"Affluence Valley" - 5 new articles
Tiny New Additions The Hoang Family
4 Rich Street
$21,099 Last Visit: A New Start Kennedy: Hello there. It's me Kennedy Cox. It's been so long since we saw you. Just to quickly refresh your memory about who we are; My lovely partner Hannah recently moved to Affluence Valley with her daughter Jen. She hadn't been here too long when we met and instantly fell in love. Soon, with her daughter's approval, Hannah asked me to move in, and of course I accepted. Shortly after I moved in, Hannah told me she was pregnant! I am so excited to finally be a father. I wanted to get married, but Hannah told me she wasn't ready to take that step yet, since her last marriage fell apart, in a dramatic and heartbreaking fashion. She asked that we wait a little while, maybe even until after the baby was born. I wasn't excited about it, but I understood. So I think thats probably enough of a refresher. Now let me tell you what has been going on as of recently.
Well I guess the first place I should start is with Hannah and I's union. After giving it a lot of thought, Hannah finally decided she wanted to get married before the baby was born. Partly because she loved me, more than anything (she says), but partly because she wanted the baby to have my last name, Cox. Affluence Valley law states the the baby automatically takes the last name of the mother upon birth...NO MATTER WHAT. We realized that if we wanted the baby to have the last name of Cox, Hannah and I would have to get married and she would have to legally change her last night. It wasn't the most romantic moment of my life, but I was happy to finally be able to call her my wife. Beggars can't be choosers, so they say. So we are now officially Mr. & Mrs. Cox.  And of course you remember Hannah's first child, Jen. When we last saw you, Jen had just celebrated her teenage birthday. Well she has grown up a bit since then and is now a sophisticated young woman, thinking about college, and her future. She really is a wonderful girl and she and I have gotten quite close...about as close as we can be given that I am not her biological father.
 Jen is extremely excited to have a younger sibling. I was worried she would be resentful, as she has been an only child for the last umpteen years...but no such thing. She was constantly talking to the baby, and rubbing Hannah's belly. It was quite adorable.
 Then...before we knew it...it was time. Hannah was giving birth. It was a scary moment for Jen and I, but we managed to get her to the hospital in time. Four hours and 20 minutes later we welcomed a new member to the family. After a brief stay in the hospital (routine for all new mothers) we finally came home and welcomed little Kevin Cox to the family. He definitely has my eyes, but other than that we will have to wait until he gets a bit older to see who he looks most like.
 Things were so busy with the baby we didn't even realize that our little puppy Gingersnap was no longer...well...little. Seemingly overnight he had grown into a handsome dog. I think he is a little *odd* looking, but we all love him nonetheless.
 Especially Jen who spends all her free time (when she is not in front of the computer, on the phone, at school or doing homework) playing with him. She has been trying to teach him how to speak on command, but, well, he's a bit of a doofus. It may take a bit of time.
 Days passed, weeks passed, months passed and soon it was time for little Kevin's first birthday. We threw him a very small party (as he was too young to even realize it was his birthday). It was just Jen, Hannah and myself. I held Kevin as I blew out the candles for him and made a wish that he would grow into a healthy little toddler.
 Business was normal around the Cox-Hoang household. With two women (one of them a teenager), a toddler and a dog around it seemed like something always needed fixing or cleaning up. Jen and Hannah did their part to help, but some things just had to be done by a man.
 Thus far Jen hadn't shown any interest in the boys of her school, like you would expect most teenage girls to do. Instead, she often hung out with her friend Callie West, the teenage daughter of Cadence West, also a new resident to this area. I would estimate that Callie spent at least 4 out of 6 nights eating dinner with us. I was happy to see that Jen had such a good friend.
 As Kevin grew a bit older it became more and more evident he had inherited my nose. I had hoped he would get something in between Hannah and I...but I still think he's a handsome little guy. It's just that some people consider my nose a bit "big". Anyways...soon Kevin was at the age where we thought it was ready for him to learn how to talk and walk. Hannah volunteered to teach him to talk, as she had studied journalism in college and was excellent with language.
 Thus, by default, I got the task of teaching him how to walk. It was a tedious task, occasionally filled with frustration, but we persevered and soon he was cruising around the house like he had known how to walk for 15 years.
 Kevin is a precocious little child, but extremely sweet...and relatively intelligent. He really enjoys his "Logic Blocks" which Hannah and I bought for him when he turned 2. Most times he sits there chewing on them...but occasionally he will make the effort to try and put them in the proper holes. His favorite block to chew on seems to be the yellow triangle. Odd little boy. Personally I would go for the green circle.
 And then it was time for Kevin's birthday out of toddlerdom and into childhood. Unfortunately Jen was unable to be there for his party, as she had just started at Sim State University (living in an apartment with her friend Callie and Callie's sister, Cadee). So it was just Hannah, Kevin and I, but Kevin seemed to enjoy the party. For a birthday present we re-did Jen's old room, which was decked out in a "princess" theme, into a more sporty, boy theme. He was quite excited.
 So this is where we leave you for now. Things are going quite well for us. Hannah and I have been focused on raising Kevin, but now that he is starting school, it may be time for us to start focusing more on our careers, as we need to start saving for Kevin's education.
Well, I must go cook dinner for Hannah and Kevin, so until we see you again...Thank you for stopping by. 
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COX (HOANG) FAMILY OUTTAKES
 You better watch it or I might stab you in the eye with my giant pointy schnozz (nose).
 A Whole Lotta Fun...And a Little Bit 'o Work The Hopkins Family
12 Affluent Lane
$38,331 Last Visit: All In the Family Leihla: Welcome back! It's so great to see you. So much has happened since you were last here. If you remember the last time you were here, my sister-in-law, Valarie, had just gotten married to a gentleman named Malcolm Landgraab IV. Malcolm had quite a bit of money so they decided to move out and get their own place. Though I love my sister-in-law, I am definitely glad to have her out of the house. We are all happy this way.
 You might also remember that I had just given birth to Eric and I's second child, and first daughter, Tessa.
 Tessa is absolutely precious. I just can't get enough her. When Brady was a baby I was still in high school so raising a baby wasn't as enjoyable. But now that I am a *bit older* having a baby is such an enjoyable experience. I even enjoy the little things like giving her a bath.
 We also decided to get a puppy. We thought it would be nice if Tessa had a pet to grow up with so we went to the Affluence Valley Animal Shelter and adopted a little white puppy. We decided to name him Jai, after Eric's best friend in high school. I was really worried we were going to get this hyper little dog that wouldn't stop running around, but he is actually very calm. He spends most of the day sleeping.
 Brady has really taken to Jai. When he isn't doing his homework, working or on a date with his girlfriend Laci, he is most likely playing with Jai.
 Eric is a wonderful husband. Things have been extremely busy at work as of lately. Every night I come home completely exhausted. Within 30 minutes of being home I am out like a light. When Tessa starts crying for her midnight feeding, Eric is up within moments and taking care of her. He really is my saving grace. I don't know what I would do without him.
 Before we knew it, it was time for Tessa's birthday. She was about to exit infantdom and enter toddlerhood. I can't believe how fast she is growing up! The birthday party was small. Just the family plus Valarie (Malcolm was at work, unfortunately).
 Of course Tessa wasn't quite ready to blow out the candles by herself, so Eric had to do it for her. It was quite a picturesque moment.
 Even though Eric and I are both extremely busy, with our jobs, the baby and a teenage son, we manage to find time to have some good old fashioned fun of kicking each other's butts at video games. Well...actually it was mostly me kicking Eric's butt. I do aspire to be a video game designer after all.
 Tessa continues to be the cutest little girl ever. She is definitely a Daddy's girl. Eric dotes on her so much. She has brown hair, like I do, but she has her Daddy's blue eyes.
 Teaching Tessa to talk was a pain. Most of the time she was really receptive and ready to learn, but every once in a while she would get extremely feisty and would refuse to say anything except for no. However, she eventually she came around and now she won't stop chattering away.
 Eric had a much easier time teaching Tessa to walk, than I did teaching her to talk. I don't know what it is, but every time he is with her she just melts and does everything he wants. I will admit I am a little jealous, though I still think it's absolutely precious.
 Jai is no longer a puppy. He lost nearly ALL of his white coloring as he entered adulthood, but I still think he is quite a good looking dog. He has maintained his relaxed, easy going disposition, though he will run for the door when Tessa is chasing after him. Eric would like to start training Jai as soon as possible, maybe even enter him into a few dog shows.
 Brady finally finished his senior year of high school (with an A+ I might add) and is ready to go to college. He applied to a few around here and was accepted to all of them. He ended up choosing Affluence Valley State University, partly because his girlfriend, Laci, is going there. No matter his reason for choosing AVSU, Eric and I are extremely proud of him, especially since we did not have the opportunity. He is not sure what he is going to major in. He has thought about Economy or Political Science. He doesn't have to choose until his junior year anyways. He has plenty of time to see what he likes.
 Since Brady is now at AVSU and can no longer babysit Tessa we had to hire a nanny. I really wanted to just take a hiatus from work so I could be at home with Tessa myself, but Eric was persistent about me continuing to work. He said that I should not give up on my dream to be a Game Designer, and that we were bringing in enough money that we can afford it. So we hired one. I can't quite recall her name now, but Tessa calls her the "Fun Nanny". She is a little odd, but she seems to do her job well.
 And before we new it, it was time for Tessa's birthday again. My little angel was about to become a child and begin school. We didn't throw a party this time around, as Brady couldn't come back from AVSU and Valarie and Malcolm were...a little busy...so to speak. So it was just Eric and I. But Tessa didn't seem to mind. As a birthday present to her we re-did Brady's room and turned it into the perfect room for a little princess. She absolutely loved it!
 So this is where we leave you for now. Eric and I are unbelievably happy. Tessa is turning out to be a beautiful girl, and we couldn't be more proud of Brady. If you had asked me 20 years ago if I thought this is where I would be at this point in my life, I probably would have laughed in your face. But here we are, and there isn't any other place I would rather be. The past few years or so has been q bit of work, but it really has been a lot of fun.
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HOPKINS FAMILY OUTTAKES
 I think the "Fun Nanny" had a little *too* much fun and is now a tad bit out of it.
 Never Too Old to Have Fun The West Family
6 Affluent Lane $20,000 Title: Never Too Old to Have Fun
Nash: Hello and welcome!! I am not sure if you remember me, but my name is Nash West. We briefly met when you visited us at my daughter's house. I don't think I have to go into why I am living here now, I am sure she told you everything. I love my daughter, I do, but we don't always get along. Why don't I tell you a little about myself.
Nash West Aspiration: Fortune LTW: Have 6 Pets Reach Top of Career 2/3/9/7/4 Turn Ons: Blonde, Fitness Turn Off: Stink So now that you know a little about me, why don't I tell you how things have been going since I left my daughter's home.
 I had only been living here a few days when I met the beautiful Marisa Bendett. I had a few friends over and they were being goofballs outside when Marisa walked by. She was greatly amused by the sight and I was in shock at her beauty. I could tell she was much younger than me, probably by a good 25 years, but I was instantly smitten.
 Over the next few days Marisa and I spent some time together. I didn't think she would be able to like an old fart like me (I was a good 30 years older than her), but she seemed to really enjoy being around me. She would laugh at my lame jokes, smile constantly and even occasionally playfully punch me lightly in the shoulder. She was the sweetest, and most beautiful, woman I had had the pleasure of knowing since my dear Molly died. I started to see myself falling for this young beautiful woman...but was she really going to be able to love me back?
 To distract myself from the young blonde beauty I was rapidly falling in love with, I visited the local animal shelter and adopted a 3 year old beagle named Dakota. She is not the brightest, but she is sweet and quite loyal. Every day I spend a couple hours training her. In no time she is going to be able to roll over, play dead and speak on command!
 When I am not at work, or training Dakota, or spending time with Marisa, I am reading, trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible. Yes, I know I am old, and my days are numbered, but in the meantime, until death comes knocking on more door, I think I will continue to try and stuff as much information into my head as possible.
 Things are going WONDERFULLY with Marisa. I finally broke down and told her how I felt, that I was madly in love with her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I was terrified she was going to say no, but it turns out she feels the same way about me. Not too long after that discussion I took her out to a romantic dinner at Londoste (a well known restaurant in the city). We had delicious food and champagne, and wonderful conversation! It was a perfect evening...and it was all made even better when...
 I proposed to Marisa!!! I had gotten the ring only a few days before the dinner, and was actually unsure whether she would say yes. Part of me believed that she would not want to marry a man with so little time left in his life. But...I was wrong...and luckily...SHE SAID YES!!! I literally felt like I was a young man again, in the prime of his life. That is how she makes me feel almost all of the time!!
 Marisa promptly moved in after the proposal and brought her 2 year old black lab named Lulu. Lulu is a bit rambunctious, but she is a sweetheart. Most days her and Dakota get along, but sometimes it is all I can do to stop them from literally tearing each other to bits!
 For quite sometime now Marisa has been throwing up nearly every morning. We are not 100% sure yet, but we think she might be pregnant. If she is I can't believe I will be a father again at this age! I am not sure if I am ready for 3:00 AM feedings and around the clock diaper changing.
 Well...Marisa is definitely pregnant. She is just about to enter her second trimester. At first I was a little apprehensive but as she grows bigger, I grow more excited. I can't believe I am going to be a father again!
 As per Affluence Valley laws, when a child is born it automatically takes the mother's last name. Marisa and I had planned on waiting to get married, but she insisted on the child having my last name. So one day we went to city hall, got a marriage license and got married in our front yard, while Marisa was extremely pregnant. Not exactly your picturesque wedding, but it'll do.
 In all the craziness that has been happening with the proposal, the pregnancy and the marriage to Marisa, I haven't had much time to talk with my daughter. I invited her over one day, to get to know Marisa a little better and catch up with her, but we ended up spending half the time arguing. Cadence, my dearest daughter, doesn't particularly approve of the fact that I am married to a woman that is nearly the same age as she is. She also finds it a little upsetting that she will soon have a sister that is younger than her daughters. I hope over time Cadence can come to accept the situation.
 So this is where we leave you, for now. By the next time you visit hopefully Marisa will be ready to give birth! Oh and if you see my daughter, Cadence, before you visit us again tell her that I love her and that it is important to me she welcomes Marisa into the family.
Until we see you again (hopefully really soon), thank you for visiting! ************************************************
WEST FAMILY OUTTAKES
 Only a handsome old man named Nash can get away with doing the smustle for his mailbox at 2:00 AM. If it was anyone else people would think they were crazy!!
 It's ComingI know it's been a while since I posted, and introduced the last family. My apologies for this. It is coming, I promise. First I got sick with a nasty cold that kept me bed ridden for about 3 days. Then I got a promotion at my job...so things have been hectic. But it's coming this week...I promise. I have already played through Round 2 and lots of stuff has happened...so get ready for a bunch of posts in the next few weeks.  Romancing the Town*NOTE FROM KAT* I want to apologize for the poor quality of these pictures. Somehow my camera settings got turned down in my game and I didn't notice until I was going through the pictures and uploading them. So please bear with me. I promise they will get better in future posts. Anyways, on with the show!
 The West Family
7 Affluent Lane $20,000 Title: Romancing the Town Cadence: Hello. My name is Cadence West. My family and I moved to Affluence Valley not too long ago. My husband recently passed away and the girls and I needed to get out, move somewhere new and start fresh. My father, Nash, the busybody that he is, decided to join us. He claims he just wanted a change of scenery but I know he just wants to keep an eye on us. I know he thinks I can't handle raising 2 young children. I am determined to prove him wrong and have him out of the house as soon as possible. Anyways, I suppose I should tell you a little bit about myself.
 Cadence West
Aspiration: Romance
LTW: Woohoo w/ 20 Different Sims 6/5/8/3/3 Turn Ons: Fitness, Gray Hair Turn Off: Fatness Since my husband died I have had trouble finding another person to settle down with. I guess you could say I have been jumping from guy to guy. I just haven't found someone that makes me as happy as my dear Marcus did. I think this is partly why my father is so persistent in staying with us. He is worried I am going to leave the girls alone and go out and party. I like to believe I am a little more responsible than that.
 These are my girls, Callie and Cadee. Cadee is actually older by a year. I must be honest, Callie wasn't planned, that is why there is only a year between the two girls. But even though she wasn't planned, I still love her just as much. They are pretty great girls, and pretty easy to take care of. They are very clean and quiet and extremely self sufficient. It makes my life a lot easier.
 Anyways, shortly after we arrived her my father and I got into a bit of an argument. I won't go into the details, but I ended up asking him to move out. He was reluctant to leave, but he realized he had no choice, as it was my house. He ended up buying a house right down the road from us. Not as far away as I would have liked, but at least he isn't sleeping on the couch. Before he would leave he made me promise that I would bring the girls over to visit. I don't know when I am going to find time to do that, but I will try to keep my promises.
 Since my father moved out the girls have pretty much kept to themselves. I have a feeling they are mad at me. Most days they come home from school and immediately park themselves on the couch where they spend the next 3 hours reading. I love my girls, but I can't say I understand why they are giving me the silent treatment.
 Anyways...back to me for a moment. Not too long after arriving I found a job as a secretary at a law firm. Not exactly glamorous, I know, but I needed to start bringing in a steady paycheck. Being around all the lawyers every day actually got me interested in entering that field...so as of lately I spend a lot of time pouring over law books and journals. I don't have time to go back to school to get a degree in law, but I am hoping if I study enough I can pass the bar and maybe become a paralegal.
 The girls are still mad at me and don't say much to me, so I decided to let them get a puppy in hopes of getting back on their good side. We took a trip down to the local animal shelter one Saturday. Callie saw this cute little black puppy with brown raccoon eyes and immediately fell in love. One and a half hours and a $350 adoption fee later the puppy was ours. Callie and Cadee argued a bit about what to name him, but they finally agreed on Benny. A strange name for a dog, but if they like it thats all that matters.
 The girls have been doing great in school lately. A couple days they brought home their report cards and Cadee couldn't help but run of the bus (nearly tripping down the bus steps) and into the house to show me her 5 A+s. I know I don't say it enough, I really am proud of my girls.
 Cadee and Callie asked me if they could make a small garden in our backyard. I guess they are studying the growth cycles of plants in the science club they are both a part of. We aren't doing anything else with our backyard, so I figured hey why not!? But I told them they are going to have to take care of it all by themselves. They were extremely excited an spent the next week digging up the ground and fertilizing it so they can start planting tomatoes (the first plant they are studying).
 Soon it was time for Cadee's birthday. She is becoming a teenager. It's hard to believe that my youngest is already hitting puberty. Before I know it she will be getting her driver's license and chasing after boys (much like I did in high school...I guess I always a bit boy crazy). We kept her party small, just her sister, myself and their grandfather. To celebrate her entry into teenage-dom I bought her a $250 gift certificate for one of the fancy clothing boutiques in town. She was actually quite excited. I did good, for once.
 And then, before I knew it, it was time for Callie's birthday. My time flies. Again, we kept the party small, just family. Callie didn't seem to mind it. Perhaps when the girls turn into adults we will through a large party for them. Send them off into the real world with a bang.
 So this is where I leave you. Unfortunately this is the best family photo I have, so it will have to do. The girls are now teenagers (and have the attitude to go with it). I am doing quite well at my job (I was recently promoted) and my father and I are once again fighting (he has a new wife...much younger...but I will let him tell you about that). I know that isn't the happiest note to leave on...but dinner is on the stove and Benny is tearing up a chair, so we have to go take care of that.
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