Rachelle E.

Happy Birthday lady!!! I hope you have a wonderful day!!

omg! Heidi you looked GORGEOUS!!!! I know you were having a hard time deciding how to style your hair....it's perfect!!! You guys just look so amazing, beautiful and HAPPY! I'm so freaking excited for you! I have to admit...I got a little misty-eyed looking at your pics! lol! I'm a sap...but you kids are just great together! HUGE congrats from me!!!!!

Your honeymoon plans sound perfect!! I wanna go on your honeymoon!! lol! ;-) I bet it's going to be gorgeous, romantic and amazing!

CUTE!!! good choice! ;-)

That was a fantastic review!!! I'm not even getting married and I was riveted!! lol! Tons of great info! And I really liked what you did with the wedding arch...very pretty! Thanks for sharing! :-)

Quote: My finace and all his guys friends LOVE DelFrisco's steakhouse. I think it's a little off the strip but not far I thought about that...but we have one here in Dallas. So I'm thinking maybe somewhere he hasn't been before? Quote: I would have to say Prime in the Bellagio is one of the best Steakhouses I have been to. We've eaten there a few times, most recently in December and the food and experience are really one of a kind. If you go, be sure to request a seat near the window so that you get a good view of the fountains. N9ne in the Palms is good also. We stayed at the Palms a few weeks ago and had dinner there. The meal was good, but the atmosphere was more um... urban? Clubby? Not sure how to describe it, but not as much of a fine dining experience. That's not to say that the food wasn't fantastic. You have to try the S'mores and lobster mashed potatoes. Yum! I've been looking at N9ne since someone metioned it... glad to hear that it's yummy! And personally, I'm sold on the lobster mashed potatoes - it's like my two favorites foods together! lol! yum! But I'll definitely look into Prime also...that sounds really nice and I'm sure we'll want to see the Bellagio fountains at night anyway etc. So that may be the way to go. Thanks for all the suggestions ladies!!! :-)

Quote: Bally's Steakhouse is TOTALLY the way to go! We go there for our first meal each and every trip to Vegas. It's moderately priced, you can dress however you want (fancy or totally casual), yet they won't look at you strange if you're dressed casually, and the food is simply to die for! I'll have to check that out! Sounds great! thank you That restaurant at the Palms sounds good too...and really the Palms is just fun anyway... :-) Quote: DH had steak while we were at Tao and said it was the best steak he's ever had! (And he's a big steak guy, so I take his word for it ) Quote: I would say Tao, or the Palms Steakhouse both are great and fun places. I want to try Tao Sooooooo bad! I think possibly Monica is choosing this for her "b-day dinner" but if not, I may have to take David there for his. I was looking at their menu the other day and it looked sooooo good! Thanks for all the suggestions girls!~

oh no....I am so unbelievably sorry to hear about this! You poor thing! I'm glad the nurse was able to help you and take care of you. Just be sure to rest up this weekend and know that we're here if you need us.

I can't believe it's finally here!!!! I'm SO excited for those kids - they are going to have the best time!!! BIG congrats Heidi and Reggie!!!

Quote: Yesterday I was like "yeah, ok, this is just how it's going to be...I get it universe. Thank you!" as I payed for a twelver of beer & a bottle of tequila that I then took home and had intensive therapy with LOL! That is my favorite stress managment technique!! I'm not dealing with nearly the stress you are and I'm sitting here at my desk dreaming about the martini I plan to have as soon as humanly possible after I leave the office today!! All that vodka...and extra olives of course! Mmmmmm!!!!

Closing is always such a nightmare! I swear it's just one of those things that can't ever just go smoothly! Dh and I had some drama shortly before the closing on our house too...we were pissed! But it really did all come together in the end. I'm sure it will for you too!!! :-)

So I'm planning a surprise trip to Vegas for my DH's 30th b-day this summer! Anyway, I want to take him to a nice steak dinner (his fave) one night while we're there. Just wondering which ones I should look into. I don't mind shelling out a little $$ for it...but I'm not looking for a $500 dinner! I'd say I'll probably want to keep it around $200 if possible for both of us....is that even realistic for a nice place in Vegas? Looking forward to hearing what you girls think!! thanks!

that is gorgeous!!! You will absolutely treasure that! And it's great that you're getting the majority of the work done ahead of time....that way one you have the pics it's "instant gratification"...and I'm a big fan of that! ;-)

Quote: Rachelle, I just got so confused by your new name! lol!! Sorry! :-) I just changed it today. I think you're 100% FINE w/ one color of petals! The mix is fun and nice, but most people just use one anyway. I just had one color at my wedding. And I'm with you on the Tangerine and Tabasco colors...those are my faves too.

Mmmmmm! that sounds good! Do you happen to know the proportions at all? I'd love to make it/try it/serve it sometime! ;-)

I like the same combo as Jac...Tang, Citrus and hot Pink. But I also like that Tabasco color a lot...so I'd say also Tabasco, Hot Pink and Orange. . .I think it would look really "firey" that way.

looks beautiful! It's amazing how great the dresses look/feel once their tailored for you! It's perfect!

it's about the same for us...we had been dating 6 months when we got engaged and were married on our 18 month anniversary.

I would say that my money saving techniques are pretty lame! lol! I'm just NOT a good saver! Or rather, I'm a brilliant spender!? ;-) BUT, I do try to save bits here and there. *I pack my lunch every day. This is seriously a HUGE money-saver 'cause lunches add up fast! And you usually end up eating a bit healthier when you're not eating out. *We're very particular about the heating/ac in our house too...we keep it at about the same temps as Maria and Frank. Here in TX it gets damn hot...and your a/c bill is the quickest way to spend a crap load of money really fast! We also use ceiling fans to help everything circulate better...and you can usually keep the temp on the a/c a bit higher as long as you've got some moving air. Also, we make sure to keep the blinds/curtains shut during the day - esp in the summer to block out the sunlight...and we will be installing solar screens on the East and West sides of our house before this summer...we seriously get killed by the sun on the west side of the house! *try to conserve electricity in general. Turn off lights, appliances etc when not in use. Have solar powered lights along the front walk of the house and in the yard. And we actually try to do most of our cooking outdoors in the summer on the grill...it's yummy, but also keeps from heating up the house by using the oven/stove (and making us want to turn down the a/c even more!) and also just saves us from powering those appliances more than needed. *Stock up on sale items. DH's mom is the champ at this! That womas has everything you could ever need in her kitchen (or really just at her house!) and I can say with complete confidence that she paid about half as much as anyone else when she bought it! She's great at coupons (I SUCK at coupons) but also she just makes sure to hit the sales and stock up. We've found some great deals on steak or chicken and other misc. stuff and now have a freezer stocked full of things we can just thaw and cook up. It's great having the stuff on hand...and it's great that we got it for a good price! Along those same lines, with some things I make (soups, chilli etc) it's hard to make a two person batch anyway, so I make sure to package that stuff and freeze it too. It really does come in handy...and sometimes saves you from running out to the nearest restaurant and spending $$ there. *entertain at the house instead of going out. Not to say we don't go out - 'cause we do....way too much. But we do try to have people over more...it really saves a lot - esp if you're drinkin'! :-)

congrats Maura!!! It looks perfect! And I can't believe how huge your terrace is!! PLENTY of room for grilling and hanging out. :-) We've missed you! Glad to hear things are going well!

that is so sweet!!! I love his reaction...and it sounds like you did the perfect job telling him....you thought of every detail! :-) Congrats again!!!

I like #1 a LOT...absolutely gorgeous and very romantic/beachy. But I voted for #2 because it just looks perfect on you...I think it makes the most of your assets. :-)

gorgeous!!!

Quote: I seriously don't know what the problem is. I feel like if it wasn't because I always start and initiate things we would never ever have sex and he wouldn't care. Most of the time I do start things he does follow but I would really really really want him to initiate things at times. The few times he does initiate things is in the middle of the night after we go out and I'm sound asleep. Don't get me wrong I would love to wake up and get it on but most of the time I am so deep into my sleep I blow him off without even realizing it. I'm a very deep sleeper so I suggested he try in the morning or when I'm awake and no change. I constantly feel really insecure and wonder if he continues to find me attractive. I haven't gained any weight since we started dating and I am constantly working out and taking care of myself. I have even nicely talked to him and told him my concerns Oh I SO feel you on this!!! This is totally our issue and it was even when I was on BC...that totally didn't affect my drive at all. Like I think that every other day or every couple days is a good compromise...and he can go for longer w/ no problem! I don't understand it at all. I mean, if we get to about a week or so, he's definitely ready for it...so it's not like an issue of going weeks at a time or anything...but still. It's hard. and easily 9 times out of 10 I end up initiating because I get tired of waiting for him. But then that sucks 'cause I feel like it's always me making the effort. And I'm a big fan of the flirtatious email or text...but that doesn't always do the trick. Anyway, this is something that DH and I talk about...and have talked about several times. I can see some areas where he has made some changes/improvments...and I've tried to do the same so we can meet in the middle somewhere. But yeah, it's still frustrating sometimes. And as a girl you feel like you're a freak 'cause most girls you talk to are always griping about how their BF/DH wants it all the time and they don't etc. And there seems to be less discussion of the opposite problem. So yeah, you're not alone! ;-)

Awww! Congratulations!!!!! I'm so happy for you guys! I know you've been working on this for a while! :-) I think your idea for telling your DH is perfect! (with the outfit from Gymboree) SO CUTE! You'll have to log in tomorrow and tell us all how it went! Congrats again!!!