shellb

I got an email on the June 2nd saying prices should be available next week. I hope the prices don't go up too much.

Welcome & Happy Planning!

Quote: Originally Posted by cheese_diva Your SIL was extremely rude to say that to your parents and if she didn't want visitors, that should mean all visitors. Sounds like she has something against them. Your brother should be the one to explain. I completely agree with the above comment. She almost sounds annoyed at your parents and she's singling them out. I think there is something more to it and your brother needs to step foward and explain. It's not fair for him to let his own parents be treated this way.

I totally agree with what everyone else is saying. Some people are poison. Friends should enrich your life and add to it, not take away and attempt to destroy, be mean, spiteful, and manipulative. There's a deeper issue going on for her that you probably are not aware of. It's like the saying goes..."People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime"... I think you have to figure out which one it is when it comes to her. I'm betting on "reason".

Quote: Originally Posted by highheels That is awesome! Congrats! I take my PMP next month & I am so nervous!! What did you use to study? I did an awesome prep course last fall amazing PMP instructor. I also re-read the PMBOK like 3 times (inc. glossary), used Rita Mulcahy's Hot Topics flash cards (daily on the ride to work), read some of her PMP book and I think there was a sample tests by knowledge area by her that I used to practice going back and researching ones I got wrong. I borrowed them from the work library. A guy I work with who just did his PMP, used the Rita Mulcahy FastTrack Exam Prep CD's (sample tests) and really liked them. I studied my 5x9x44, ITTO's and tried to grasp the concepts and understand what went with what. Also doing a brain dump (on the scrap they give you) during the tutorial helped. You really have to take your time and read the questions (alot of MOST, NOT, EXCEPT questions). Mine was more theory (PMBOK book only) than yours will be for the PMP, yours involves the application. Hope this helps. Best of luck and let me know how you do.

Happy birthday! Hope you have a terrific day!

We all face it when we choose a DW. For us, we pushed our date out to give people 2 years to save and choose a resort that we felt would be in everyone's price range. We had about 40 in the beginning, booking time came and we dropped to 12. We almost didn't get our group rate because of it. Had people the week before group booking say oh yes we'll be there, yes we can do the deposit for sure and then final day of group rate offer emailed saying they wouldn't be coming. You'll also notice family and friends will avoid giving you any kind of answer. I have sent direct emails asking if certain other family events would impact them coming asking only for a simple yes or no and gotten no response. Our supposed BM still won't give my FH an answer on if he's going to be there (been waiting oh 2 weeks for him to look at group prices and say if he was in, deadline to book has passed by the way). He's part of the reason we choose the resort we did, because of the kids activities and now he and his family probably won't be there. You will get frustrated, but remember the end goal is is a beautiful day for you and you FH. The people who want to be there will be there and those who want to but can't afford to will let you know the would love to but can't.

Thank you for your help. I just gave Apple Vacations in the US a call and they checked for me and told me they don't have them in the system to try back at the end of the month.

She lives less than 20 minutes from the Hartford airport. She would probably spend more in gas and parking driving to Boston or Hartford than the extra cost from Hartford.

Has anybody flown out of Hartford to Punta Cana? What would a reasonable expectation for prices be per person (a range is fine) for flight and accomodations or a package at a 4.5 star resort like the Melia Caribe Tropical? My MOH is planning to go soon to get quotes of vacation packages to join us for our wedding. I just want to set a reasonable expectation of what to expect. I've been so focused on getting prices from Canada, I totally forgot she was flying out of Hartford. Is it too early to be getting prices in the US? Any tour operators she should avoid?

Thank you ladies! I have calmed down a bit. He even surprise me today and bought a notebook so he can write down the foods he's eating along with the glucose measurements twice daily. We went with the Contour blood glucose meter. It seemed easiest to use because there was no coding involved.

Congratulations! That's wonderful news. I love the t-shirt ideas too!

We purchased a glucose meter this evening to monitor. He has to check twice a day for a month and go for that A1C test. He's also been told to exercise and try to reduce cholestoral (apparently it goes hand in hand with diabetes control). I wish I had gone with him this morning to ask questions. I definitely plan on talking to his doctor about getting him sent to a nutritionist. Right now he is joking about it like diabetes is no big thing and he'll cut back on sugar but is definitely not giving stuff up. I've tried to explain the damage it can do and how you need to identify the alternative food choices and be proactive. However, he's as stubborn as they come and thinks why deal with it when you can joke about it.

No shots yet. He will only eat potatoes in the form of french fries...but he has seriously cut back on that since we met. May 1-2 times a month now as opposed to every second day before. He will rarely eat carrots or corn or any other vegetable for that matter. He's been trying to have a salad every lunch, but loves his dressings. He also adds sauce to just about everything. I pretty much have him eating whole wheat everything when it comes to bread and pastas. We made that change a while back. I've asked him if the doctor mentioned nutritionist and he said no. He's not one to ask questions though. I plan on going to the next visit with him because this affects the both of us. I don't want to bring it into the house if he can't have it. Thanks for the tips.

Just found out my FH is diabetic. His last 2 tests came back 7 and 7.1. This is scaring the crap out of me. He's going to have to go for an ACL test next and start monitoring with a glucose monitor. Need your advice on the best type of glucose monitor? i.e. easy to use. Suggestions on foods to avoid? Suggestions on foods he should try to eat more of? I want to get him back on the right track, while we can manage it with diet and exercise. He's done so well this far gradually giving up his love of candy, but it's gonna be a battle to fully give it up and change his eating habits. He's known as the "Candy Man" at work...need I say more.

CJEB, Thank you for letting me know, just googled it, I had no idea it was that bad. Assumed it was more like a zoo here in NA. I'll be removing it from my list for the guests. Just removed it from above as well. I don't want to actively promote any place that is cruel to any animal. Michelle

Hopefully not too much data was lost or can be recovered. I am sure like most IT facilities they have back-up recovery procedures for business continuity purposes. May take a day or two though to get it back to normal though.

Not really answering your question completely. There are things to do outside the resort, not quite as much as Jamaica, but there are some things. To name a few (taken from the list I am working on, don't have hyperlinks for all yet): BAVARO RUNNERS Jeep Safari discovering the Dominican countryside, through typical villages, mountains and sugarcane fields. Lunch at a ranch, horseback riding and swimming. Both full and half day tours. SNORKELLING AT MARINARIUM Take an exciting half-day cruise and discover the wonders of reef and marine life during which you will have the unique opportunity to snorkel with stingrays and nurse sharks. Snorkeling is followed by a beautiful sightseeing cruise along the coast of Cabeza de Toro and Bávaro. The tour ends in Paradise, where you will relax in the waist deep waters of Bávaro’s natural pool, with your favourite cocktail in hand. KONTIKI Looking for fun, then the famous Kontiki Partyraft, is not to be missed. Let the best crew in the Caribbean cruise you along the Bavaro coastline stopping along to a great snorkeling spot. Swim through a rainbow of fish. Back onboard and the party starts! You will not sit down! Dancing to all your old party favourites. TROPICAL STORM CATAMARAN A chance to swim among the coral and tropical fish. Pure white sands, crystal water, palm trees and a chance to relax in the natural pool. CATALINA-CUMAYASO-ALTOS DE CHAVON Catamaran cruise to Catalina island (snorkeling), lunch at Cumayasa Ranch (horseback riding) and visit Altos de Chavon, a replica of a medieval Italian village that offers a great view of the Chavon river. HIGUEY SHOPPING A tour of Higuey, capital of the province with its famous Basilica, local market and plenty souvenirs to buy. ALTOS DE CHAVON Discover Altos de Chavon, the prominent artist’s village built in an amazing panaroma and the cave “Cueva de las maravillas”, the first Antillean natural museum of rupestral art. SANTO DOMINGO A guided Santo Domingo tour includes visits to the house of Christopher Columbus' son, the oldest Cathedral in the New World and Calle las Damas, the oldest street in the Americas. A city filled with a fusion of ancient architecture and modern developments, offering some wonderful photo opportunities, as your guide points out all the places of interest, giving you interesting facts about such an old city! . Scuba Caribe A well know snorkelling, dive, boating company throughout the Carribean that does tours and excursions. I think most resorts have lots of scheduled activities and some even have kids clubs. I know at the resort we are staying at there is one and they've got things like rock climbing, swinging bridge, bungee jumper, etc. Scuba Caribe also has a location right at the resort. Hope this helps.

Notes are my best friend. I get a bit emotional when I am angry. So I agree they may help you stay on track. One question, do you have any siblings that could help you secretly scope out what your Mom's issues may be before the big discussion? It might help you approach it from the right angle.

Congrats and Welcome! Happy Planning!

I do understand your frustration. I have fought every step of the way with my own Mom over choosing to do a destination wedding and not getting married in a church. Mine won't come dress shopping, get involved with the planning and every time I mention something I get a negative comment in return. It hurts, so I truly understand where you are coming from. I do think you should sit down and talk to her, explain what you envision your day to be like. Don't blow up at her, she'll only hear the angry words, not the message. Make sure she is understanding what you are saying. Half of the problem with communicating is that the receiver is not understanding the message that is being sent. Explain how you love her and that you want her to be part of the process, but if she is telling people that they can stay off the resort it makes it difficult for you and your FI to do some of the things you wanted to do with your guests. Day passes often make the cost of the trip the same price as if they stayed at the same resort you are getting married at. For instance, the resort we chose requires both a day (9-6) and a night pass (6-2) for guests to come on resort on the day of the wedding at $95 day and $95 night (a whopping $190 per person). That's a crazy amount...especially if it is a family (2 adults and a few children). Maybe her wanting to invite some neighbors will help her feel comfortable if she has people to chum around with during the week. I know I had a friend ask what she was going to do for the week if another friend backed out. She thought I'd be too busy to have some fun with her. Best of luck and think through what you want to say before you say it. You are her little girl and she only wants the best for you. Moms also dream of seeing their girls get married.

They look awesome!

I totally agree with Hartyt509. Maybe she's trying to be helpful, but if you don't stand firm on this is the place you want then she's going to do this the whole way through your planning.

My story is similar to Jodylynn007's, I didn't find Mr. Right until about 29 and we aren't going to be married until next April. We plan on waiting until after the wedding to try and concieve. However, since I will be 35 we have talked about how if for some reason normal methods do not work, we both would be ecstatics to adopt and welcome a child into our life that way.

I think it might just be in Canada where we have those smoking by-laws which are wonderful for the non-smoker. I think you may just have to hope that if there is smoking at your resort, the smokers are courteous and considerate enough not to blow smoke in your direction and dispose of their butts in a waste receptical rather than on the ground. I also think you have to accept that occasionally you may find yourself relocating your towel or changing tables at a restaurant.