starchild

Quote: Originally Posted by pryzeless I love this idea and we are trying to do it too. We have to wait to see exactly how many people come. How many people did you have? We had just over 30, I guess if you have a lot of guests it would be a little more difficult or you would have one super long table!

This is making me hungry too! Did you say how many people you are expecting? That's a good way to judge how much food you will need. My BMs planned mine & did Mexican food, some catered some homemade. In your case I say the menu sounds good for meat-free, maybe a fruit salad and pasta salad or quiche (like was already mentioned), just to fill it out. If it's in the budget crab salad sandwiches (on mini croissants a la Celina) would be a yummy and elegant addition.

Okay I suppose we can wait then LOL

I totally agree with you guys. It's one issue to have an "oops" but to plan this with girlfriends because it's fun and you don't see any better options for yourself? So sad And Harty, no disrespect taken here. You're right, something is definitely off.

The website you found has some good ones! Here are my favorites: Mango chile pops - when we were kids we used to fight over these! If you can get the real candied/dried mango covered in chile YUM! If not these candy mango ones are still great De la rosa mazapan - classic! I like pulparindo too! Gotta have chicle! And like Karen mentioned the pica limon or any of the sour powders are fun!

Um Alyssa, you know who you are dealing with here...we want pictures! Amy that was so nice of you!!!!

Has anyone else heard about this? Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High - TIME As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there's been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, "some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," the principal says, shaking his head. The question of what to do next has divided this fiercely Catholic enclave. Even with national data showing a 3% rise in teen pregnancies in 2006—the first increase in 15 years—Gloucester isn't sure it wants to provide easier access to birth control. In any case, many residents worry that the problem goes much deeper. The past decade has been difficult for this mostly white, mostly blue-collar city (pop. 30,000). In Gloucester, perched on scenic Cape Ann, the economy has always depended on a strong fishing industry. But in recent years, such jobs have all but disappeared overseas, and with them much of the community's wherewithal. "Families are broken," says school superintendent Christopher Farmer. "Many of our young people are growing up directionless." The girls who made the pregnancy pact—some of whom, according to Sullivan, reacted to the news that they were expecting with high fives and plans for baby showers—declined to be interviewed. So did their parents. But Amanda Ireland, who graduated from Gloucester High on June 8, thinks she knows why these girls wanted to get pregnant. Ireland, 18, gave birth her freshman year and says some of her now pregnant schoolmates regularly approached her in the hall, remarking how lucky she was to have a baby. "They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally," Ireland says. "I try to explain it's hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m." The high school has done perhaps too good a job of embracing young mothers. Sex-ed classes end freshman year at Gloucester, where teen parents are encouraged to take their children to a free on-site day-care center. Strollers mingle seamlessly in school hallways among cheerleaders and junior ROTC. "We're proud to help the mothers stay in school," says Sue Todd, CEO of Pathways for Children, which runs the day-care center. But by May, after nurse practitioner Kim Daly had administered some 150 pregnancy tests at Gloucester High's student clinic, she and the clinic's medical director, Dr. Brian Orr, a local pediatrician, began to advocate prescribing contraceptives regardless of parental consent, a practice at about 15 public high schools in Massachusetts. Currently Gloucester teens must travel about 20 miles (30 km) to reach the nearest women's health clinic; younger girls have to get a ride or take the train and walk. But the notion of a school handing out birth control pills has met with hostility. Says Mayor Carolyn Kirk: "Dr. Orr and Ms. Daly have no right to decide this for our children." The pair resigned in protest on May 30. Gloucester's elected school committee plans to vote later this summer on whether to provide contraceptives. But that won't do much to solve the issue of teens wanting to get pregnant. Says rising junior Kacia Lowe, who is a classmate of the pactmakers': "No one's offered them a better option." And better options may be a tall order in a city so uncertain of its future. —with reporting by Kimberley McLeod/New York

I totally agree with Rachel & Jackie, the family style seating was great because even if guests were at the far end you saw eachother, it was a really cool fellowship experience as opposed to everyone being separated into their little groups. It makes for great memories. BTW Rachel and I got married at the same place and chose the same table configuration. I say go for it, you won't regret it! We just used flowers and candles. You can totally do small centerpieces too if you like. The guest plates had our favor CD's on them, the bride & groom plate had flowers & shells (you could also incorporate your beach theme on guest plates to save space):

Wow Maria that sounds like a great opportunity and I say go for it! I know squat about SA or Texas in general so that's all I got, but good luck

I hope the surgery is successful!

Okay devil's advocate here...as a whole we do put a lot of artificial things in our bodies. Sometimes I wonder if clinical trials are as accurate as corporations would have us believe. Most trials study the short term effects - this person/animal didn't die after 1 year of taking the substance. There just isn't data to say what happens after 30 years because no products would reach the market if there were clinical trial standards like that. I think we all have to make our own choices on this stuff based on what we think we know. Personally I can't stand the stuff, or Equal, or Sweet'n'Low. I think it's poison. Diet soda too, stop fooling yourself and just drink a regular soda - it's all bad so you may as well enjoy a real one. Now, I'm not trying to judge because you could judge me. I have a horrible cheez-it addiction which I am trying desperately to quit, and they are made of all kinds of poisons! (yes guys, I'm still on cheez-its!) But I'm not going to buy the reduced fat cheez-its and sacrifice taste when they are still bad for you either way, if I want to make a difference I'll cut them out alltogether. Now, I could eat all the right things and get hit by a bus and die next month so who cares, or I could eat all the naughty things I like and live 40 more years diseased and unhappy (with my luck I'd live!). I guess you don't know until you know so to each their own and I hope we all live to talk about this in 40 years

Wow cute stuff guys!! I love seeing other people's gifts

Okay really silly question, if trains can't go there how can cars? Are the freeways in areas that aren't flooded?

Have a blast, girl!!!! I don't need anything but lots of pics so I can vacation vicariously through you

Jen you looked amazing! Excellent photos...and what is that cool looking cocktail in #77? Yum!

Quote: Originally Posted by Christine well it didn't work and it was cloudy so I didn't get to see it, did anyone see if the moon really looked bigger? Hell yeah it did! I didn't see this thread yesterday but I wish I did. It looked enormous last night, seriously.

Quote: Originally Posted by msam007562 I must say, knowing that my obsession for products can be blamed on my an astrological thing definitely makes me feel better. hahaha! Do any fellow Geminis happen to also have a closet bursting with clothes that still have tags on them and a collection of shoes, many unworn, that would make Imelda Marcos do a double take Ooohh, I have lots of Alba's Hawaiian line too and I love it!! And I'm covering my ears on Palmer's containing something bad ~ I don't think I can part with it after all these years OMG hahahaha GUILTY! This past Saturday I took the tags off of a dress that I bought last summer and wore it! I went to the garage to look for something and found a box of shoes from when we moved, some unworn. My husband thinks I should toss them since I forgot about them anyway but I can't do it. What's up with us?? And yes, Palmer's is one of my favorites too...well we can't be perfect and I'm willing to bend on that one

Quote: Originally Posted by jamisoncollette Origins and The Body Shop will both be paraben free by 2009. Wow, nice!!

MarieSam you are basically every man's dream - you're hot and you can talk sports with the best of them LOL Well said! I too am a baseball fan so that's my current obsession. And I'd like to see Team USA dominate the court this time around. We shall see!!

Okay I'm missing the offensive part, unless I'm so not easily offended that I can't even see it! Cute pics though, looks like fun

Have a great wedding!

Thanks for the info and links guys...I'm taking it all in!! And yes, it can be tough to find this stuff outside of health food stores. There are 2 major supermarket chain stores near me that now have a natural/organic beauty aisle but it's been a long time coming!

That is a really great family shot!

Quote: Originally Posted by Yari Kudos to Boston for playing a great series. That was nice of you to say, most Laker fans I know refuse to even say that! I've been battling with my arrogant coworkers over this. They cannot give it up to Boston. I say the Lakers didn't play as horribly as Laker fans want to say, the Celtics are just a great team this year. They should get credit for their skills rather than Laker fans taking away from them by saying the Lakers could have won if... No, the best team won, the Lakers could have won if they were the Celtics this year It was a crushing defeat, so if it were my team I would be sick too. At least I don't have to hear "Kobe" or "MVP" anymore...well until next season!