the science fair

October 2079 - Berjes and Hailey Monif are 34, Hazel is 10.

October starts out rough for the Monif family. Among the many things Hailey is not very good at, cooking is not her specialty either. Berjes and Hazel are just about worthless as they stand by and freak out rather than phone for help. Berjes frets for his dear wife, as she puts out the fire - what a man! LOL!

The kitchen and the whole family is saved from most certain doom! Way to go, Hailey! Rock on with your feminine power!

Yes, Berjes, stand in awe.

Lakeside Heights is experiencing a shortage of doctors recently, which is how Berjes could basically just walk into his position as Lake County's Head of Health Services. Lucky for him! Berjes is in charge of running Lake County Memorial Hospital.

(ShooFlee Medical Center by twoflower at MTS2)

For safety and well-being, Berjes has appointed Jodie Larson as the hospital's new resident doctor of Obstetrics, and she will now attend all home births in Lake County. Birthing fees will be $1000, and government assistance is available. She is looking forward to her first two births by the end of the month, Heather Thompson and Allegra Lind.

Not only is Hazel the most popular girl in elementary school, now that Fiona McCullough has moved on to Junior High, but Hazel is also one smart cookie! She does very well academically, and even likes to talk to her mom about ghosts. Their neighborhood is just at the foot of the graveyard, so all of the kids on this street like to talk about ghosts.

Hazel is ten this year, and in the fourth grade, but no matter how old she gets, or how popular, she always finds time to play around with her mommy. Hailey and Hazel have always been very close.

Like we said, the only reason Berjes could walk right into the position he has is because there was no one else available. So he kind of feels the need to brush up on his skills a little. He might not be so lucky in the next round of elections.

Hailey stays home from work nearly every day this month, with some vacation time she's got stacked up. In fact, she almost never wants to go to work. Maybe that means she should quit her job? She's still working on her book, Diary of a Mediocre Suburban Mom, but it's slow coming. She might change the title to Diary of a Lazy Suburban Mom.

Hailey goes out for a night of dinner and shopping and catching up with her old college buddy, Aurora Harris. Aurora has a new baby now, and little Zachary just six months old, so it's not surprising that they spend the evening talking about the kids.

Hailey and Berjes never officially decided that they were finished having children, but now with Hazel being ten, and the new hospital gig for Berjes, it's looking like that might be the case, and that's fine with Hailey. She dreads the thought of having to give birth again anyway, you know, because it's such hard work and all. Hailey tries to listen politely, but it's been almost ten years since she had a baby in the house, and she's kind of over that stage in her life.

Hazel is so popular, she even hangs out with Junior High School kids. One of her neighbors, Melissa is in the sixth grade this year. The age difference doesn't seem to be a problem here - Melissa still likes cartoons, and as Hazel points out, you can never have too many BFFs.

Oooh, butterflies! Melissa Fortney doesn't spare a chance to add to her bug collection!

As October comes to an end, and with the new school year in full swing, Berjes has decided to set up a science fair at the hospital, to encourage the students of Lakeside Heights to pursue the medical field as a career. Hailey goes along to help, you know, since she wasn't planning to go to work at her own job or anything. Students from all grade-levels, and all areas of Lake County, make the trip out for the science fair.

Sarah Harris is a bright young lady and looks on as Berjes demonstrates the surgical equipment to a group of eager young minds. And well, Fiona - she probably just thinks Dr. Monif is hot.

Those Deppiesse twins always scared me, but man, this just about tops it! Delphie Deppiesse floats!!! Eeek! Hmmm, I wonder what she's talking to Lucy about???

Awww, brotherly love. These two sure are growing into mature and affectionate young men, for as unruly as they were in their youth, lol!

Some kids just want to goof off, because you know, that's what school field trips are for...

Some kids are still avoiding each other...

And others want to use the occasion of a school field trip to propose very important questions! But there's a little more to this arrangement than there might appear - this is a compromise, an exchange of wants, a bargaining chip? Summer said that they couldn't move any further in their relationship until Tyler promised not to see anybody else. And well, you know how sixteen year-old boys are with sex on the table - he'd probably promise just about anything. Let's hope, for her sake, that he means it!

All the little girls are in love with Robert McCullough, and Hazel Monif is no exception. Berjes keeps careful watch in the background, thinking, How sweet... I'll be keeping my eye out for that one in a couple years!

Um, huh??? It's okay, Lucy, we don't know either. Maybe Beau's been getting into his dad's "money tree plants" behind the garage... or too much time on the bubble blower?

Berjes's second demonstration is a class of very bright young ladies. Liza Hathe cringes at the thought of cutting living things open, but Natalia Deppiesse seems to have a very strong stomach and just sits back and watches with a snack, lol! She's always been a very curious and strange little girl. Maybe she'd make a perfect surgeon?

Hazel and her dad finish up the hard work...

And before the students head home at the end of the day, Delphie Deppiesse is plotting something, which shouldn't surprise us. We know how Dallas's little sisters like to pick on him, and of course both of his sisters know about how Dallas has been lamenting his lost friendship with Lucy for weeks now. So maybe this isn't his doing, exactly, but Dallas is conveniently nearby when Delphie finds Lucy and says, "Hi, my brother thinks you're kind of hot."

Delphie didn't mean any harm by it, and was just trying to help... but, crap! Now Dallas has no choice but to say something.

"That's not what I said," Dallas says. "I mean, you are... kind of, um, hot. But you know, there's Vicky. And... this is silly. You're my best friend and we haven't even spoken for a month! Can we be friends again?"

"Of course," Lucy says. She'll just have to try not to have a crush on him, which is hard, you know, since he's all adorable like he is. But at least they're talking again. So maybe sometimes meddlesome little sisters aren't such a bad thing.

Well, the science fair seems a success, and for their hard work, Berjes and Hailey... um, "treat themselves" to a new hot tub in the back yard.

***

notes: I had a lot of fun having all of my school kids together at the same time! I'll have to find a way to have field trips more often :)
That little chat with Lucy was completely Delphie's doing, lol! Mischievous little girl!

And oh, poor Lucy. I think it's just a puppy-love kind of crush. She and Dallas only have two bolts (56 ACR), but she hasn't met anyone else she likes more than him yet. She's only thirteen though, she'll outgrow it, I think. Or not? Who knows, we'll just have to wait and see ;)

And I just find it hilarious how Beau and Tyler actually seem to be maturing in their teen years. I wondered if that would happen. You remember how rowdy they were when they were young? And now they're giving hugs and backrubs and romancing their girlfriends. Awww, I feel like my little boys are growing up, lol! ;)