finzup

Sorry you're going through this.. it's a tough situation. I think you are being very gracious by offering to help her pay for the airfare. Hopefully she is just taking some time to think it over. Maybe if she is too proud to accept your offer you could tell her that she could pay you back at a later date? It might make her feel better to not be taking money from you?

ooooh, white, orange and blue are lovely together! I would just use the orange as an accent "pop" of color -- a frame, a vase, a pillow, etc...

Hi.. curvy gal here, too.. just joined this forum not too long ago and love it -- so much information! Anyway I have a question -- did any of you curvy gals do BD photos, and if so, how was the experience? Was the photog nice ? Were the pics flattering? Was it uncomfortable? I'm thinking of doing it and appreciate any advice/info!

I twitter - (i'm finzup on twitter) also I set up a 'wedding' twitter account that my friends and family can follow.. I plan to post wedding details, travel information, etc.. my wedding twitter account is matt_kt_wedding (not much being twittered yet though)...

I think I'll just post it Matt's version of the proposal: So I didn't actually plan the proposal date until about a week earlier. Since late February, I had been researching anything and everything about diamonds and engagement rings, leaving no stone unturned (pun intended!) Due to various circumstances and events, I didn't pick out and purchase the ring until a week before. After making a decision (there was soo many to choose from), they let me know that the ring would be available as soon as Saturday, June 13th. I'm thinking, "Perfect! We have plans for dinner for our anniversary, what better timing!" Luckily (or not so lucky), I was elbow deep in bathroom remodeling for the house all weekend... so I had to take a half day off work on Tuesday to keep working on the bathroom. Well this gave me the perfect chance to pickup the ring without trying to come up with some crazy excuse to be away for a while. Upon coming home and basking in the beauty of the PERFECT ring, I quickly stuffed it away in the back of my dresser to avoid anyone accidentally finding it. All week long I was still debating on which restaurant to choose, there were so many options. I clearly wanted to choose something special but nothing so fancy as to give away my agenda or raise any suspicions. I toyed with the idea of Pot Au Feu... Best.French.Bistro.Ever. But we just went there for my birthday a month ago. Then I thought of the Remington House, a place that we have had a few romantic dinners, but decided that it wasn't quite fancy enough and had a tendency to be a bit noisy. I wanted to go with something "tried and true" rather than attempt a restaurant I never visited before and it hit me.. what about Local 121? Katie took me there for my birthday a year ago and we absolutely loved it! I made the reservation on Wednesday night with the only requirement that we were seated away from the center of the room (to keep things quieter and less noticeable to wandering eyes of patrons.) Thursday night was here before I knew it. While Katie was fine-tuning her hair and makeup (and fretting about what shoes to wear or which handbag to bring, I can't remember), I quickly scooped up the ring and put it in my pocket making sure to leave no other items in there so that it won't accidentally fall out. (the ring box was way too big for a pocket, although it would have looked quite hysterical if I tried to hide it!) Anyway, we made it to Local 121 a little early and had some cocktails to start the 5th year anniversary celebration. I was only nervous about the ring as I was constantly feeling my pocket every couple of minutes. I had no worries about proposing... I had only been reciting the whole event in my head for two days. After finishing our drinks, we were escorted to our table. I took notice of everyone in the dining room and it seemed a bit more crowded than I imagined, especially for a Thursday night. Shortly after, we ordered a bottle of wine and placed our food order. We held hands and talked about anything and everything... our day at work, ideas for remodeling our kitchen... you know, less important stuff. The whole time my eyes were still darting around the room to get a feel for the crowd and also occassionally checking the ring in my pocket. The waiter dropped off our appetizers and made sure that we didn't need anything else. This was it. Now is the time. The waiter won't interrupt for at least another 10 minutes. It's go time! While holding hands, I managed to get the ring out of my pocket while hopefully not looking obvious. At some point, I had to wedge the ring between my leg and the seat so I could switch hands. So I had casually interrupted Katie (trying to find a break in the conversation) and started my often recited speech. Of course, nerves kicked in INSTANTLY. The whole time I was debating about doing the "one-knee" bit. I knew that Katie would be embarassed but if no one was looking, I was going to go for it. Wouldn't you know that as soon as I even began to speak, the gentleman at the next table over gets up and stands directly beside our table! WTF! Why is he standing there!? Needless to say, no knee was used. The speech wasn't word for word as I envisioned, but my points were made. Katie had clearly wanted to spend her life with me and had many aspirations for our future. Before we could continue, I just had one question for her... Her eyes completely lit up at the sight and immediately said yes. We stood up and quickly gave each other a quick kiss (gotta stay incognito). Not long after, the waiter came back again to check on us so we ordered two glasses of champagne to celebrate. For the next few minutes, there was some feverish text-messaging by Katie. While we enjoyed the rest of our evening, Katie's phone continued to buzz away as all of her friends replied back. The rest is history

Thanks! Want to hear his side of the story?

cool stuff.. a bit pricey but great for ideas!

I plan to buy a cheap unlocked GSM phone on ebay and then do the prepaid sim card route as someone suggested... Leave all expensive iphones and blackberries at home.. less risky, too

I found the website: Norman's Cay Beach Club at MacDuff's - Home it's pretty secluded -- no stores on the island so you'd need a boat to get to a different cay to buy supplies and such.. great for a sailing couple I think....

We're budgeting $5000 for the honeymoon. We're not doing it immediately after the DW either.. we're coming home, then doing the AHR a few weeks later, and then leaving for the honeymoon.. it'll be like two vacations

I think this applies not only to cruise vacations but even when flying -- I mean the baggage handlers at the airport could copy down the information and use it, too - I only put my name and phone # (cell) on there so there's no way to trace it to my addr

Oh and I just thought of something -- to "test" how easy it is for the hotel staff to get into the safe - when you first check in, lock the safe and then call and say that it was locked when you checked in. See what the procedure is for mgmt to unlock the safe -- is it one guy that just comes up with a 'master' code? Prob not so safe. If it's 2 people with some sort of electronic device to unlock it, it might be a bit safer. I'm a bit unsettled though.. I mean where do you keep credit cards and cash while you're at the pool?

I just found something called a portable travel safe -- Pacsafe Anti-theft Travel Bags and Accessories - has anyone used this type of thing? Apparently you put your valuables in it and the lock it to the sink pipe ...

Thanks for the tips... Story -- I stayed at the blue bay esmerelda last year and often times left random change/money lying around (not as a tip for the maids) and it was perfectly fine. Nothing was taken. Also -- I came home one day to find the safe OPEN (yes, I did use the room safe) .. I quickly called the front desk and within minutes a security guard was there. While waiting for him I checked my cash, credit cards, camera, etc and it was all there. The security guard was very friendly and nice and seemed genuinely happy when I told him that I must've left it open because nothing was missing. So long story short, I know there are some bad apples out there but most people are genuinely nice and would not steal from you. The thefts are the exceptions, not the norm. Take precautions, yes, but don't think everyone is out to get you. That being said, I am now going to think up some other place to store my stuff other than the room safe!

maybe your sister can come out by herself w/o her husband? she could bring a friend or something?

Quote: Originally Posted by estella1007 Now, I just need to ask, because I would do something sneaky like this...do you think that your FI is in on it somehow, and that they have a bigger surprise, and this is their way of throwing you way off? I was thinking the same thing!

I couldn't do it.. just thinking about it makes my head spin ..lol ..

I think it is based on post count because I can't see them yet.

I think it would be great to get prego on the wedding night.. that being said if it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't.

this sounds silly but somehow (usually) works... (only if you're with someone else) have them ask you what your middle name is (at a random time) you reply they say, "your hiccups are gone" lol silly, I know

how about a pt bartending job? If you do it at a restaurant, the hours won't be so late (as opposed to a bar/club). Plus it's a fun way to meet people and you make great tips

construction : helmet

nuance : navels

salty : salad

i am starting the couch to 5k and I found this site where someone has created some really great podcasts for each week of the couch to 5k challenge.. Suz's Couch to 5k Running Podcasts | Inside the Mind of Suz