cougs

LOL ... you probably shouldn't have told us about the negatives (especially ripping thru the screen!) ... bet ya someone on this forum would have taken them!

LOL don't worry about seeming girly/whiny HERE of all places! isn't that what we're here for? anyway, i get this way too about our relationship sometimes ... and i'll tell tom i miss him and he's like, "HUH? you miss me? WE LIVE TOGETHER!" LOL ... i don't think he'll ever *really* get what i mean ... aside from leading busy lives separately, he's not an extremely affectionate person in general, and we're total opposites on a lot of our interests. so more often than not one of us will be on the computer while the other is watching some stupid show ... and in the meantime i get to feeling like we're ROOMMATES instead of husband-and-wife-to-be, ya know? i'll whine about it a little, and he actually works to fix it ... a few weeks later it ends up back to the same ... or maybe i'm just pms-ing again? LMAO

great find! too bad i have some maids that might not be able to swing the large ... hmm ...

my future FIL just got laid off today. he supports his wife (she can only work part-time), three college-age children who still live with him, four cats, and a dog. their finances were pretty much a mess before the layoff, so i'm imagining there's no "emergency fund" to fall back on. i hope he got some sort of good severance package at least ... oh, and his vehicle was a company car too. thankfully, they live in philadelphia, so there's at least public transportation. times like these i feel guilty for the wedding expenses and especially so for having a destination wedding they are spending so much on just to attend for their son. and my fiance feels like a schmuck for the new golf clubs he just bought when he knows his parents are going to be struggling now. in other craziness, my *matron* of honor still thinks she might be pregnant (despite several pee-tests saying NO) ... then i just saw my *maid* of honor (yes, i have both) tuesday night and *SHE's* 8 days late! this morning i found out one of my bridesmaids left her husband yesterday. took the kids and moved back in with her mother! what the heck is going on here?!?!?!! craziness! and how weird that in the midst of wedding planning, my life is the LEAST drama-ridden of them all!?!

Quote: Originally Posted by cancunbride Thank you guys all sooo much!!! I really do appreciate it...I will totally use these responses in a kind way...Its so frustrating having to explain to people that they cant come. Thanks girls I don't think I would be as strong in telling people no as I am right now!!! good luck! and not that this has anything to do with anything, but have i told you i LOVE LOVE LOVE your hair?!

i have got the WORST tan lines right now ... a short-sleeve line (only on my left arm!), and multiple different lines all over my chest and shoulders from different bathing suits. i spent way more time outdoors this summer than i have in years, thus the lines. any recommendations of how to successfully fade them away? spray vs. tanning bed on this? i already bought 2 strapless swimsuits for my trip to mexico, as we are getting married legally so we needed to be there for days beforehand. that should help with the advent of new lines, but how do i get rid of these old ones? they are very strong (and haphazard)! oh and just because no one else noted it ... keep in mind that if you do sunless tanner, a spray tan, or airbrush tan that while you may *look* tan, you actually are NOT, and are no better protected than on your whitest day!

the pink looks the best on you (and i think you knew that, since you put it first!) but, if you're doing primarily black and white photos go for the white top.

this kinda happened to me with FMIL inviting EVERYONE. she actually thought she was doing us a FAVOR, because she thought the more people we got to go, the better group rates we could get! LMAO we had to set her straight that although it is an all-inclusive, we are still paying per person for a private, intimate affair. people are more than welcome to vacation with us but only those invited to the wedding can attend it. she sorta gets it now. but tom's half-brother and his wife are invited, and they are bringing her parents along with them on vacation, mostly to help watch their baby. honestly, we've had so many people drop out we told him to give us their address and we'll send them an invite as well.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hartyt509 I'm not sure I asked about the free package which is supposed to be 50 pics and he said that he took 300-400 and. So i've summised you get to pick what you want out of them. I never did get a reply to how much per pic after the 50 tho whoa harty lives! missed you on here lately!

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan i'm starting to feel a little sick. i started investing about 3-4 years ago. most of what I've put in has been in the last 1-2 years. so that was when the Dow was near 14,000. it's below 11,000 now so I have lost a lot. I try not to watch the ups & downs because the money i have in is retirement money & a long term investment. and it's well diversified. so i don't feel like i should pull out. i just want to ignore the trouble & keep putting money in monthly. hopefully our economy recovers eventually. i've always felt like an a**hole for never getting in on the company's 401K before, but these days all i hear is about how much money everyone's losing. that said, you are still doing the right thing. diversifying your investments is key. besides, these things are cyclical, and eventually things will make a turn for the better (right?). in the meantime, it's important that young people start saving for retirement, especially since social security will probably be non-existant by the time we're ready to collect!

and yet another year without raises at my company ... i keep telling myself i'm lucky to have a job. repeating it like a mantra. otherwise i would go apeshit on the bosses here. it is so frustrating to see all the unnecessary spending that goes on here while we can't even get raises. so what do i do? i steal from them in the form of "time" in order to make up for it LOL (time IS money, after all) ... look how much time i spend on BDW during the workday! LMAO the bosses have money, and are therefore out-of-touch with the reality of the little guy's financial hurting. just an example: we are having a baby shower for a coworker here, and the girl planning it said she wanted to do it during a pay week (we get paid every two weeks) to make it easier for people to contribute to the shower gift ... our boss actually said, "oh ... huh? what's a 'pay week?'" HAH! must be nice to not live paycheck to paycheck!

Quote: Originally Posted by Jenn3878 I am not sure because I figure its all digital, so when she said hi-res negatives that threw me off? Just looked and it says the 2008 packages say that they come with a cd? What packages are you going to get? Is 100 pictures enough? Package 1 Photo Express 36 photos on a CD only Not printed $ 470 usd + 10% tax 1 hour Package 2 36 photos 5x7 Colour Prints Album & CD with 36 negatives $ 590 usd + 10% tax 1 hour Package 3 50 photos 5x7 Colour Prints Album & CD with 50 negatives $ 690 usd + 10% tax 1-2 hours Package 4 90 photos 4x6 5 photos 5x7 5 photos 8x10 Colour, B&W, Sepia, Mix Colour prints Album & CD with 100 negatives 2-3 hours $ 980 usd + 10% tax Package 5 130 photos 4x6 10 photos 5x7 10 photos 8x10 Colour, B&W, Sepia, Mix Colour prints Album & CD with all negatives $ 1,610 usd + 10% tax 5 hours thanks! that definitely looks like no matter what, you get the images on disc, which is all i was really worried about. i think she may have gotten a little confused and just called them "negatives." also, if you get a video, the video is on a dvd, so maybe that's what she meant?

wow! the changes in measurements are worth SO much more than what the scale says! congrats!!!!!!!

overrated : weddings at home

Quote: Originally Posted by Bisha I have to say I feel that I look exactly like that cat! yeah, unfortunately for me, it's one of those "it's funny because it's TRUE" kinda things!

the fat animals are cracking me up!

Quote: Originally Posted by Kat81 Kat and Ryan my god, kat, your photos are AMAZING! you all look like you had so much fun through the whole thing ... you'd never know anything had gone wrong!

Quote: Originally Posted by Jenn3878 I asked about the photos and the CD/DVD and hi-res: Do you know if we get hi-res copies of the pictures that the photographer would take on CD or DVD? negatives are in hi-res , it will depend on the package that you will get a cd or dvd version. so does that mean you get hi-res images on disc with ALL their packages (even the INCLUDED package)?

Quote: Originally Posted by angela1184 Question-for those of you who used the Ipod w docking station, did you still need to rent the speakers? was it loud enough for all to hear? i imagine it would depend on the particular docking station you are using. we sprung the cash for the BOSE portable docking station because we know for sure it's plenty loud enough (we have relatives who use theirs for all their outdoor parties). i know there are some more reasonably-priced brands that also do a good job of putting out a lot of sound, but i would do the research before buying any of those. they all sound loud in a store, so keep in mind the wide-open space, the crowd, and the wind. OR, you can rent their speaker system IN LIEU OF the docking station. i'm pretty sure some other girls have done this, and in that case, the dreams sound guy took charge of operating the ipod. can anyone confirm this?

Quote: Originally Posted by PhillyBride09 I also have a Dreams Cancun question that i'm not sure has been asked before. What's up with the Red carpet they put down when your walking down the Isle near the gazebo? I HATE it...It looks off next to the pretty white chairs with the pretty colorful ribbons...and then this red carpet in the middle! Is there an alternative? can you not put anything down and maybe try rose petals?? i laughed at this because i LOVE the red carpet, but then again, red is my color, so it would match, not clash. if i was using any color that would clash with red i would just go without it. unfortunately, rose petals would blow away, and the walkway is curved so i'm pretty sure aisle runners wouldn't really work ... plus again there's that wind factor (probably why they use carpet for the weight). you could maybe try flowers along the sides of the walkway (like pomanders hanging from short garden stakes?) to dress up the aisle a bit? LOL they really should invest in a white carpet too!

where did you get the shirts for the groomsmen? i love them!

i *adore* that pic of the worm who hearts his tequila shot (saw it months ago on istockphoto and knew i had to use it somewhere)!

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan I think I'm going to do it this time around. were the before & after pics posted for BLS3? I started digging through the 50+ pages. i think only one or two girls actually posted before and after pics (at the end). i probably would have if i had successfully made a visible difference ... but sadly, i did not!

i'm definitely in again! in fact, i just went ahead and sent ann my entry fee before i could talk myself out of it, LOL! still have so much to lose, and after going dress-shopping for the first time 2 weeks ago, i have photos of unsightly arm- and back-fat to motivate me! LMAO

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryan & Valerie hi dreams cancun girls. i am looking for some advice on where to have the reception after the ceremony. my fiance and i are having the ceremony at the gazebo, but we are unsure about the reception. we are going back and forth on having it on the beach, the garden or terrace. any suggestions or recommendations from those of you with the Dreams Cancun wedding experience? we are having a DJ and approximately 40 guests attending. any help would be so appreciated!! Thanks!! from what i've learned here i would say the inside area of the terrace is too hot, but the outdoor area is nice if your party will fit there, and you wouldn't need to rent a dance floor. garden and beach receptions accommodate more guests and look very pretty, but will require a dance floor rental, additional lighting, etc. also consider guests going back and forth to the building to use restrooms, etc. and if you want air conditioning, your only real option is the ballroom. i've heard the spa area and himitsu can be reception options, but only after they close (which i think is 8pm). they won't offer these locations on the questionnaire or contract ... you'll have to ask specifically, and i don't know whether they'll go for it anymore. good luck!