Rachelle E.

Happy birthday doll!!!! Hope you have a spectacular day! BIG b-day hugs to you from me! :-)

I am SO sorry to hear about all this! omg...you poor girl. You definitely need a break. Other than confirming the wedding date/reservation w/ the resort...I would put everything else on hold. Give yourself a week to get back on your feet a bit. You absolutely deserve it and it will do wonders for your mental health. Just do your best to rest up and give yourself a break. And of course let us know if you need anything!!!!!

Fun! I'm totally going to check some of these places out! :-)

LOL! First of all, LOVING the Anchorman quote from Mr Jason!! Second, thanks for the explaination Lizz! I was wondering what that was. My first thought was maybe shaved ice/sno cone type thing...but this sounds way better!

I voted too! he's just BARELY behind that one guy. But everyone else is WAY behind him! yay!!!! oh yeah, and I'll vote from home later too!

Oh we get the humidity too! It's lovely! lol! It's not Florida bad like what Mel is dealing with, but on average our heat index is about 5-7 degrees higher than the actual temp. Now where I used to live in FAR north Cali...that was some lovely dry heat! Almost no humidity whatsoever. It might be 105 for a month straight, but that was it. Here in Dallas it's like being in a steam room! YUCK! One of my friends from CA came to visit last year and she felt like she could barely breathe 'cause the humidity makes the air feel so heavy. It's a shock if you're not used to it. We've got upper 90's + thunderstorms today....ick! My hair is a MESS! lol!

I totally see what the Dr's mean about not particularly wanting her on a commercial flight. Planes are so germy! And honestly, just being in close quarters w/ that many people...Eek!! I'm nervous about it too. I wouldn't probably fly w/ a baby so young if it could be avoided (like no vacations or anything) - just my opinion. But obviously you have to get home somehow...lordy...what a dilemma!!!! I know my mom and dad drove from CA to TX w/ me when I was an infant...like 2 months old? I'm certain it was not fun. But we all made it ok! (funny side note: my mom had been cloth diapering me since I was born...she says that cross country trip converted her to a disposable diaper using mom pretty fast! lol!) Is there any way to do a combo type thing? Like drive to a certain point in a rental car (or take the train?) then charter a shorter flight for the last leg of the trip? Gosh...I feel at a loss right now. I'll brainstorm a little more and see if I can think of anything. Just so I know...what kind of plane were you looking into chartering? Some models are less expensive than others. But probably the guy you talked to went over all that with you....

yeah, the hot weather sucks! Like Martha, I have some sypmathy for you guys 'cause you're not used to it...but it's like that every day ALL SUMMER here. We just adjust to it and keep going. That being said I don't know a single soul who does NOT have central A/C in their house...it's a necessity here. So I can't imagine trying to deal w/ this heat and not having a/c! That's insane! You guys need to make sure to stay hydrated!!! Quote: i need some waterice. Quote: I will pick her up after school and take her for some Rita's water ice. oh yeah, btw...what is water ice? I'm thinking it's not just water with ice...lol! But I can't figure out what it's supposed to be!

You look beautiful!!!!!! Your hair looks amazing! I can't wait to see a close up of it! :-)

Absolutely gorgeous!!!! You're such a doll...You're going to look AMAZING on your wedding day! :-)

I agree it's probably up to the individual. But also, I think you need to know your friends and be realistic about what you expect from them. I have a couple friends (more like aquaintences...but they'll work for this example) that I wouldn't ever ask to help me w/ something or to be in a bridal party. Not because they're bad people etc. But because they are they type of people who just attract drama. Nothing is ever simple and easy, it's always a big dramatic ordeal. They're just those kinds of girls. And those are the ones that are a PITA in these types of situations. If you know your bff is super dramatic, flighty, forgetful etc etc...realize that this will NOT change because you are getting married. Even when she's your MOH...she will still be super dramatic, flighty, forgetful etc... even though you love her! ;-) Luckily, my two sisters, my BFF and my two SIL's that were in my bridal party are not of that variety. They're just go with the flow kind of people. Two of them had been married/had weddings so I think that helps. They know from experience what a stressful time it is and dont' want to add to that. But overall they were just happy for David and I, excited about everything and willing to help if I needed it. They were just super chill and it was great! I cannot imagine having gone through all this w/out them. They were absolutely a special part of my day. And they made the whole engagement/planning process feel special and fun. They'd email pics of things they thought I'd like (decor, flowers etc), ran and errand here and there for me, planned all the fun showers and bach party and just made me feel really loved. It was awesome! :-) So bottome line, Yes, I think having a bridal party is worth it. Of course there are always exceptions... lol!

Ok seeing as you're only wearing it to the church - I agree that you shouldn't get a bustle. And since dumb AF showed up, def give yourself a couple days to get back to your "normal body" before you make any decisions. NOTHING fits me the same when I first get AF. It's sooooo irritating.

If you're not worried about losing a couple pounds (and keeping them off) then I wouldn't bother with letting it out at all. I absolutely 100% WOULD do the bustle though. If you're having to wear this at the thing your FMIL is hosting, you'll want to be able to walk around and you simply can't do that w/ a train. Well, not w/out getting really irritated, having people step all over it etc. If you go immediately I believe you can have a bustle done before your wedding. If you're really worried about it not being done in time, just explain the situation. Most places will work w/ you to get the business and at worst you may have to pay some kind of "rush" fee...which would be worth it IMO. Before you make the final decision about altering the waist area...make sure you've tried it on with whatever bra and stuff you plan to wear. If it pushes the girls up a bit you may need more room. You know?

The 19th is fine w/ me too!

Quote: Oh...I thought of one last funny one. Tom Skerritt lives near me and I once knocked him off his feet in a coffee shop by opening the door into him. lol! That's kind of funny! I have a friend who went to school w/ his son. She said the son was nice, but kind of messed up. She said Tom is a jerk though and was a total @ss to his kid. :-(

Fun! :-) You tend to find yourself lucky - both in business and in life. I don't really consider myself to be lucky. David, on the other hand is SUPER lucky...all the friggin time!!! lol! And while being wealthy is nice, you enjoy sharing your abundance with others. You put your luck to good use: you are very ambitious and goal oriented. Often times, you get over excited and take on more than you can manage. This stuff is somewhat true. But my ambitions and goals are not typically what you might think of at first...like career and stuff, not really my gig. Your strength: Your ability to make your own luck If you mean by marrying David and mooching off his, then yes! lol! Your weakness: Thinking you can do it all That may be true. That and being a stubborn M F'er. ;-) Your power color: Bronze Interesting... Your power symbol: Half Moon eh? Your power month: August That's David's birth month...so sure! ;-)

I'm so sorry I'm late to this! I feel just terrible for your Aunt and family reading all this. I cannot believe that hospital discharged her!!!! Omg that makes me angry! I will be thinking of you guys and waiting to see how she's doing. Hopefully they can diagnose this issue really really soon!!! Keep us posted - let us know if you need anything!!!

I say "sure, why not?!" to the guys coming along. July 12th is best for me. June is just nuts and my bro will be here on leave from the Marines for a couple weeks...things are always hectic when he's around. Family gatherings and all that. Uptown sounds good to me!

Lol! Omg....catching up on this thread was entertaining to say the least!!! Quote: PS I think I need a Harty 's slang cheat sheet. LOL lol! I know what you mean. Sometimes it takes me a sec. Then I do one of two things... 1) try to remember all my Brit lingo from when I had a roomie from England 2) read it in my head as if one of the Kate's (Beckinsale or Winslet) or the actors from Love Actually are saying it...when I use the inflection and accent and stuff in my mind it makes a lot more sense! lol! LOVING the pics of the Rotties! :-) My sis has two of them and they're just big and funny. I'll have to find the pic of my nephew with them. They're easily 4 times his size and he just loves them! He used to lay on the floor by them when they were laying around the house. It was so funny. And watching my little 2 year old niece boss them around is hilarious! Quote: Yeah same as Meg lol she only gets excited if someone dares to come to the front door and she bounces and growls but if they came in she'd lick them to death lol My dog totally does that! We think/were told that he's part Rott. We think he's mixed with Rhodesian Ridgeback...he has that coloring and build. But he's got some Rottie qualities like how he walks and he's totally a leaner like my sis's dogs. He'll just stand and lean against you - of course he weighs like 120lbs so if you're not standing steady he'll throw you off balance! lol!

Yeah, my best friend's wedding was late Sept in PV and it did rain each day. We were very lucky in that it did not rain for very long at a time - like maybe 30-40 mins? But it did rain pretty hard. We also lucked out in that it tended to rain while we were all inside getting ready for dinner. So it may have been raining a bit while we were walking through the resort for dinner, but it was done whenever we came out later after our meal. It really truly is SO hot!! And the humidity just makes it worse. If you're hanging by the pool or on the beach it's not as bad since 1) you're ususally not wearing much! 2) you usually have a cold drink nearby and 3) you can just jump in the water whenever you want. The evening of the wedding it was brutally hot and humid. We were all sweating like CRAZY! We were fanning the bride constantly and made sure we had some tissues to blot her face a few times between pics. It DID rain for about 40 mins before the ceremony...the coordinator was a champ and let us hold off for an extra 15mins 'til the rain stopped before running down to the gazebo for the ceremony. However she did suggest moving the reception inside (off the terrace where it was originally supposed to be) in case it kept raining. The bride agreed that was the best idea and it worked out perfect! It actually didn't rain much more that night, but we were all SO relieved to be in the air conditioning! You may want to consider an indoor reception - even if you have the ceremony outside. It was just so nice not to feel all hot and sweaty while we were hanging out, eating, dancing etc. All that being said, everyone had a BLAST on this trip and we all agreed we wouldn't have changed a thing! So just be prepared and have fun!!

Omg!!!! Lol!!!! I totally had to take a moment and read this! That is hilarious Ann!!! I can only imagine how shocking it must have been considering she's so tiny! Hopefully the "wait and poo on the diaper changer" pattern will change eventually! lol! You should know now that I'm not babysitting 'til she decides to change her poopy ways! ;-) lol!

Just catching up on our little girl! ;-) I'm sure it's a little scary to not have everything all picture perfect right now. But I have no doubt Gwen will do just fine and keep on progressing. It seems somewhat "normal" to think that she might have a couple rough days being such a little thing. Hopefully everything willl bounce back soon so you and Paul can relax a little again. HUGE hugs to both of you!!!

Those are gorgeous!!! Great pics Leigh! And Courtney - you seriously are BEAUTIFUL!!!!! You're just glowing in these pics!

Yup! that's the pic I was thinking of! You're so versatile! I can't really pull off any color but BROWN...and dark dark brown at that. I tried a caramel type color once but I got so many J Lo related comments I had to change it. I've been afraid to go lighter ever since! Oh, and here's the solar screen company we used...just as an example in case my crazy description didn't quite do the trick. Lone Star Solar Screensâ„¢ Home

Quote: Solar screens huh? Martin wants to install solar panels on our roof and then sell the extra energy to TXU or something like that... I just pretend to understand what he's talking about... Lol! yeah, that sounds a little tricky. Ours are just the screens that go on your windows to block out all the heat from the sun. You can still totally see through them and stuff - but they absorb SO much of the heat your house doesn't get all hot, you don't have to have the a/c & fans working as hard, you're more comfortable w/out going broke cooling your house blah blah blah... But they're ideal for big, Texan windows. :-)