Meet the Grandkids!

 

I know I'm way too young to be a grandma.  I just must have a gift of not aging at all!  I feel like a teenager still!  And some say I look it!  -wink-  But the fact is, I DO have grandchildren.  Six at this moment, to be exact.  So I'd like to introduce you to my growing clan.  This is my daughter Ashlyn, her husband Hunter and their daughter Dianne Zen-Cottoneye.  Ashlyn and Hunter had another baby girl named Brittney but she was mysteriously kidnapped by crazy evil gnomes.  We'll never stop looking for you baby Brittney!!!

 

And here is my darling daughter, my firecracker, Bella and her Egyptian husband Farouk.  They now have a precious son named Nestor Zen-Rashid.

 

My slacker son, Carson, who turned out to be far from a slacker....has married young Laurel Grisby and they now have a son named Jonah Zen.

 

And my babies....my Dixie and Darla....have even started their own little families!  Would you believe they even married twin brothers?  Dixie married Dorian and their son is Darlton Zen-Brecken (named after her twin sister Darla of course).  Darla and Devon married and have a son named Dixon Zen-Brecken (named after sister Dixie of course!).  What a crazy, confusing household.  It sure is a sight when I go visit them, but I haven't in a while.  Must add that to my to-do list.....visit all kids and grandkids!!

 

Little Emaline is growing up too fast.  She's got the writing gene from me I think, but the clumsiness from her dad - she's constantly breaking my laptop!

 

In the fall, we welcomed our two newest additions to our home.  Finn and Frazier Zen.

 

I think little Emaline was a wee bit jealous.  She had gotten used to having us all to herself after her big sisters Dixie and Darla moved out!  And now with the arrival of Finn and Frazier, she was feeling left out, I could tell.  

 

Just a short while later, before I could even blink, my little Emaline was all grown up!!  She was a teenager headed out for her senior prom!  *sniff*

 

Of course the next day she was begging me for money to move into her own place!!!  I lost my temper a bit....I mean hello...she's only 17!  She hasn't even graduated yet!  I told her to hold her horses...she'd be grown up soon enough.  She then had to throw Finn and Frazier in my face, about how much attention they get of mine.  Guilt tripping me might have worked with the first few kids, but I have eight children and six grandchildren now.....it doesn't work anymore.

 

Speaking of Frazier....my little blondie.   It's been too long since we had a baby boy in the house!

 

And Finn, my little brown haired munchkin.  They both need a haircut badly.  The shaggy look has got to go.

 

As for me.....I'm still writing away!  I'm a best selling author now.  Don't be surprised if you see my work in the bookstore.  My latest romance novel, A Time For Love, is due out anytime now.  I'm thinking of writing a few self-help books too.  Not because we need the money - we don't.  But because my parenting knowledge is very useful to others and I'd like to share it!  Oh and by the way....baby number 9 is on the way....don't tell Rainer!!!  It's a surprise!

It's a Twin Thing (Dixie/Darla's Story)

Hi I'm Dixie!  I'll be telling you our story.  The story of my twin sister Darla and I.  We're best friends, roomates as well as sisters!  We've just moved out of our parents house.

 

We found ourselves a little doublewide trailer with just enough room for us!  

 

Darla's dream was to own her own business.  She joined the business career immediately, where she met a guy named Dorian Brecken.  She came home all excited and told me I just HAD to meet this guy because he was super nice.

 

Can you believe she invited him over that same night?  I didn't even have time to do my hair or makeup!  I'm sure I looked a mess, but Dorian didn't seem to mind.  I know I'm a little on the chubby side but so is he, so that makes me feel better.

 

Then Dorian dropped a bombshell....he also is a twin!!!  He had a twin brother named Devon.  They're fraternal twins like Darla and I.  Isn't that funny?  We all have names that start with D and we're all twins.  It's like it was meant to be!  Dorian invited Devon over and he and Darla hit it off Devinely!!  -wink-

 

Over the next few months we all got to know each other really well.  We were all poor but happy!  It was no longer just Darla and I....now it was Dixie and Dorian.....Darla and Devon!

 

Being young kids, we of course had our share of fun.  Darla and Devon actually started woo-hooing on a regular basis before Dorian and I did!  And I thought I was the wild one!

 

Dorian and I did of course....we just took a little longer!

 

Before long, Darla came down with a mysterious illness.  None of us knew what was going on, but I was worried.

 

A week later, I was stricken with the same illness!!!  Darla and I called up our big sister Ashlyn because she's a doctor....and she broke out her portable diagnostic machine and then told us both some shocking news.  We were pregnant!!!  We were shocked but thrilled!  When the guys weren't paying attention, we whispered about our surprise and how we should tell them the news.  By now both Dorian and Devon had moved in.  Dorian and I were even engaged already!

 

We decided to just tell them and get it out in the open.  So as twins often do, we both blurted out at the same time "We're pregnant!" and the guys, as twins often do, blurted out "you're WHAT??"  I think they were happy about it, but you know how men are....constantly worrying.

 

The next few months FLEW by....we hardly had time to prepare for the babies!  We had a double wedding, which was alot of fun, but Darla and I were sick the whole time so we couldn't enjoy it as much as the guys seemed to.  One night we were watching movies and eating popcorn coated with bacon and honey - give us a break...we're pregnant - and I kid you not.....we both went into labor at the exact same moment!  It was unreal!

History repeats itself! (Carson's Story)

 

Yeah hey, it's me...Carson Zen.  I know I'm young, but I've actually been pretty successful!  I started my own website called SimSpace.com.  It's a place for people to meet and share their lives!  No one thought it would work, but it's been a smash hit and I'm already a millionaire a few times over!  Because of my success, I had trouble finding love.  Not woo-hoo.  Woo-hoo I could get all day long.  But in my heart I did want to get married, so I consulted with a matchmaker.  She promised to find me the girl of my dreams!

 

And boy did she ever.  She set Laurel Grisby and I up on a blind date and we hit it off instantly.  It was unbelievable the stuff we had in common!  We knew nothing about each other at first, but eventually I found out that she was poor....from a broken home....and just trying to make her way in the world.  I couldn't relate to that, but there was just something special about her.  She wasn't the most attractive girl I'd ever been with either.  Because of my money, I had women constantly falling at my feet...beautiful women.  But there was something about Laurel.

 

She was young like me, we were both just 18.  She didn't care about my money, she just enjoyed spending time with me, cooking for me, doing my laundry.  It was like living with my mom, only WAY better!!!  And I didn't take it for granted either.

 

I made sure to take care of her too, if you know what I mean.  Yeah, I know I'm a stud.  But woo-hooing with Laurel was not like the others.  We waited 6 weeks before we even did it.  That's a record for me!!  But it was worth the wait.  She was very attentive.

 

Little did I know at the time, but Laurel already had a boyfriend...her high school sweetheart Bob.  What kind of a name is Bob anyway?  Carson is much cooler.  Also little did I know that Bob was a bit of a stalker.  She had broken up with him after graduation but he just wouldn't leave her alone.  Finally she took a risk and told him something that she hadn't even told me yet.  She was pregnant!  She hoped that he would get the picture finally that she was with ME now.

 

When she called me over to her house and told me all this, at first I thought she was joking.  Or maybe just saying it to get him to leave her alone.  But she was serious!  She planted a deep, passionate kiss on me right in front of him.  Yep, my girl's got balls of steel.  That's my WOMAN!

 

I knew right then and there that I had to marry this girl.  Not only becuase she was knocked up with my kid, but also because she was a bad ass.  I went out and bought the biggest, most expensive diamond I could find and popped the question!  And she said YES!

Long Distance Love (Bella's Story)

 

Hi there, I'm Bella.  I have just moved out of my parent's house....just graduated high school...and I'm about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime....to Egypt!!  See, I got a scholarship to study art and photography over there.  I wont be there but for a couple of weeks, but I know it's going to be a blast!

 

As soon as I arrived in Egypt, I was amazed by the beauty there!  By the end of my first week, I felt like a local at the art museum.  That's where I met Farouk.  He was running the gift shop, and spoke great English!  I found out that he is also an art major!  We had so much in common and hit it off right away.

 

By the end of week two we were an item...and by the end of my final week there, we were madly in-love.  I wanted to pack him up in my suitcase and bring him home with me.  But we both knew that wasn't a possibility.

 

I called my mom and told her all about Egypt and what a great time I had.  I told her all about Farouk and about the giant beetles the size of your head here!!

 

Once I got home, it was really lonely.  Here I was living by myself in a tiny apartment....the man I love thousands of miles away.  All we could do is chat online.  Neither of us even had a web cam!  But I had Farouk's picture and he had mine.  

 

After six months of online chats, phone conversations and tears, I called Farouk one night and told him I just couldn't take it anymore.  Either I was moving to Egypt or he was moving to Riverview!  I told him that his picture just wasn't enough anymore.  I needed to see him...NOW.   Farouk calmed me down....he always has a way of doing that.  He promised me that he would work on it, and would call me next week.

 

When his phone call didn't come, I became worried.  And then my doorbell rang.  I thought it was odd to have a visitor this early in the morning.  I opened the door and just about had a heart attack!  It was Farouk!!!  I couldn't not believe it!!  He surprised me!!

 

It didn't take us long to decide that we needed to be together....could not be apart ever again.  So we got married at City Hall, and our lives together began!  I even started dressing in his custom clothing out of respect.  He never asked me to....he loves me as I am....but I wanted to do it so he would feel more at home.

I Love Paris in the Springtime! (Ashlyn's Story)

 

Ahhhh Peh-ree!  There's just something about Paris that screams romance!  Hunter and I arrived in our hotel after a nice night of sleep on the plane.  We were so thrilled, and couldn't keep our hands off each other!  Something no one knows about our relationship....it's none of their beeswax....but Hunter and I decided to wait until we were married before we woo-hoo'd.  So as soon as we got unpacked, we were just nervous and excited to get it on!

 

And wow........

 

It was soooo worth the wait!!

 

We did it again.....

 

And again.....

 

And again....a few more times...

 

We stayed in bed the whole day and that night too...and finally ventured out in the morning for coffee and shopping!

 

Then we visited a local art museum.  We saw this awesome bed and both of us thought about making use of it....but then someone came around the corner so we decided against it.

 

While we were looking at the various statues, Hunter dropped a bombshell on me.  "You know honey, when we have a baby, we should name him or her something French!"  I was shocked that he was thinking about babies already, and at the same time, I was excited just thinking about it!  I couldn't wait to become a mom!  

 

With thoughts of babies in our future, we kissed and made out right there in the museum.

 

That night we snuggled by the fire in the lobby of our hotel.  Soooo romantic!

 

On the last night of our honeymoon, we decided to go camping!  Hunter loved to camp...I had never been!  We roasted marshmallows...

 

Kept each other warm....

 

And then crawled into our tent...

 

You know the saying....if the tent's a rockin', don't come a knockin'?

 

Well what if the tent is not only rockin', but actually levitating??

 

Ahhh we had a great nights sleep after that!

 

Home sweet home!  The honeymoon may be over, but that doesn't mean the fun is!

 

My parent's basement was just not going to cut it for a married couple.  We could constantly hear them running around upstairs.  So we started house hunting.  I showed Hunter a couple of places I liked, and one place I was absolutely in love with!  But he said we couldn't afford it and we should stick it out in the basement for a while longer.  :(

 

And then damn him.....he surprised me again!  The place I absolutely loved......he went out and bought it for us behind my back, that slick devil!  He carried me over the threshold and once we got inside, I realized it was a bit more of a dump than it seemed in the pictures.  All I could think about was lighting a match to it!!  But I guess a few cans of paint will have to do!