57 - Ups and Downs

Though the days were often full of ups and downs, Maia’s life lately had been filled with mostly good fortune.  And today was no exception because it was time to celebrate the toddler triplet’s birthdays as they grew up to be children.

Happy birthday Quinn!

Happy birthday Rhys!

Happy birthday Sierra!

Now that the kids were older, Maia thought it would be great fun to take them all to the amusement park on Leisure Day.

First, the children rode on the carousel spring riders.

Then everyone took a few turns riding the rollercoasters.

The ups weren’t so bad, but some of the downs were scary!

Afterwards, the Lee family played on the foosball table and the arcade machines in the game room.

And once their bellies were settled from all those ups and downs, Maia cooked everyone some fish and chips for dinner on the grill.

Then Maia and the teens roasted marshmallows for dessert over a campfire while they chatted, and the children played on the playground.

Everyone enjoyed the fun and exciting day out, which they ended by watching some beautiful fireworks light up the nighttime sky over the town.

Shortly after, it was time for the teens to age up.

Happy birthday Logan!

Happy birthday Skye!

Happy birthday Boinky!

Happy birthday Pat!

The next day they all graduated with highest honors and Logan was named valedictorian.

Logan was family oriented and enjoyed caring for plants, so he planned on growing both a garden and a family.

Boinky was very social and had a great sense of humor, so he decided to be a blog artist in order to post some of his entertaining and funny stories.

Skye loved the outdoors and going fishing, so it was no surprise that she decided to become an angler.

Pat loved animals, particularly dogs, and decided she was going into the pet grooming business. Everyone thought it would be a very useful skill since she would soon be living with a pack of werewolves!

All too soon it was time for Logan and Skye and their IF’s to leave for Moonlight Falls to join the MoonClaw pack with their father and half-siblings.  Though parting with her children usually left Maia feeling a bit down, she hugged them goodbye and hoped they’d find happiness there.

Now that she had no babies or toddlers in the house, Maia was alone for most of the day while the kids were in school, and since A.C.E. took care of all the housework, she had little to occupy her time other than caring for her plants on her rooftop garden.

But she finally managed to save up enough of the fruit she’d grown, so she spent some of those otherwise empty hours learning to produce her own unique flavors of berry nectars.

It had its downfalls.

But tasting each unique vintage was definitely an upside!

And once again, Maia debated whether she should choose another man to father more children for her, or if she should take on a job. She looked through the paper but found nothing that interested her, which was more than a little disappointing.  Maybe it was a sign that she should focus on her challenge instead?

Putting the paper aside, Maia curled up on the couch and took a brief nap.

And she dreamed...

It was the same dream she had before, but Maia still had no idea what it could mean.  And then she remembered what the fortuneteller Kizzy Tem had told her on the day she’d left Moonlight Falls— that Maia’s dreams were a sign her own Sight was beginning to awaken and that she would learn to read her own fortune. Maia wasn’t able to interpret her dreams yet, but was sure she could learn. And what better way to learn than by training on the job with experienced mystics?

Maia picked up her phone and called Lucky Fortunes, the local fortunetelling business in Lucky Palms.  Even if there were no positions open, maybe she could get some tips to point her in the right direction.

When a man who identified himself as Mr. Goodman answered the phone, Maia realized that even if no work or help with her dream interpretation was available, at the very least she might have found another potential baby daddy, as his was one of the names on her list from Isak.

After Maia inquired about job openings, Mr. Goodman informed her that there was indeed entry level work available for a horoscope reader, but that they never advertised since it helped keep those unsuitable for the work from applying. True psychics, he said, already knew about job positions without needing an ad! Of course, Maia pretended to have known that all along!

She made an appointment to meet Mr. Goodman afterhours at Lucky Fortunes for an interview, though he said he anticipated she would be hired regardless.

After she ended the call, Maia couldn’t help but cheer. Maybe she’d soon not only have herself a job, but also some answers about her dreams. And since there were several Mr. Goodman’s listed on the paper Isak had given her, things on the challenge front were definitely looking up!