JaimeLynne

Quote: Originally Posted by WSUgal Hi Jaime- I have read many posts from you and PVBride about Playa Fiesta! I emailed them last week and they have not responded yet. I am sure they are busy with the holidays and all, so I hope that they respond soon. I looked up Le Kliff and it looks gorgeous. Is that where you are getting married? If you have any info on these two places I would be really interested. Thanks for responding. Have a great New Year. Look forward to talking to you soon! Yes, I'm sure they are busy with the holidays. A great thing about them is they will usually offer you a free site visit to stay there a night or two. I've already forgotten the guy's name but he was so nice and easy to deal with via email. We are not getting married at Le Kliff, although it is a good restaurant with an amazing view! The little area where you have your ceremony looks adorable - it has two grass shaped hearts that you stand on. Our WC said it was very expensive though (we were checking it out for the welcome dinner and she said it's about $100/person!). We are actually thinking of having the wedding at Las Caletas and the Welcome Dinner at a Spa/Healing Center near downtown called "Terra Noble". Both of these places are truly magical!!!! If you have any more questions I'd be glad to help out - Good luck and Happy New Year to you too!!!

Even though we've already kind of "met" on another thread I just wanted to officially welcome you here!

That's a tough one - I'm torn between the last two but I really like both of them... Love the palm trees!

First off, congrats on the upcoming wedding!!! It is sooooo nice down there in PV right now Second, if your guests are traveling abroad for the first time I wouldn't recommend that you direct them to walk across the bridge. That's my personal feelings on that. I know it can be intimidating your first time in a new place and I'd rather them pay a little more and just get on the road! Third, yes the time share/taxi people are pretty bad there - worse than the Cancun airport. However, if you just look straight ahead and act like you know where you're going and don't say anything to them they'll leave you alone. They won't chase you down or anything assuming you show no interest. Same goes for all over PV. Either ignore them or a simple "No, gracias or No, thanks" should do the trick (although sometimes this route takes a few repetitions ). When you walk outside you will see a lot of reps holding signs up. Do you have a TA? She should be able to tell you if your ground transportation is covered by Funjet or the hotel. I would assume Funjet. These guys are usually pretty easy to see in a crowd because of their colored uniforms. If you have any problems ask another person in uniform or with a sign to direct you to Funjet reps. Once you're outside it shouldn't be as big of a hassle to get to where you're going. Hope this helps - you're going to have an AMAZING time!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by foxytv I love them as aisle decor! Where did you get the big starfish? I love those too! Agreed! I wish my wedding wasn't so far off - I don't know how I'm going to remember all of these neat things I see along the way!

Hi Christi, Playa Fiesta was our first choice in the beginning. However, we couldn't commit to the room block. Have you checked into all the details with this? We actually passed this little hotel on our way to Le Kliff restaurant. We whizzed by it in the cab so we didn't get a good up close view but it looks cute. It's south of downtown PV so keep that in mind if your guests want to get out (cab rides there can really add up!). Other than that I think it looks absolutely adorable and the WCs there seem to really be on top of things! Good luck! ~ Jaime

Where are you getting married? Have you done a site visit? If so did you meet these people in person? I think sometimes we all have to remember that with having a wedding in Mexico a lot of things are done in "Mexican time". However, if you are spending extra money to hire an outside WC IMO they should respond to your emails within a week or so. *Edit - I just saw that you are getting married March 1st. That's coming up pretty soon, congrats! I think they should be on the ball by now. How long does it take them to respond to you? Also, when did you sign your contract with them?*

Quote: Originally Posted by jayhawkbride Hi all! I'm excited to join the forum. I've already read some very useful posts and am excited to get to know everyone. We were hoping to get married in May in Mexico, but are worried we don't have enough time to get it done. With the weather in Mexico, the next best time is November, which seems so far away. Any great ideas or suggestions are welcome! I'd say the most important thing right now is to pick a location, then find out their availability. Personally I'm a big fan of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific side because of it's amazing combination of mountains, beach/ocean and palm trees all in one place. The Pacific side is also known for their sunsets. I'm beginning to learn a lot about PV so if you have any questions on it feel free to ask away! Cabo (also located on the Pacific side) from what I've heard is very different - a lot of desert, but there are a LOT of people from this forum getting married there so it must be great as well. On the other side of Mexico the water/weather is a bit warmer but there are some great locations there as well. The water is clearer on this side. I personally love Playa del Carmen, which is a town about 60 miles south of Cancun. This is where I got engaged. My favorite hotel there is The Royal which is located right in the heart of downtown Playa del Carmen. Stunning hotel, IMO. I've also heard great things about the city of Tulum but it is a longer drive from the Cancun airport. My FI's brother is honeymooning there in March and they are really looking forward to the peacefulness of it. Of course, there are many other great cities that are more centralized in Mexico but I am not yet very knowledgeable on those. Good luck, it's fun planning a DW!

Hmmm, if I have I don't remember... When I was down in PV on my recent site visit I did meet with Priscilla from Prisar Weddings. I've also heard good things from Dazzling Details.

Congrats on your wedding! I'm also getting married in May of '09. It's nice of you to help her out in the planning process!

I just wanted to say that I love the back of your dress! Very pretty, sexy and classy all at the same time

Quote: Originally Posted by foxytv Okay -- here's my alfredo recipe (adapted from my good friend Tony Bertolo, a true blooded Italian with a ton of older Italian ladies who ove to cook pasta!!! -- he and his family have several Italian joints locally.) 1 lb. Orichette pasta, cooked and drained (I love the way the orichette holds on to the sauce, and the consistently of this pasta -- but you can use any pasta you prefer). 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1/2 stick unsalted butter Heavy cream (about 2 cups -- adjust based on thickness desired) Fresh Parmesan, Asiago or Romano cheese (freshly grate it yourself just before adding it to the sauce) About 1 cup or adjust based on desired thickness/consistency Salt Pepper Basil Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add garlic and saute until lightly brown and aromatic. Keep heat on low and slowly add in heavy cream, whisk to blend. Slowly heat butter/cream/garlic mixture, stirring. Slowly add grated cheese and continue to whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix pasta and sauce, adding basil as garnish. ENJOY!!! I keep my thickness/consistency relatively light/soupy, since it will thicken over time. But let me tell you, this recipe is simple ad DIVINE!!! Ooooh, that sounds sooooooooo yummy!!! Will have to try this!

Quote: Originally Posted by JulieG I have not read what anyone else posted yet. I think number 2 because they are dressier and you will see them peaking out under your dress when you walk and dance and sit down, so I think number 2 will look a lot better. Number 1 is a lot more casual. I agree with what Julie has said. But I also think you will lose (as in kick off) the shoes by the end of the night!

Quote: Originally Posted by Cole5worm Hello all i have been reading all your great info these past couple days! I am torn on picking a resort i love the look or or one that is probably just as good but more afforable for my guest to come.. I wanted the RIU Vallarta but now I might settle for the Royal Decamron but i hate there ballon arch i see in photos.. wonder if you can remove that and make my own? any suggestions or did any of you feel the same? Hi and welcome! Here is a link to a review on RIU Vallarta. Also, you might try doing a "search" for both of these hotels you are looking into. The PV Accommodations and Sites Area has some great info on hotels in the area - Hope this helps! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t12397

Quote: Originally Posted by mauraw ay jaime. i can totally understand what you're feeling - i was hospitalized in late may with a really severe kidney infection over the holiday weekend and my doc was out of town and told me to go to the ER. well, the ER doctor was so rude to me on top of everything and had the nerve to give me a dirty look and ask me if i was a newlywed! i didnt get it, so he explained that he tends to see lots of newlyweds come in with kidney infections because of the increased amount of sex and oral sex they are having, which made me totally mortified. oh and then, my insurance tried to deny the claim from the ER saying that my kidney infection was a preexisiting condition! ha! RIGHT! a bacterial kidney infection was preexisting. cheap insurance companies. just remember if you take the AZO that turns your pee red, that its only a temporary pain relief. its not supposed to be taken for more than a few days, so i hope you arent still taking it. youre doing a good job by continuing to drink unsweetened cranberry juice - i bet you are so sick of it by now. i didnt touch cranberry juice until like a week ago after i was sick! sending you hugs and well wishes to get better soon! hopefully you can pass the kidney stone on your own, but definitely ask for pain meds if you need them. That is horrible what the doc said to you! I've had doctors talk down to me in a completely unprofessional manner, tell me I was basically crazy. Insurance does sound like a b*tch to deal with but right now I'd take that! Also, I only took the "AZO" type stuff (it was just a prescription strength type) once. It didn't work at all so I stopped taking it. Thanks for the well wishes! Quote: Originally Posted by Lizz Awww Jaime, I'm sorry all of this is happening. I don't have any words of wisdom, but wanted to say I hope this gets figured out sooner rather than later. Thanks Lizz Quote: Originally Posted by albrosious okay, so i went back and read your other posts about how long you have been sick ( i really am not crazy and psycho, there is nothing on TV). I am new to the forum and did not know all of the earlier stuff. If i were you I would go to a good doc and get a very thorough exam. You have been sick for way too long. make sure that it is your adrenal glands. make sure that there is nothing else lurking there from your mouth issues. anyway, that is it. i think i am done talking about it tonight I think you are on the right track - ALL of this began with having my wisdom teeth out. I had bad complications... first a dry socket and then they accidentally left a medicated gauze in the socket (the skin closed up around it) for a month! I got really sick and then one day I woke up and saw this cauliflower like substance coming out from my gums so I went back to the oral surgeon. It was honestly a total fluke accident. Right after that I got Mono and since then I've been having one thing happen after another. We found a homeopathic dentist that is supposed to be amazing - he is a 3 hour drive but I'm supposed to go see him so he can really look around in my mouth, the sockets where my wisdom teeth used to be to see if there's lingering infection, etc. Regular dentists swear everything looks "fine" but I have a strong feeling that something is NOT "fine" and there may be some sort of lingering infection. With adrenal fatigue they have you fill out a very in depth test that also helps determine when all of it begun because severe events like surgery, etc. can bring on a severe "outbreak" (for lack of better word) of the condition. I have traced it exactly back to when I had my wisdom teeth removed. According to the tests I had "moderate" adrenal fatigue before then and "severe" after. Quote: Originally Posted by Diana First let me say that I have never seen this post before and didn't read any of the replies. Second, let me say that I am a Respiratory Therapist and not a DR, RN or any of the such. Finally, let me say that if you are not confidant about the care that a doctor is giving you---- find a new one. There are a lot of doctors out there and there are a lot of patients. As a patient you should be able to discuss and then question anything and feel comfortable while there. I am sure that there is one that you can be comfortable with. Also, if you have problems with UTIs and kidney infections you should consider seeing a Urologist or Nephrologist once a year to prevent problems. I hope that you get the right meds to give you relief. I haven't had a UTI/Kindey infection in about 1.5 - 2 years. I started taking bladder kidney vitamins, drinking more water and they virtually went away. I am also very careful with intercourse and all that jazz. That's why this really surprised me. I have jumped around from doctor to doctor with these Care Now places and still have not found one I like. At the school doctor they change every semester so you can't ever get used to one. I should graduate next fall and can't wait to get a job with insurance. Unfortunately the company I work for right now is very small (only 3 full time employees), it is family based and we can't afford insurance.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jones4Me Raeka, You are georgous! Ditto on that, Mel! You really are beautiful!

Robin, it looks great! I left you a comment

Quote: Originally Posted by JessicaLovesBrian Blah. That sucks. I'm sorry you have to go through this. I hope the pain doesn't get too bad and this all goes away soon. I'll send you vibes for a healthy 2008. No more doctors proding and poking you!!! Thanks Jessica Quote: Originally Posted by Christa Jaime!! This sucks. I really hope that you get some answers & solutions soon. I know we've talked about this before because you & I have had similar issues w/the anxiety & the adrenal gland blowout...I definitely advocate finding a homeopathic doctor. I've had wonderful success with mine. It is not cheap, but I must say, for me it is worth it. Thinking warm gentle urinary thoughts for you lol @ the warm gentle urinary thoughts Trust me, I will definitely be searching for a homeopathic doc that truly understands what I am going through (with the adrenal fatigue). Next Summer on my 25th birthday I will get my inheritance from when my Mom passed away when I was 17. Money issues should ease up quite a bit then - thank God! It will really be a blessing. Quote: Originally Posted by MoWife Firts of all, I am so sorry you are going through this. i hope it passes and you finally feel well. Second, thank you for letting us know about Levaquin. I am prone to UTI's and kidney infections and I have taken Levaquin about a dozen times. that is what my doc prescribes every time. Once my kidney infection was so bad she gave me Cipro but every other time it has been Levaquin. I haven't had any of the adverse side effects you experienced and it has cleared up the infections (rather slowly I must say), but now I am going to read up on it and possibly ask for something else next time. Third, I also feel your pain about not having insurance. I didn't have insurance for a few years right out of college and of course that's when I experienced all kinds of problems. I had to have surgery and it took me three years to pay off. And here's the kicker I got approved for Charity Care to pay for the actual surgery, but all of the biopsies and lab work and anesthesia were not covered and it still cost way too much! I just hope you start to feel well soon and that you also get insuarnce soon because that is a very stressful situation. I don't know how I could help you out but I am always here if you want to vent! I can't tell you how nice it is to have someone really understand what I'm going through! I feel like such a complainer with all that's going on and it has been completely stressing me out trying to keep it all in. I'm sorry you had to go through similar things. This is the link to the Levaquin board I was talking about: levaquin side effects - Opinions Forum Page 6 It really scared me to see the crazy side effects of this drug, but obviously there are people (such as yourself) who it's worked for. But just the idea that so many out there are experiencing these side effects scare me. Quote: Originally Posted by albrosious That sucks that you are going through all of this! If you could find a dr that does a UA (urinalysis) right in the office, that would have saved you some money and the reaction to levaquin. I give that a lot at work and i do not usually have a problem. That is a strange reaction! I would make sure from now on when you get a RX you tell every dr that. Make sure with the H20 you are drinking, that you are not drinking too much, you could maybe alternate with some gatorade or something to keep your electrolytes in check. Hope you feel better soon and whatever it is goes away. I will say a little prayer for you! They did do a UA in the office but found NOTHING so they decided to send it off to the lab for a more thorough test. However he still decided to treat me with this strong antibiotic which upsets me, especially since I told him I had just been on a ZPac the week before and am prone to yeast infections w/multiple dosages. I'm glad you haven't experienced many people with these reactions. Have you heard about the possible tendon problems associated with Levaquin? I'm guessing you're a doctor or a nurse..? How much is too much water to drink? I normally drink about 2-3 liter bottles of water a day. Now I may be up to 4... maybe 5. Plus cranberry juice. I do eat salty foods though. I'll add some gatorade in just in case... That last line reminded me of the Aretha Franklin song "I say a little prayer for you. Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart and I will love you forever..." haha Thanks for the good thoughts everyone! I'm getting pretty nervous about all this but it really helps to get it all out.

Hi! I've done two site visits. The first went not so well but the second went great so we must've learned something. First off, yes I definitely think it's a good thing to make appointments! Also, if you're planning on having an outside wedding coordinator look into this first. If you pick one without meeting them, set up an appointment with them first. They may be able to take you around to all the different places. This is what we did. We met with two different WC's and they were great! They showed us around only like a local could. We really only spent two days doing this. We also had a list of recommendations on places to eat to check out possible rehearsal/welcome dinner spots and tried to hit as many of these on our own as possible. Try and get out and explore the city some too if you can. Check out liquor stores, Walmart (if they have one), etc. and try and learn your way around a bit so that you can aid your guests when they arrive. Hope this helps!

Quote: Originally Posted by redwards I don't doubt that! Dallas can be a crazy place. And stress does all kinds of terrible things to bodies. Maybe the key here is to take a vacation about once a month? ;-) This is precisely why I want to go into the Travel & Tourism biz

Quote: Originally Posted by StephanieMN Wow you really have been beaten up by the system! Sorry to hear you are having trouble. I used to work for a homeopath and would encrourage you to see if you can find one in your area who can help you. I swear it works! Hey Stephanie, I am looking into this actually. The doctors I want to see about getting healed are homeopathic/naturalistic. Unfortunately though I've got to save up or get insurance before I can see them and for now have to deal with these crappy CareNow/School doctors... Quote: Originally Posted by redwards wow....you poor thing! I'm SO sorry about all this crap! I really really hope you feel better soon! Thanks Rachelle! It's been hard and very stressful but I'm really trying to hang in there!! I must say Puerto Vallarta was the best thing for me! I felt healthy for the first time in quite awhile after my 2nd day there. When I came home that's when I started getting sick again. Between the growing traffic and construction here I really think living in the heart of Dallas is a big stressor for me and part of why I keep getting sick.

Quote: Originally Posted by starchild Good Lord! Poor thing you just can't catch a break ( I'm glad you stopped taking that drug, sounds scary to me. I hope you find relief soon. I know you've got a lot going on, but when you have the time I highly recommend a book called "Never Be Sick Again". I've bought it for most people close to me. Maybe it will help, it can't hurt. Never Be Sick Again: Health Is a ... - Google Book Search Cool thanks Jamy, I'll check it out - I'm all about self help books on getting well right now!!!

Ok, here's what's been going on. As many of you know I've been sick for awhile. Well I finally found out that my adrenal glands are overactive so I've been changing my diet and supplements around. Luckily I found an amazing book on the subject and it has really helped to change my life. I'm still hoping to see a doctor who specializes in this disorder (not many even know of it) sometime next year. Anyways, as background info one of the supplements I added in was Cal/Mag which I had been taking religiously for a couple months. Also the doctors told me to take 1000+mg of Vit C (up to 2,000mg a day if my body could handle it) to get my immune system up. The Wednesday before we left for Mexico (two weeks ago from yesterday) the right side of my back started hurting really bad. Moving didn't help and it seemed to come and go - piercing pains. So I went into my chiropractor (who is also a family friend) the next day. I showed her where it was hurting and she said that's my kidney, not the muscle or bones. I told her about the supplements I'd been taking and she said it was probably a little too overloaded so I immediately cut out the calcium. She did some reflexology on me and told me if it still hurt to let her know. Well, we flew out to Mexico on Sunday. I went off all my supplements the entire week I was in Mexico. The searing pain went away and switched to a dull but very uncomfortable pain that came and went. When I came back my chiropractor was out of town so I did some research on the net and figured it was likely a kidney stone because lots of Calcium + Vit C can cause these to form (oops!). Soooo frustrating, because I am just trying to get well!! I went to see a doctor at CareNow and he did a urinalysis. No infection found and no blood either. However he guessed it was still a kidney infection and put me on an antibiotic which I'd never heard of before - Levaquin. I thought it was very odd that he didn't tell me any of the possible side effects to look out for or give me an information sheet on it. At first he gave me 3 doses. Then he came back with 2 more "just in case I lost them" since it would be over Xmas break. When I tried to confirm that I would take it for 3 days he changed his mind and said take it for 5. I took the first dose as soon as I left that night (around 9pm) and this is when things started to go wrong. Within a couple hours I was extremely loopy. It felt like I had taken a narcotic pain medicine or was drunk/high - definitely not like I had only taken an antibiotic! Martin said I was making no sense. The following 3 nights I had severe insomnia. I figured it was all in my head. Then on Xmas night I noticed that the small rash I'd seen on my left hand earlier that day had spread all over the right hand. I showed it to Martin and he confirmed that it definitely looked like a rash. I decided immediately to go off this antibiotic. When I went searching on the net I found numerous cases of otherwise healthy people experiencing the same side effects and very troublesome others - many times life threatening or permanent damage was caused. There's a whole message board on this drug that's full of people who call it "poison" and want to file a class action lawsuit to have it taken off the market. Apparently the medical examiner had serious concerns with this drug but the FDA approved it anyways. It had a 42% negative reaction rating. I'm so glad I stopped this drug before it had a chance to do further damage. Not to say it can't help some but I definitely think you should be informed of the risks of it! People with anxiety (like me) should definitely use it with caution. It's crazy, but doctors get paid sometimes to prescribe certain meds. It's such a shame that the patient's health isn't the most important thing. Annnnnyways. The doc at CareNow had sent off a culture to a lab that would take 3 days to get back. He was sure that it would show an infection and decided to go ahead and treat me for one (even though I had just been on a round of antibiotics for a sinus infection a week before). Well, I called yesterday letting them know of my reactions to the drug and to ask for my lab results. The lab results weren't ready so I asked the receptionist to put my reactions in my chart and ask a doctor/nurse to call me with the results - whether they be negative or positive. Let me add here that the doc said they wouldn't call me if the test came back negative or if it was positive but was treatable with this drug. Why the hell wouldn't you call me if I'm on antibiotics and I don't even have an infection?? Why would you keep me on the antibiotics??! UGH! Today a nurse called me back but said she couldn't give me my results over the phone. I was upset because I can't afford to pay $70 to come back in just to get my lab test results and I didn't want to start another antibiotic if I didn't have an infection (I'm very sensitive to yeast infections). She put me on hold and finally came back and said "everything is within normal range". I said what does this mean and she just repeated herself. I had to ask "does this mean there is no infection present?" and she said yes - she said everyway she looked at it there's absolutely no infection. So I took this potentially dangerous antibiotic for no reason. She said I did the right thing by stopping it with such serious complications (duh). I have had UTI's and Kidney infections all my life so I know what those feel like and this never felt like one! You know that pain med they give you that turns your urine red? (sorry if TMI) That ALWAYS works for me when I get a UTI/kidney infection but this time it did not work and only made me very dizzy and sick to my stomach. I had a feeling that this was not an infection. A coworker of mine once thought he had a kidney stone while he was at work. He had some hydrocodone so he called the nurse and she said to go ahead and take that and if it works then it's probably a kidney stone - if it doesn't it's a UTI. I had a few of these left over from my dental work back in May so I tried half of one last night and it really helped. I let the nurse know this and asked if that pointed to signs of a kidney stone and she said Yes. I then asked her if there is another test that can be done (besides Urinalysis) and she said a sonogram. BUT I would have to come back to the CareNow doc and be charged for the visit and then he would have to recommend me to a specialist for the sonogram. I don't have insurance so this is sounding very costly. I asked if the doc could just prescribe me something to help it pass and she said no, not without knowing for sure that it's a kidney stone. All these loops are driving me CRAZY! She kept recommending that I go to my primary care physician (I'm guessing they don't have so many loops to get around??) but that is the Health Clinic (aka Quack Shack) at my college and they don't re-open until Wednesday. That would be GREAT because it's free but I'm thinking this thing is on its way out before then... Basically everything I've researched points to two things - kidney infection or kidney stone and this narrows it down to the latter. It begun in my kidney but has moved down my back, around my side, to the front and down to my groin. I can feel little pinches and I'm pretty sure it's about to make its way out in the next couple of days. I've been drinking 3-4 litres of water daily along with unsweetened cranberry juice and taking bladder and kidney vitamins. Luckily I have some pain meds on hand. Now I'm just praying that the pain doesn't get too bad because I've heard if it does you have to go to the ER and get morphine!!! EEK! My Grandpa had one and his nurse said when she had one it hurt worse than birthing her triplets. I am so freaking PO'ed at doctors. I've had to deal with so many in the past year and so many seem virtually incompetent. If it's not a cold, they don't seem to have a clue! Not to diss all doctors (and I know we have some great nurses on here!) but the ones I have dealt with lately have been a MESS! At this point I'm just hoping it's on its way out and I will be able to celebrate the New Year HEALTHY! Sorry for the loooooooooooong story - this has been weighing on my mind for the past couple of weeks and I had to get it out. Think nice, gentle thoughts for my urinary tract system, haha

Bare Minerals has SPF 15 in it I believe. I love that - I use it on top of a facial lotion with SPF 15 or 20 and it keeps my facial skin looking great

Yay, how fun! I love yours, it's beautiful. It has an "antique-y" feel to it which I love!