The Burbs moved into town after Brad, tired of the hectic, stress-filled city life he'd been stuck in decided to retire early from his job and retreat to the countryside--actually, they only made it as far as the suburbs in Old Town, but it was far enough that life was much more pleasant for him. Tiffany, though she had actually left the small-town life for the glamour of the big city, still returned with her husband and son, Johnny, and their dog Tucker.

For his part, Brad decided to take up the existence of a gentleman farmer.  He even successfully began growing crops to reduce their food bills.  With Tiffany the only working member of the family, this was vital, and Brad did all he could to get his garden to grow.  Still, while he was getting started, they had some lean times and had to go without a lot of things.

Tiffany, who was determined to make it in the Fashion industry, loathed leaving the city and all its opportunities.  However, as she advanced in her career and her hours changed, she soon reconciled herself to the commute.  Now, as a Fashion Columnist, she doesn't even encounter much traffic anymore:  because she starts in the late afternoon, everyone is leaving the city while she's just entering, and the return trip at the midnight hour is even easier.  Still, she does miss the city life a bit.

Johnny, for his part, is glad to be free from the city.  Now he and Tucker can play outside instead of being trapped in the small apartment they'd lived in before.  Tucker is happy, too:  now he can go outside to do his business instead of waiting for someone to let him out.

With their income so limited, it was something of a relief that Tiffany's nephew Ian showed up to help out.  Estranged from his parents (Tiffany's adopted sister and brother-in-law), they met Ian working in the Downtown area as a Paparazzo.  Given that he was rooming with four other reporters away from his wife and child, Brad and Tiffany were happy to invite him to live with them.  It strained their finances a little, but they managed to expand the house to accommodate not only Ian, but his family as well.  Ian and his wife, Willow, got themselves their own room, while their son Ash roomed with Johnny (they were the same age since Brad and Tiffany married and had Johnny late--almost in their forties--while Ian and Willow had Ash when they were 20 and 19 respectively).

For whatever reason, now that Ian was actually living in Old Town, he became aware of a certain...awareness...in himself that he had never encountered before.  Then, what started as a visit for fun to Magic Town became a journey of self-discovery when one of the resident Stranges there told him he had a Gift.  After doing a bit of research, Ian left the rag he was working for and began working with some of Old Town's leading Paranormalists.  It didn't take long for his gift to mature, and soon he was working beside his teachers as an Exorcist in his own right.

Willow, who had been struggling to bring up Ash on her own with only limited financial assistance from her absent husband, was relieved to have helpers and could now devote herself to working on promotion and advancement.  Thanks to some strong friendships and lucky advice from her husband, she soon went independent as the CEO of her own company.  She does make time for her family, however, and is determined to keep Ian well-grounded in the here-and-now and not lose him to the past-and-not-yet-forgotten.

Ash is glad to be living with his father again, and is pleased to have a companion and playmate in Johnny, who is equally pleased.  A little saddened and perturbed that Tucker never responded well to him, Ash was happiest when Ian brought home Dottie, a Dalmatian puppy, just for him.  It remains to be seen, however, whether Ash is happier or Tucker is happier about the new arrival--Tucker, who wasn't getting as much attention from Johnny as he adjusted to his new school, had been feeling lonely and depressed.  Now, with a new playmate and companion of his own, Tucker is one happy dog.

Three paychecks meant that the family could live comfortably, though not well.  Determined to do his part, Brad began looking for ways to make his garden flourish, and other ways to make money.  It was during a solo visit to Magic Town that Brad stumbled across some books and met a man who knew a man who could help set Brad up with a really good garden.  In short order Brad became the owner of a magic wand, and an sudden awareness of exactly why Magic Town was called Magic Town (it wasn't just for its illusionists and stage magicians).

And so, Brad became a fledgling wizard.  To date, he has only used one spell and created one charm.  To help save time in the garden, Brad enchants garden gnomes to do the watering and the weeding.  And to help the family after long days at work and school, he activates a special charm to raise their spirits.  Brad doesn't really want to delve any deeper into the arts...he's satisfied just being able to help his family and his garden.  However, people in Magic Town also convinced him to do a few other things...like raise bees for Beeswax and Honey (which he's fine with, since ithere's nothing magical about that ), making nectar from grapes and elderberries (extremely profitable, and also with nothing magical about it), churning butter and canning preserves (not so profitable, but helpful with his spells and as gifts for friends), and spining gold thread out of beans (which he does have a bit of a problem with, but he overlooks it since he doesn't do it often).

How he's kept the magic a secret from the family, Brad doesn't know.  What Brad doesn't know is that everyone figured out what he was doing but obligingly looked the other way.  After all, he's not hurting anyone with it, and it brings in money, so they're not complaining.

Family Base Income: $3000 (Fashion Columnist--$1050; Exorcist--$1000; CEO--$950)