Rachelle E.

I will say that I agree w/ Maura on the cost effectiveness of a private jeweler. I hadn't really priced rings before I got mine - but David spent weeks on it and said he got a WAY better deal and a WAY better diamond w/ the private jeweler. Granted the guy we used is kind of an old family friend - he's done my sis and BIL's rings and any jewelry my BIL has ever bought for my sis otherwise - earrings, necklaces etc. So I'm sure we got a slightly better deal because of that. But overall it saved David a LOT of money. My ring sounds fairly similar in stats to Maura's actually. my center stone is 1.19 w/ two pear shaped side stones at .15 each (1.46 total on the ring). I think the color is F (I think?) and I believe the center stone is VVS2? Anyway, they're gorgeous diamonds on a platinum band. (btw, he picked all of this out w/out me...I probably would have insisted he get WG instead of platinum had I know this was going on - lol! - and know the price differences. I really had no clue at the time) And it appraises for close to 10k...I don't know the exact amount he paid (I didn't want to - the guilt would overwhelm me! lol!) but I believe it was close to the 6k range, between 5-6k? I'm sure it was the price of the platinum that drove that up. But either way, we would not have been able to pay retail for that ring! no way! I've priced rings w/ similar stats on Blue Nile and stuff and about DIED when I saw the prices - usually over 16k. It's definietly an option worth exploring...although I do understand that you like all the services and perks that come w/ the retail purchase. That being said if I ever encountered any issues w/ my ring, the jeweler would certainly fix them. And as far as cleaning and stuff, I get my ring cleaned at a store near where I work...and they're really great about it. They do NOT care that I didn't buy my ring there etc. It may be just something you can look into, since Robbins Bros isn't going anywhere - you can always go back once you explore your options! :-)

Quote: But I think we should have a "regular" get together first to get any awkwardness out of the way Fo sho! lol! I agree...Maybe sometime in May? I could do Friday the 16th, Sunday the 18th and Sunday the 25th? We could always do a Sunday afternoon...chillin on a patio on a Sunday sounds nice...even w/out the booze! lol!

Quote: My friends doc told her to drink a glass of wine about twice a week when she was pregnant. Said it was good for her?? I have heard this from several people. Have you preggos heard that? I've heard that wine isn't too bad and does have it's benefits for sure. There's just SO much information out there about drinking/pregnancy. Personally, I plan to completely forgo drinks during my first trimester for sure since SO much of the inital develpoment is happening then...it just seems a little more risky to me when it's still so early. But I can definitely see me indulging in a small glass on occasion sometime later in the pregnancy...I've heard many a Dr say that's ok.

Lol! No worries! And I still think it would be a good place for a meet up! And Yes, I'm definitely still interested in all of us getting together sometime. Maybe we can have a baby bump contest or something?! lol! I was just thinking about a meet up the other day...realizing our March plans had gotten away from us. We'll have to try and pick another date soon.

I acutally haven't tried their Vodka Penne...but oddly enough I'm eating leftover Vodka Penne from Macaroni Grill for lunch today! lol! Not as good I'm sure...but I'm still looking forward to it! And of course now you've made me want a BIG glass of wine! lol! No fair!!!

Ooh...I really like the little diamond on the side! And it's definitely good to know you have lots of options for the WB. AND I was going to say, with the simpler setting of the Scott Kay you could definitely add a little bling to the WB and it wouldn't be too much. You know? Something with small round diamonds sounds like it would be perfect.

They really are both beautiful. Personally I would probably choose the Scott Kay setting...but then again the band on it is similar to my Ering...so I'm probably biased! lol! Have you tried on wedding bands w/ both? I guess that might be the other deciding factor for me...if there's a WB that you really prefer that fits better w/ one or the other of the e rings. And I'm definitely glad you're taking your time choosing your stone. Be SUPER picky about it!! It's your e-ring!! Make sure you get exactly what you want! (well, within SOME amount of reason I guess! lol!)

Mmmmmmm....Coalvines!! I'm jealous! Oh. . and the Troy Aikman sighting is cool too. ;-) yeah it looked like things were REALLY bad to the west of us. Luckily it was just a big thunderstom by the time it hit where we were....no damage or hail for us either. Thank god! After the last storms we were pretty paranoid!

awww! I have to say that I'm typically not a fan of Boston Terriers (their eyes are so big and stuff! lol! Don't be mad!!!!!) BUT those pics of Elsie are REALLY cute! lol! I LOVE the one of her in that huge bed by the fire! I'm sorry you're having to give her up. I can't imagine how hard that must be. :-(

Those rings are gorgeous Jaime!!! I love the Tacori too...the detailing is beautiful. That being said, I'm a big fan of the high quality diamond. So I say find a setting you love and then get the best diamond you can for it. And I absolutely reccomend buying the highest quality possible even if it means going down in size a little. All that gorgeous diamond sparkle comes from the quality...not the size. You'll be happier in the long run w/ a higher quality stone. AND, even though the price of gold has gone up a lot recently, it's still a lot more affordable than platinum. So if you do find a white gold setting you really like I'd choose that over the platinum for sure...and like you said, spend that extra $$ on the diamond!! :-) I am SOOOO excited to see what you pick!!! And I do agree w/ the other girls...if you are just in LOVE w/ that other setting...at least check to see what the price of having it custom made in white gold would be. I know my DH saved a lot of money by having mine made privately instead of at a retailer.

that's so cool! I can't wait to see your pics Maura!!

those pics are Great!!! I love your kissing pic too!! Your dress looks amazing in it! btw...DH and I honeymooned at Moon Palace and LOVED it! It's such a great resort! I always thought their weddings looked really nice - we were totally those people spying from our balcony! lol! Congrats!!!

omg...that looks like so much fun!!! Seriously that looks like a great shower...and nice that your FI could be there too! You look so cute in your crazy hat!! lol! And I just have to say that Jac is really tall! (or are you really short Carly?! j/k!) You look SO cute in your pics btw...photogenic!

Yikes!! I'm so sorry to hear about this! Hopefully the resort will realize that what they're doing is crazy and start to sort all of this out. I'm sure once you speak to your WC and your TA that they will do everything they can to help. Keep us posted on your progress! Good luck!!!!

Quote: Congrats to you all...I just can hardly wait to start trying in September! I'm taking my prenatals!!! This makes me so excited. Aww! I didn't know you guys were going to start trying! That's so great!!! Congrats! And good for you taking your vitamins!!

Yay for pics!! You look SO pretty and happy!!! I LOVE your dress!! :-)

Quote: And my worse- thats a toss up between my freckly skin or my legs. oh no! don't say that ....freckles are awesome!!! I seriously LOVE freckly skin...I've always wanted some freckles and tell my DH that I hope we have a baby w/ freckles! lol! Anyway, I think they're pretty so don't hate them! lol! For me... Best: used to be my skin - but it's been acting crazy lately! So I guess I'll say my neck? I swear it's the only thing that looks normal right now! lol! Worst: hips/thighs/butt...they are all HUGE.

Quote: We're over in the 75/Legacy area (right by the golf course by Legacy), and the apartment complex was completely littered with trees. I heard it was really bad by Stacy Road/75 too.... and a metals sculpture at the entrance of Craig Ranch completed wrapped around a tree (like the "arms" of the sculpture folded around the tree)... one of my co-worker's neighbor in Craig Ranch actually had the brick on sides of his house rip away, down to exposed tylock house wrapping, etc.... we're at the bottom of a hill, and it was like a mudslide when I left for work this morning from all the run-off and soil erosion..... ick.... Omg...I hadn't heard that about the sculpture at Craig Ranch yet! Wow...that thing is big too! And that's crazy about the brick getting stripped away. David did speak to one of our neighbors this morning and said that he has some small damage to the shingles on the roof....nothing too bad though. We haven't had a chance to check ours yet. Hopefully it's all ok! Oh, and YUCK about being at the bottom of that hill! What a PITA!

oh wow Maria...those pics are crazy! Where that little plane is flipped over is like seriously 4 minutes from my house!! eek! I'm glad to hear you guys are ok!! I was thinking you lived up in this area...

ahhh! You girls are SO cute in those pics!

Quote: It hit hard here about 230 this morning I was up watching the news. There were two tornados just like nine miles from here!! I was freaking out. I was home alone my FI is up in Wichita Fallas working. My poor dogs were hiding under the bed. I was up for about two hours until it died down enough I could get some sleep. There were trees down everywhere on my way to work. I am glad to hear you girls are OK I was pretty worried last night. oh that sucks that your FI wasn't home! I HATE being alone in the really bad storms! It always scarier that way. I'm glad you're alright though! Your poor puppies under the bed reminded me of our fiasco last night... So the tornado sirens started going off and David and I got out of bed to get into my closet...we had decided that was our official shelter. So I'm in the closet throwing all my shoes out of the way making room for us. David runs to grab the radio and a flashlight (power was out). And then I start to get the pets...Cat - no problem, he's portable and cooperative! lol! The dog...still chillin in his bed, has ZERO interest in getting up!! So I'm freaking out a little and end up kinda yelling at him. Which freaks him out. So finally he follows me into our bathroom (my closet is in the bathroom) but when he sees me trying to take him into the closet he FREAKS and sits back on his heels refusing to move. Now I can't just grab him and take him in there 'cause he weighs 120lbs! he is NOT portable! lol! Finally David comes back (radio and no flashlight - but using his cell phone for light! lol!) and tries to help me but the dog will not budge. We finally just had to shut him in the bathroom so at least he was near us, and shut ourselves w/ the cat in the closet. I wa so nervous and the cat was having a blast! Rubbing up on us, purring, rolling on the floor so we'll rub his belly etc. Anyway, we waited until everything seemed clear (the radio DID have battries, but they were dead! go figure!) and then finally left the closet. The dog was fine just laying by the tub. But anyway, after it was all over I figured out why he was freaking out and wouldnt' come in the closet. he used to get in SO much trouble for going in there and getting into my stuff when he was little...he chewed up a pair of shoes and a sweater one time...so we just taught him that the closet was off limits. And apparently we did a good job of that 'cause he as NO intention of ever setting foot in there again!! lol! Poor guy...I felt so bad! So we're working on a more Jake-friendly tornado plan now! lol!

Quote: Oh my goodness- that's crazy. I've always wanted to see a storm like that because our weather is always so tame. I'm glad nothing was damaged though! yeah, they're pretty impressive. And I really did miss it when I lived in CA for a few years. There's just nothing like it. But it sucks when it's bad enough for the tornado sirens to go off...it kinda stops being fun then! lol! And you can't really watch AND be safe which sucks too...'cause that's the crazy sh*t you kinda want to see! lol! Quote: lol, I guess so - either that or I'm an EXCELLENT sleeper! hahaha Apparently! lol! But I slept through the storms on Tues night and everyone I talked to was shocked...their kids, pets etc were all up freaking out etc. I guess it was pretty intense, but I woke up the next morning, saw the ground wet and was all, "It rained?!" lol! So I get where you're coming from! ;-)

are you serious?!? lol! omg...they were terrible! But they were headed northeast from like Abilene or something..so they may have missed your area.

hey! Just wanted to check in on everybody and make sure everything is ok. Those storms last night were crazy!!!! Our sirens were going off and there was a small-ish tornado just a couple miles down the road from our house!!! Luckily everything at our place is ok. A few trees down in the neighborhood, some bits of fences broken etc. But nothing devastating for sure. It was nuts driving to work today...no power in a lot of places, roads closed because power lines are down in them, uprooted trees...it was like an obstacle course on some streets! I'm realizing that David and I were very lucky this time around. all our patio furniture got blown around and stuff...but at least it was still in our yard!! AND I think I managed to NOT get hail damage on my car!!! Which is amazing 'cause there were ping pong ball size to golf ball size chunks of it in my yard! Anyway, I hope everyone is safe and didn't get any serious damage to their homes!!

I got a little furry fake kitten one time. It was made out of some kind of real fur, and was shaped to look like it was curled up and sleeping. However, when I opened the box it was in, it seriously looked so real that I panicked and since it wasn't moving I thought it was dead! It was horrible!!! My poor mother had meant it as a joke type gift since I wanted a kitten SO bad and couldn't have pets where I was living at the time. It was meant to be funny, but it seriously startled me so bad I couldn't ever get past it....I "lost" it when moving back to Texas! lol!