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2021:

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DxH (dec): Theodore “Teddy” Julian Whitmore (ari.)

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DxW (58): Marie-Louise Lindbeck (hyacinthe)
DDog (10): Duke (BlueOcean123)

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DS1 (27): Anders Franklin Whitmore (ari.)
-DW (26): Marina Soleil Cooper (Julia)
-DD (3):
-DD (0):

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DS2 (25): Dylan Jeremy Whitmore (Rowena)
-DxGF (25): Sadie Joy Reynolds (Rowena)
-DS (4): Kylo Rey Whitmore (Story)
-DS (1):

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DD1 (22): Céline Bridget Whitmore (Robert)
-DBF (25):

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DS3 (22): Elias Harold Whitmore (molly)
-DBF (23): Sebastian Tobias Halvorsen (Rowena)

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DD2 (20): Nicole Josephine Whitmore (cher529s)
-DBF (22):

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Teddy passed away this year after a long illness. He never fully recovered his health and spent three years drifting back and forth between his own flat and Marie-Louise’s home until the pandemic struck, at which point he moved in with her permanently. The long lockdown took its toll and he began to bend the rules in order to see his friends and continue drinking, which led to him falling ill. Marie-Louise did her best to care for him, but he finally ended up in hospital where he passed away. The last people to visit him were his ex-wife and youngest daughter, his ever faithful nurses. He stated that Nicole’s presence brought him tremendous comfort and he passed only two days after seeing her.

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Within days of her husband’s passing, as if she now had permission to care for herself, Marie-Louise’s health problems returned with a vengeance and she swiftly became the one in need of nursing. Her children rallied to care for her as much as they could, but pushed her to finally speak to a doctor. Tests showed her to be somewhat of a medical miracle, as doctors were surprised at how someone with such advanced issues could remain semi-functional, and she was rushed through for treatment only two weeks later. Her children remained by her side for the months of recovery, but as she emerged through the other side, they felt safe to return to their own lives. Marie-Louise now finds herself in an almost empty house, enjoying the company of Duke – the now elderly puppy she never intended to keep – and considering what to do with the newly independent life before her.

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Anders married Marina three years ago in a small ceremony by the coast, an otherwise joyous occasion marred by a fight that broke out between him and his father at the reception, when Teddy became drunk and Anders finally lost his patience and publicly accused him of being an alcoholic. Teddy accepted this accusation, but made no attempt to stop, and the relationship between father and son never recovered. Despite this contentious ending to their relationship, Anders took charge of clearing his father’s house after his death and found the paintings Teddy had made years ago in his uncle’s shop. He was so impressed by their quality that he brought them home and they now hang in pride of place. Anders and Marina had intended to wait several years before starting a family, but instead received a honeymoon baby. Their elder daughter is a bright and caring little girl who is devoted to her new baby sister, born this year.

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As soon as Dylan and Sadie graduated from university, they were made solely responsible for baby Kylo. They moved in together and Dylan found night shift work at a bar, while Sadie became an office accountant. They were able to get by until 2020, when the lockdown saw them both placed on furlough and trapped together in the small apartment with Kylo and their second son, born during the pandemic. The stress and inability to escape ultimately broke their relationship. Upon being released from lockdown, they went their separate ways and arranged to co-parent their sons. Both of them have found that splitting the responsibility and having childfree time has made them happier people, and more patient and attentive parents when it is their turn to take the boys.

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Céline finished university last year, an event with absolutely no fanfare due to the world situation, which she slightly resented as it felt unfair to have done so much work and receive no congratulations. The pandemic was a handy excuse to avoid looking for a job, but after the world reopened, she found work as a legal secretary and has also begun to volunteer as a coach for a youth football team. She finds her volunteer work significantly more fulfilling than her career and is considering whether it would be possible to make it into a paid opportunity. In the meantime she has started a casual relationship with a local radio DJ.

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Elias returned from his travels in 2018 to take up his place in university and promptly fell into a mild depression, mainly due to the new long distance nature of his relationship with Sebastian. His family expected the relationship to fade over time and distance, but instead it demonstrated remarkable longevity, chiefly due to Elias’ determination to hold onto it. Over the following two years, he flew to Norway for every single holiday to spend time with Sebastian, leaving very little time to see his family – a situation that was resented by his siblings, particularly Nicole, who felt he was abandoning them. When the world locked down in 2020, the two men maintained daily contact online and when a brief reprieve was found during the summer, Elias made the decision to pack his bags and move to Norway. He has remained there since, and as he is now working in the restaurant owned by Sebastian’s parents, it looks increasingly unlikely that he will come home again.

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Nicole decided not to attend university after leaving school, in order to stay with her parents and look after them. She instead found a job as a bank clerk, hoping to simply delay her admission for a year, but 2020 put an end to those plans. Her job at the bank pays well and she became so used to the money that even though the world is reopening, she has no desire to leave and pursue a degree. There is another reason for her hesitation. In the course of her work, she has formed a strong friendship with a colleague and recently, with her mother’s health issues resolved, has moved into the woman’s home to replace a housemate who found a job across the country. She met her friend’s younger brother at a birthday barbecue, and sparks have flown between them. Since then he has been a suspiciously frequent visitor to the house.

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Anders and Marina’s two daughters have continued the family tradition of receiving Ancient Roman first names. DD1’s middle name comes from Greek mythology while DD2 has a nature themed middle name.

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Dylan and Sadie’s second son has a modern, youthful sounding word name and his middle name honours one of his uncles.

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Céline’s boyfriend has a first and middle name between 50-100 in England and Wales in 1996. His surname is shared with a US president.

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Nicole’s boyfriend has a German first name familiar to English speakers, his middle name is after his father (a name used in Germany in the 1950s) and his surname is also German and derived from a place name.