, I am Lady Beth Larrea, a world-renowned matchmaking expert. Welcome to the neighborhood! May I offer you my services?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/dergypsy1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/dergypsy1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick's not one to believe in crystal-ball-wielding psychic powers, but he has a  penchant for helping out old ladies (even cranky ones). Lady Beth seemed like a nice person. She assured him that her matchmaking service was free, but he's welcome to give her a donation of any amount. Even though he only had a few hundred simoleons left in his pocket, Derrick gave her $70 and some change.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Would you like to tell me anything about yourself that you think would help me find a great match for you, or would you like to leave it up to my incredible intuitive skills?" Lady Beth asked, ready to wave her crystal ball at Derrick's face.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Uh, I guess you're into astrology and stuff. I'm a Leo. I'm pretty outgoing [7] but not the nicest guy in the world. I am playful [6] though--I love fun games because they brighten up my often grouchy [3] temperament. I'm not very active [4], and I don't mind a little messiness [4]. I want to get married as soon as possible. I also think brown hair &amp; well-fitting swimsuits are hot."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/dergypsy2.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/dergypsy2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Hmm, I'm sensing an important part of your personality that you're hiding," Lady Beth said. "Do you have any childhood abandonment issues? Were you adopted, sent off to boarding school against your will? Something like that...I you think I'm prying, you don't have to answer that."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick was a bit surprised at the matchmaker's somewhat accurate guesses. "I'm not comfortable answering such questions. You're not entirely wrong, I have to say."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Aha! So I &lt;i&gt;am&lt;/i&gt; right," Lady Beth exclaimed in self-satisfaction. "Now I have for SURE figured out a picture-perfect match for you." She waved her hands frantically in the air to summon Derrick's blind date.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/dersocialw1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/dersocialw1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I think you will have a good time with a social worker, my dear," said Lady Beth. "This one here specializes in troubled children. She would take extremely good care of you."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The idea of dating a social worker must have really hit a nerve, because Derrick's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. "Not to question your 'instincts', Lady, but I am NOT a child anymore. I'm not any more 'troubled' than any other normal person. I don't need a mother or a babysitter, I want a girlfriend! Sheesh." He can't stand people assuming that he's too dumb and weak to take care of himself. Lady Beth didn't get him at all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/dersocialw2.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/dersocialw2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick went into super-grouchy mode and spent 10 minutes glowering at the social worker with his arms crossed. The social worker made no attempts to be friendly and scowled at him back. She didn't seem to find him the least bit attractive. Derrick shooed her &amp; the matchmaker off his property. After they left, he sat on the ground, feeling so misunderstood and mad with frustration. He started swaying back &amp; forth while blabbering gibberish. Someone must have seen him and called a shrink.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/dershrinkvis.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/dershrinkvis.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Leave me alone," Derrick said when the shrink appeared. Then he resumed uttering gibberish.&lt;br /&gt;"There now," said the shrink. "You can't stay like this, or you won't be able to accomplish anything you want. Look at this giant lot! Are you going to let it go to waste just because you couldn't handle a bad date? Pish tosh!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The shrink had more common sense than he looked. Derrick calmed down and felt normal again. The shrink rushed off somewhere else, and Derrick called a cab to take him to the nearest bar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derrickbardrink.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derrickbardrink.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I doubt I will find many girls that I would want to date in this small town," Derrick contemplated as he finished his rum and Coke. "I hope I will not end up settling down with someone less than perfect for me."&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-114154783247613428?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/114154783247613428/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=114154783247613428' title='5 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114154783247613428'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114154783247613428'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/03/ch-2-extrasucky-perception.html' title='Ch. 2: ExtraSucky Perception'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>5</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-114149757467852672</id><published>2006-03-04T09:43:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-05-27T17:24:50.816-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ch. 1: The Big Empty</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derjustmoved.2.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derjustmoved.2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From the serious, determined expression on Derrick Elune's face, it seems unlikely that he's going to waste any time bemoaning his unfortunate past. He never felt sorry for himself, after all. He has just moved to a newly developing suburb in Simsville called Finnland. He previously lived downtown, but he cannot say much about his origins. He does not remember exactly where he was born, and he has not seen his parents since his graduation from elementary school. They took him out to eat after his graduation, dropped him off at a close family friend's dingy apartment in downtown Sim City, and then they were gone. Derrick spent his teenage years moving from friend to friend of friend to friend of friend of friend. He never had to move very far, but on the other hand, he was stuck in the seediest &amp; poorest residential areas of downtown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;None of the people he mooched off of could afford to send him to high school, or so he assumed. He was able to get jobs such as toilet-cleaner and trash-can-picker-upper, but his employers were poor as well and couldn't pay him more than 1 simoleon an hour. The opportunity to escape his cruddy urban life came in the form of a sympathetic policeman who arrested Manette, the woman with whom his parents originally left him. Apparently, a few days after Manette had already kicked Derrick out, she heard from his mom asking about her son. Manette lied and said that Derrick was out with some friends and that she would tell him to call his mother back. She also convinced Derrick's mom to send money so that she could "give the nice, hardworking boy the high school education he deserves". She received 20,000 simoleons in cash the very next week. Manette was about to spend most of the 20 grand on someone's used and stolen RV when she got arrested for identity theft that she committed several months back. The police seized her simoleons and got her to confess how she acquired the cash.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derjustmovedback.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derjustmovedback.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Through street smarts and a tiny amount of information that Manette provided, a cop was able to track Derrick down and give him the money that his parents sent him years ago. He didn't have much to say to Derrick except, "Sorry son, Manette says she didn't write your mother's phone number down and she doesn't remember being told where your parents are. Maybe you can use some of this cash to pay someone to track them down for ya." Derrick thought about this suggestion for a minute, and concluded that 20,000 simoleons would be barely enough to get him out of downtown Sim City and into one of the less-developed neighborhoods in Simsville. He couldn't afford a trustworthy private investigator if he wanted to finally settle down somewhere cozy &amp; pursue his goals of legacy greatness. Plus, he's probably not going to get another chance to completely turn his life around for the better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Derrick has always dreamed of fathering a long and prestigious family legacy, but that notion has been a farfetched, impossible fantasy to him until now. Now he is hopeful that his legacy dream will come true in some way. He is realistic &amp; practical enough, however, to know that realizing such a dream is not going be easy. He will have to start nearly empty-handed, what with his meager funds and virtually nonexistent employable skills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derjustmovedsparse.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derjustmovedsparse.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I guess this is as good a start as any," Derrick mumbles to himself. "Non-contraband goods are so expensive!" As he glares at the disgusting pastel green of his newly purchased toilet, he quickly devises a rough plan in his head to start a thrift store business someday [when I have OFB!].&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-114149757467852672?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/114149757467852672/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=114149757467852672' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114149757467852672'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114149757467852672'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/03/ch-1-big-empty.html' title='Ch. 1: The Big Empty'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23384717.post-114145205559314452</id><published>2006-03-03T21:58:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-03-03T23:40:32.476-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Welcome!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/1600/derstart.3.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5221/2395/400/derstart.3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Welcome to the Elune Legacy blog. This is the first bloodline I created for the Sims 2 Legacy Challenge. Here, you can read about the Elune Legacy members' quirks, fears, dreams, and key (or not-so-key) events that change their lives for the...better? worse? weirder? Only time will tell. The saga begins with our legacy founder, Derrick Elune. What &lt;i&gt;is&lt;/i&gt; he waving at in that photo? Does he notice that his shadow looks decapitated? Read all about his scarce beginnings in the next post (which I may or may not have time to write tonight. sigh)!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have University &amp; Nightlife. I'll try to remember all the rules, though I'm not sweating it too much and just playing this legacy more for fun than points. No, I can't do both fun AND points successfully (yet), since I'm finding it difficult enough to avoid the "aging off" cheat I've gotten so used to :). Perhaps I'll play more competitively later on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-End of Obligatory Welcome Post-&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/23384717-114145205559314452?l=elune-legacy.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/feeds/114145205559314452/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=23384717&amp;postID=114145205559314452' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114145205559314452'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/23384717/posts/default/114145205559314452'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://elune-legacy.blogspot.com/2006/03/welcome.html' title='Welcome!'/><author><name>Trazelien</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/18301145088524514903</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry></feed>
