Hi. My name is Challenge ... Challenge Legacy is my name. I moved to the town of Pleasantville right out of college, so you can imagine that I didn't have much money. Times were hard for me at that point not having much in the way of anything. I owned a bed, a chair, a card table, and a bookshelf with some cheap books. It was rough. I found a job right away though, a job in the politics career track - it was pretty good pay to start, and I certainly knew that I needed the money! But I also knew that time was passing me by, and I promised my dead parents that I would keep our family line going. In my hunt for Ms. Right, I found Marylena Hamilton out and about in the community. We hit it off pretty well. A couple of days later, I brought Mary-Sue with me (we work together). And you know what? We hit it off GREAT! So great, in fact, that I asked her to move in with me. That very same night, I found out that she was a married mother of two. You can imagine my dismay and heartbreak. *sigh*

But thanksfully ... Marylena Hamilton still had my number. We started hanging out together until one night ... I popped the question: "Marylena? Will you move in with me?" She said YES!! A very short time later, in a very simple ceremony with very few guests, we got married. I wish we could have afforded more of a wedding, but we just couldn't ... even with Marylena's job as Mayor (WOW), ends just weren't meeting.

And practically overnight ... Marylena and I found out we were going to be carrying on the Legacy line! Pleased? YOU BET!!

In preparation for the big day, we got a nursery set up in our bedroom. Our house was pretty small back then.

Not long now ...

Excited didn't even BEGIN to cover how we were feeling about our first attempt at bringing new life into this world. I loved talking to our baby, even when the baby was still hidden from us. *blush*

And then one day ... it happened!!

Marylena and I brought Jr. into the world! Challenge Jr., everyone. MY son!

My son ... *sniffle* *smile*

Marylena took to motherhood like a duck to water. I always knew she'd do great things (being Mayor and all), and look what she did! She brought me a son!

Life was good.

And then before our very eyes ... Jr. grew into a toddler! Where did the time go?!

We were teaching him to walk, to talk, and to use the potty. My son ... I'm so proud!

We were both very, very proud ...

And then we blinked ... and Marylena was pregnant with our second child!! When did THAT happen?! Her first pregnancy was an easy one, but this one was tough on her, on both of us. She wasn't well at all for this one. I was beside myself with worry.

But the Creator granted us a daughter (that's her in the crib, and Jr. was a child at this time). Charlize ... that's what we named her. I was always amazed at how clean we kept the house considering we had two children running around. And Jr. was in school already!

But ... he was still our baby (and would be forever our baby). Marylena loved reading stories to him.

And then before we knew it, Charlize became a toddler! Time flies ... really. Unfortunately, I missed this momentous occasion. I had to work. *sniffle*

And then the time came for Jr. to become a teen ... Here he is blowing out the candles representing his childhood (Charlize had become a child by this point, but my camea got broken and I couldn't document it ... she actually grew up without us really noticing ... I'm expecting GREAT things from her).

And here he is as a teen. Sorry that the camera is so far away. We'd just gotten a new Fuji, and the zoom was a bit tricky. But that's Jr. with his back to the camera (striped shirt). That's Charize boucning around in the purple.

Not long after Challenge became a teen, we had an UNWELCOME visitor to our home ... BURGLAR!!

Thank the Creator that I invested in a burglar alarm (after my first visit by a burglar who got away ... this was before Marylena and I became a couple). Thankfully, the police were on their toes that night. We were able to buy a new couch with the insurance money (why a burglar would want to steal a couch is beyond me) ... but the situation forever haunted my children.

More to come in my families legacy ...