cougs

prices are crazy and i'm notoriously bad with money, but since this whole wedding business started up i'm SAVING (a pretty good chunk of my pay, i might add) for the first time in my life! my FH is starting to save as well (he's another one with the DVD buying, haha). i fully intend on keeping up the saving long after the wedding ... toward a house, car, and everything else. i'm no spring chicken anymore and i'd like to retire before i'm 90! as for bad spending habits, we're like most of you who spent WAY too much on going out to eat (for me it was ordering lunch at work every day too ... really adds up!). and it costs almost $40 for a couple to go to the movies and have popcorn and drinks these days! when i was in high school that would have covered dinner AND a movie! honestly i wonder where all my money went when i still lived with my parents in my early 20s? sure i didn't make that much either, but i had a phone bill & car insurance and that was pretty much it for bills ... WHERE DID ALL MY MONEY GO?

i heard someone once call moon palace a wedding factory, but i don't know the validity of that ...

by the way, to all you ladies ... thanks so much for this! the support is great and the monetary motivation is certainly helpful! i finally have a wedding date so the wedding is finally real ... i remembered before we were engaged i told my fiance the fastest route to seeing me thin would be to put a ring on my finger, because there was no way i'd let myself be a fat bride! well we've been engaged for well over a year and i still hadn't done anything about my weight ... until now! also i was feeling a little down since the last time i saw a doctor (for the flu, mind you) he suggested that maybe it was time that i started thinking about getting gastric bypass or the lap band! the medical community has given up on me! haha the nerve of him! this was just what i needed! so thanks again ladies!

Quote: Originally Posted by SgtPepperette Last night was not fun! I went for my scheduled training walk of 7 miles in the heat. Well I forgot my sports drink, so didnt have anything really to replace my electolytes. I had a little bit of trail mix but just water. So when I got home I defintely was feeling under the weather. Threw up, tried to eat some salad but couldnt, so called it an early night and got some rest. Today its even hotter out, so Im going to take a rest day. i don't think i will EVER exercise till i puke! (probably why i'll always be overweight LOL)

Quote: Originally Posted by DanielleNDerek Like Betsy said the sugar free redbull and vodka is really good. I also like bicardi and diet coke or sprite zero (or diet) with vodka. i'm partial to jack daniels and diet coke!

Quote: Originally Posted by amyrak Well, I think I'm going to try the low carb diet. Because low fat hasn't worked for me yet. The only thing is I have a sweet tooth and Sugar Free Jello just doesn't cut it!! Another thing is when I cut out carbs I get really bad headaches. When I first tried the South Beach Diet when that was the hot new diet I did good but I couldn't get thru those first 2-3 weeks without carbs. They said you would get headaches but after a few days they would go away. I had horrible headaches for 3 days in a row and couldn't stand it anymore! So hoping it's better this time around. you will definitely get the headaches the first few days, maybe up to a week so be prepared to suck it up (by the way pain-killers don't work to fix them either i guess because of the chemical changes in your body?). once you get past the headaches and all it's smooth sailing. i did atkins before and it was slow-going for me (weight didn't pour off like it did for everyone else ... i'm talking about 9 months to lose 25 lbs ... i think my portions were still too large), but i did find it very easy to stick to -- if it has sugar, flour, or starch, you can't eat it and that's that, without crazy amounts of counting/measuring. there are plenty of low carb and sugar free options out there these days to satisfy your sweet tooth (carb smart rocky road ice cream, or russell stover candies), but you're not supposed to partake in them during induction. Also be warned that the sugar alcohols used to sweeten them can have a laxative effect, so use in moderation and see how your body reacts. basically you have to suffer for about two weeks but after that you'll start feeling much better and cravings become fewer and fewer!

the underwater pics are so surreal ... i LOVE them! and i LOVE that you quoted chili peppers "soul to squeeze" haha ... "i might end up somewhere in mexico" ... how appropriate!

Quote: Originally Posted by Hartyt509 Yeah I know lol that is costing us a fortune honestly its like over $7000 but I was determined to be in the tower so that his mother couldn't come anywhere near me lol the TA has even requested a room as far away from the Tower as poss and if they upgrade her to the tower i'm gonna kill someone lmao I'd have loved the jacuzzi suite but it wasn't gonna happen lol yeah i mostly just wanted to be in the tower. someone needed to have a room there because i want an overhead photo of everyone attending my wedding! i'd prefer not to be right next door to family either ... it is afterall our honeymoon as well and there might be ... um ... noises coming from our room? LMAO with having to be there 4 days to be legal, everyone will be with us during our entire stay ... i really would have liked at least a day or two just the two of us, ya know?

Quote: Originally Posted by NewOrleansbride It is one of those adventures in life that sounds really cool and glamorous, like smoking a cigarette after sex or bungee jumping, but when you actually start doing it you'd rather be stuck watching a bad Steven Segal movie... over and over again. *snort* hilarious!

OMG YES! "diaperguy-girlicious" definitely should have gone ... either him or "trash bags" ... i mean at least the "psycho raingear" was decently made! and i really liked "vacuum bags" (haha sorry don't know all their names yet), but "plastic cups" was awesome and maybe should have won.

we were torn between dreams and moon palace too in the beginning ... and it didn't help that moon palace is a golf resort and FH and his family like to golf! i also liked the jacuzzis in all rooms, and was in love with the horse-drawn carriage (no word yet on whether dreams can arrange something like this, but i'm thinking no). i was swayed toward dreams by location, location, location ... quick ride from the airport and 5 minute walk to everything. liked its size too, and its beaches are MUCH prettier (IMO) with turquoise crystal-clear water and unseaweedy coastline (heard moon is seaweedy ... i'll go to the jersey shore for that, thanks! check out mp brides' photos for proof of beach conditions). i liked dreams' wedding gazebo above all else, and also loved the dolphins. the fact that there were no reservations or wristbands required was also a plus for me. the final selling point was that dreams started coming up cheaper and then offered a "kids stay, play, & eat FREE" promotion (we have a lot of guests with children who otherwise probably couldn't have afforded it). however, if you don't require a private reception, i think moon's wedding package is more affordable ... and i love that horse-drawn carriage! at dreams you are pretty much paying for a private reception, or not having one ... the restaurants aren't really big enough for large parties and there are no reservations so you'd be chancing it.

you could of course also DIY a photo guest book with your camera and a scrapbook ... i know, i know ... NOT *ANOTHER* PROJECT!

Quote: Originally Posted by gen moriya here's a question -the ultimate package has hair & makeup application included. I wonder if you opted out of the makeup you could substitute a hair tiral. just a thought. that's a great idea and definitely worth a shot! (can't hurt to ask!) besides, then we'd all have the chance to stand in the gazebo and see how it holds up with the wind!

Quote: By doing percentage it's fair all the way around. You will do well as long as you stay on track and if you get off track just get back on. I can't honestly say I follow my own advice...but I definately know it works! Overall I would like to loose 20-25 lbs...but that will take a while. If I can loose 8-10 during this jaunt...I will be happy! Of course I had 2 eggo waffles for breakfast, 2 beers and pretzels for a mid morning snack, a cheeseburger w/ bacon and french fries and a mixed drink for lunch, a scoop of mint chip for dessert, and I am now eating shredded cheese out of bag! Should I be a poster child for what NOT to do in order to win this thing!!!!! first let me say your meal plan today CRACKED ME UP! haha "poster child" LMAO! and yeah, i know percentage makes it fair, but if you go by the whole "1-2 lbs lost per week is healthy" then i'd have to be pretty darn unhealthy in order to get a high enough percentage to win! (not that it matters ... your menu sounded really good to me, haha!) actually i've done rather well so far (haha only been 2 days!) ... i even just went to famous dave's BBQ for dinner tonight to celebrate FBIL's bday, and i had a salad with grilled salmon. lemme tell ya, famous dave's isn't "famous" for their SALAD ... we're talking ribs and pulled pork and brisket and beans and mac & cheese and corn and mashed potatoes. did i mention i had a SALAD? and went to the gym 2 days in a row now!

Quote: Originally Posted by TA Jill The room is sort of like a 'Y' shape, the hallway is the stem of the Y, the dining area is sort of at the top of the stem, the living room is the right side of the Y and then the bedroom is the left side of the Y. The bed is sort of in a different section, there isn't a wall or anything but I thought it felt pretty seperate. We had a bunch of our guests in our room one night to watch the Sox in the playoffs and we had plenty of space in the living/dining area that no one was even near the bed section. And the bathroom is huge, huge tub and shower, one thing I hated about the shower is that there is no curtain, there is a small section of glass, near the shower head, but it doesn't extend the whole way, it was sort of annoying! that's kinda weird about the shower! i guess the Y shape will have to do ... we already spent enough on our room, haha!

anyone have a LOT of weight to lose? (i literally have about 85 lbs. to lose ... i mean overall, not in these 8 weeks of course!) i see all your siggy pics and it seems like most of you aren't that heavy to begin with ... you guys should be thankful that the contest goes by percentage! looks like i'm going to have to lose twice as many pounds as most of you just to keep up!

Quote: Originally Posted by KLC77 I just got back from the gym. First time I've gone in about a year (and yes, I have been paying this whole time!). So, whether I win or not, joining BL3 is worth it already! i went to curves last night for the first time in about 9 months (still paying the whole time as well!), and it had been so long that i WAS REMOVED FROM THE SYSTEM. my key barcode didn't work, and my files were in the archives! what really p*ssed me off tho, was that i was still paying wellquest fitness (a program my health insurance provides), but they weren't still paying curves, because curves couldn't provide proof of any workouts. so curves terminated my membership since they weren't getting paid. what was i paying wellquest for then? nowhere do they tell you anything about any required number of workouts! anyway, i just set up an account directly with curves so i can keep going there, and am cancelling my wellquest membership. the kicker is i have to give them 30 days notice, so i will be billed AGAIN next month! ugh! /rant at least i'm back into the gym now. i can thank you guys for that!

GORGEOUS ... too bad i'm too fat.

i think most people have said hair was good but makeup was bad (i could be wrong). if you're a makeup artist you'll probably want to do your own. i'm not a makeup artist, but i AM an artist by profession ... and i never like how anyone else does my makeup! oh hey, damn it, i was originally going for the same date as you ... we could have done each other's makeup, haha! LMAO

Quote: Originally Posted by Hartyt509 Get you posh bugger lmao LMAO! I may be staying in a suite, but YOU are staying TWO WEEKS! honestly i would have rather spent more time at dreams or taken a short cruise for a honeymoon, than spend the money on the room upgrade, but tom couldn't take any additional time off from school.

jill and stacey, thanks so much for the pictures! the suite looks pretty big! is the bed area separated from the rest like a separate room, or at least a wall between? that's one thing my fiance really wanted was a separate room. i really didn't care, but i definitely wanted a jacuzzi, haha! and i wanted a tub, not just a shower. we're both pretty large people (note my biggest loser siggy), and probably couldn't shower together in a stall, haha!

Why hasn't anyone mentioned these? Swings at the bar?!! I LOVE IT! Does anyone have photos of the ocean trampoline or the bungy thing? Or how about photos from shows/entertainment at Dreams? Everyone keeps saying how there's "so much to do" at Dreams but all I ever see pictures of is the tiny infinity pool. Also, we booked the Preferred Club (tower) Jr. Jacuzzi Suite ... anyone have photos of these suites?

Quote: Originally Posted by cancunbride2be Hi - We did a "meet and greet" at the lobby bar and it worked out perfectly because its a large space that also has a patio. We had 50 people and everyone was able to get drinks quickly and sit comfortably. That would be my pick for the best bar to meet a large group in. Thanks for the info ... makes perfect sense!

Quote: Originally Posted by Tracy Another idea, is i am giving everyone a beach ball (for them to blow up) - and play with in the pool, or the ocean. AGain very inexpenisve - not even 50 cents each at oriental traing. I've been considering inflatable beach balls, especially since we have kids coming, but I'm afraid that they might be annoying to other guests of the resort if the kids are batting them around the beach or pool ... thoughts?

OMG now i'm SO all over making door hangers (DIY)! how cute! i don't see any point in getting them printed when they'd be so easy to make from cardstock and print myself. my project list is growing!