Mama and Elden Hick woke up one morning to learn they were residents in a newly incorporated community named Old Town.  It didn't matter much to them because life pretty much went on for them and their three dogs, Leroy, Duke, and Bobo.  Elden was still unemployed, and Mama was still struggling to make ends meet with a minimum wage job as a Dishwasher.

That all changed when Elden met Sally.  Like Mama, Sally was a single parent who had struggled to raise her son Brody and put him through school and college.  Sally had given birth when she was just fifteen, so she was still a relatively young woman when she met Elden.  It was love at first sight...although Elden was aware of Sally's salary as a Security Consultant.  Despite that, there was no denying the chemistry between them, and in short order the two were married, and Sally moved in with Elden and Mama and the dogs.

Brody, who had by this time graduated from college (in three years, thanks to summer school, advanced placement classes, and carrying full loads of classes each semester), was living at home and looking for a job.  He moved in with the Hicks as well, determined to protect his mother after all she'd done for him.  Having never known his father--whom his mother had told him had possesed a "love 'em and leave 'em" mentality--he was suspicious of Elden's intentions, especially after seeing the Hicks' run-down trailer-park home.  But, seeing how truly in love Sally and Elden were, he gave the couple his blessing and did what he could to improve the house.

After going on numerous interviews and getting nowhere, Brody asked his acquaintances and friends in Old Town about what he should do.  Finally, after all the talking and all the interviews, he finally found a job in a field that suited his skills and his temperment: he became an athlete.  The first few days as a Mascot were torture, especially since he was always tired from doing odd jobs around the house before reporting for work.  Finally, though, something at home changed that let him get more rest, and he was finally promoted.  One opportunity led to another, and he quickly rose to become a Coach.  Though he briefly toyed with the idea of trying to become a Hall of Famer, he decided that he was happy where he was helping others to succeed in athletics.

Sally, happy that her son and her new husband were getting along, and that she was getting along with her new mother-in-law, was able to focus on her career and quickly became a Venture Capitalist.  The hours were long and hard--for 9 hours work she earned 1,300 Simoleons, the most someone at her level could earn--and the pay-per-hour wasn't the best (she would have needed to be a Theorist for that), but she didn't see how becoming an Information Overlord would have made that great a difference, especially since the risks were so high (one mistake and no one would trust her for information again).  So, she settled into her job with something approaching contentment.

The influx of Sally's and Brody's salaries into their finances meant that Mama could relax a bit and reassess her life.  She had once been a beauty queen, but the years had taken a toll.  She decided instead to continue in the food service industry, but she would definitely get away from the sink and do something more with her career.  Now able to study a bit, Mama did just that.  Experimenting on the family and taking tips from Brody, who was the best cook in the family, she proved herself and managed to become a Sous Chef.  The pay is only double what she was making as a Dishwasher--not much at all--but it was a start.

It took a little while, but Elden and Sally had a son, William.  As the individual who truly joins the family together, William found himself very much loved and indulged.  He was by no means spoiled, however.  Active and playful, he also has a keen sense of responsibility.  Although everyone would rather he focus on his studies, William has taken it upon himself to also bathe the dogs on a regular basis.  He shares a bedroom and a bed with Brody of necessity--the tight budget couldn't really allow for building a whole separate room for him--but he doesn't mind.

Although Elden knows he should really be contributing to the household finances, his laid-back personality really doesn't allow it.  Instead, he has improved his skills as a cook, and now gets up early to prepare breakfast for the family.  He also does dinner.  He also feeds the dogs, bathes them when William has friends over, and cleans up their messes (the dogs are housebroken, but they do sometimes go in their enclosed yard--outside by the fire hydrant, nature takes care of itself).  He does all he can to shoulder the stresses of house management so his family can come home to a clean, comfortable atmosphere where they can all kick back and relax...when they're not juggling relationships, that is.

Leroy, Duke, and Bobo are happy with their expanded family.  They all sleep in Mama's room, but their food bowls are in the back yard.  William plays with them and also slips them treats at the dinner table.  Leroy prefers doing his business out-of-bounds by the fire hydrant, but Duke and Bobo are so obsessed with some wind chimes that Elden gave Mama for her birthday years ago that they often wind up relieving themselves right around it.  They also all love teasing the paper girl by barking and threatening to chase her each morning.  They also enjoy a good fight with El Bandito, the raccoon--unfortunately, they don't always win.

***Update 20 June 2010***

Mama graduated from being a Sous Chef to Head Chef, then she took time off from the kitchen to study other restaurants by becoming a Restaurant Critic.  Then, capitalizing on everything she had learned, she wrote a Cook Book, and finally opened her own restaurant--the Welcome Home Diner, where you'll always be able to enjoy a taste of Mama's cooking.  Now, as a Celebrity Chef, she's famous in another way too:  she's the first Celebrity Chef to work in hair curlers!

Elden, who previously was satisfied with just taking care of the house while the rest of the family worked and studied, became tired of being dependent on them for everything.  Then he discovered that people were willing to pay for what he did for fun--make things!  Now he spends several hours each day carving and painting Garden Gnomes or chiseling out Gargoyles for people's gardens and homes.  At 100 simoleons a piece, and making between 12 and 18 of these a day, he makes more than even his wife!  No longer feeling like a burden, he's happy to share the chores of cooking with his step-son Brody.

***Update 21 June 2010***

Although Sally and Brody reportedly had no ties to anyone in Old Town prior to moving into town and subsequently entering the Hick family, rumors have surfaced that there is at least one individual with a direct blood connection to Sally and/or Brody.  The gossip network suggests that the individual is one of Sally's parents (confirmed false), Sally's brother or sister (generally discredited), Sally's cousin (accepted as potentially true) or some other relation (deemed unlikley), Brody's unknown father (greatly favored and hinted at but not yet proven), or Brody's half-brother or half-sister through his unknown father (second most favored but unconfirmed).

***Update 28 June 2010***

Family income: $3060 (Celebrity Chef-$760, Venture Capitalist-$1300, Coach-$1000)

The truth is out!  Sally and Brody DO have a connection to Old Town, but it is one that even they didn't know:  Grant Steele is Sally's grandfather, and thus Brody's GREAT-grandfather.  [Player's note--I did the math.  If Grant met Sally's grandmother when he was 17 and she was 15 and got her pregnant, and their daughter had Sally when she was 17, then Grant would only be 35 at the time of her birth.  By the time Sally had Brody when she was 15, Grant would only be 50.  And when Brody graduated from college at 19--he graduated from high school at 16 because he was so smart and diligent--Grant would only be 69.  So it's entirely possible.  Highly unlikely, but not impossible.  And given the dramas the Silver family is prone to, entirely probable.]