Heidi

I'm putting this in the vendors forum because, well, I really don't know where else to put it!!! I have a very artistically talented friend (actually one of my BMs), and she's just starting to build her pencil portrait business. She's REALLY good (and I'd say that even if I didn't know her!). I think she's charging somewhere around $75 for a drawing....and I think they're all 8x10. Anyway, here's a slideshow of her work: PhotoShow | Pencil Portraits About half-way through is a picture she drew for me for a birthday gift last year (me & my niece in a pumpkin patch; I love it & get so many compliments on it!). Also, near the end, with the caption 'create a family heirloom' is my other BM and her husband; Cathy (the artist) gave it to them for a 1 year anniversary gift this year. If anyone wants her contact info or if you have any questions, let me know. She really is quite good at this!

I wanted to post my booklet as well. LARGELY borrowed from Mo (THANK YOU!!!!!), but I added a lot of info about excursions. Hope this is able to help... (FYI, Mine is done as a half page booklet. So the order of the pages in the file looks funky, but when you print it out it flows perfectly!) Jamaica_booklet.pdf

BTB: Lizz & Carly Mrs: Jamy

I *LOVE* Self Magazine! They have a really great 3-month long workout & diet routine that will kick your butt into great shape! I plan on starting it in December or January. It's called the Self Challenge ~ I HIGHLY recommend it (though it is TOUGH & requires a time commitment for regular exercising). I've done it every year for the last 5 years. Go here: Search results for workouts on SELF.com Create a log-on and you can see the 3 different months of the Challenge.

Wrath Who did you last get angry with? My boss What is your weapon of choice? hm, I don't know! Would you hit a member of the opposite sex? if he deserved it How about the same sex? if she deserved it! Sloth What is one thing you're suppose to do daily that you haven't been doing? lately, eating enough... I'm getting better though Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't? My friends from college Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through? Reggie was OBSESSED with the Magic Bullet infomercial, so yes. How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock this morning? I never snooze it Gluttony What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice? Grande Soy Latte Are you a meat eater? No, I am not an eater of meat. I am an eater of veggies, tofu, tempeh & seitan! What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting/outing/event? phew, a lot! Have you ever squirted canned whipped cream directly into your mouth? yeppers Greed How many credit cards do you own? two If you had 50 million dollars, what would you do with it? INVEST!!! And buy a house. Would you rather be rich or famous? rich Would you accept a boring job if it meant that you would make megabucks? possibly Pride What's one thing that you have done that you're most proud of? finished my MBA Do you get annoyed by coming in second place? depends what it's in. When I was still running track, YES! In the 'real world' though, not so much. Just sports! Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors? no, I don't think so! Don't enter many contests of skill these days... Have you ever cheated to get a better score? In High School, I'm sure I did. Didn't everyone?! Lust Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a person of your chosen sex during a normal conversation? hehe, yeah! Have you ever had impure thoughts about someone else's girlfriend / boyfriend / wife / husband? sure, I have impure thoughts about Josh Holloway's wife's husband. And Wentworth Miller's partner's partner. hehehehe What is your favorite body part of a person of your gender choice? eyes, chest, butt Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute? nope Envy What item of your friends would you most want to have for your own? a house & children Do you ever wish you were someone other than yourself? Even with all the crappy stuff that happens, I like who I am. Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own? straight hair would've been fun What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself? patience & lately understanding

We'll be there April 1-April 8. For two people in a Junior Suite, airfare, all transfers & taxes we're paying just over $3000. For two people staying in a 'normal' room with all of the above for 7 days, it's about $2400. My mom is staying in a single for 6 days and is paying about $1600. Hope this helps!! (they all include airfare of about $500ish per person)

As suggested, here's a place we can put everyone's wedding & travel dates. Add to the list: April 2008 Brides Heidi: wedding on April 4; there from 4/1-4/8 Jen (J&M): wedding on April 9 Jocelyn: wedding on April 10; there from 4/5-4/12 Denise: there 4/5-4/12 yboone98: wedding on April 11; there 4/9-1/13 Amanda: wedding on April 17; there from 4/12-4/19 May 2008 Brides md_ocr: wedding on May 10 Lizz: wedding on May 16; there on May 10 Davina: wedding on May 29; there from May 26-June 1

That actually sounds like a nice plan; reception on the beach! I'm sure it's going to be great! Quote: Originally Posted by DLyteful Also, Chandlyn says there is a charge of $10 pp for an open bar. Is the actual bar open all the time? Or is it available only at certain times? If you're paying for the bar, I'm guessing that they'll leave it open to you for at least a few hours.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lizz Mike works at Aramark in the HR Dept. Before that he was at PriceWaterhouse Coopers for 7 years in Compensation. Look online and see if you're interested in jobs at either of those companies. If so, email me your resume and I'll pass it along. Thanks Lizz...checking them out now!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lizz What do you think you want to do? Any particular field? I've been working in Marketing for the last 5 years. I love it, and would love to stay in it! But I have my MBA, so I'd be up for pretty much any area of business (except accountint! )

I'm just so angry right now. So mad my hands are shaking while I"m writing this! Good thing I took today off (gotta use up those sick days! haha!)

Well, here's the final word on whether or not I will be getting paid for taking 4 days off to mourn my dead baby... Email from my boss: "Heidi, After very careful consideration and concern for your situation, I find it necessary to adhere to our policy regarding paid/unpaid days for absenteeism. I hope you are feeling better, and we can move forward in a positive way." So, I have nothing left to say except let the job search begin.... any tips

Quote: Originally Posted by beachbride does anyone know anything about how I can do something about this? there was no warning, no ingredients... Should I call the company? do you think there is antyhing I can do? I would absolutely call the company. And possibly even the store you bought it in, just to let them know what happened when you used it.

oh no!!! I'm so sorry Shelley but glad your kitty is doing better now.

Quote: Originally Posted by brecluse Ok, so I guess you guys were really right. Matt talked with the BVI govt. officials today to figure out if we could have his college roommate perform our ceremony there (we thought that was possible), but it turns out that if we do the civil ceremony in the bvi the justice has to perform the ceremony. Soooo, we're doing a legal ceremony here for my dad and step mom tomorrow and our friend will do a personal ceremony for us in the bvi, but we won't do any paperwork there. And the scans came back good. She had some tumors go away, some shrink and the largest didn't get any bigger. So progress. Thanks so much for the kind words and for helping me see what I already knew. You guys rock! That's so wonderful; great news all around!!!! I'm so happy for you!

to the forum Anne; and congrats on your quickly approaching wedding!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lizz MD is a short drive away! We can make it a road trip and come to see you Shelley!!! that is an absolutely fabulous idea!!!!!

Yes, you can absolutely do a paper STD directing your guests to your website & TA for more info. That is exactly what i did for mine! I printed my STDs on 90lb card stock paper with a color laser jet printer.

Quote: Originally Posted by Christine I just want to clarify something, since we didn't want Heidi to know what was going on, the mods discussed this together and made the decision about the gift. I am really sorry not everyone could decide. We also had some input from a few of the PA girls who went to dinner with Heidi as they were sent on a mission to get some info out of her. I didn't do this entirely on my own, and don't want to take credit for something that quite a few people had part in. oh, you sneaky PA girls!!! thanks again to everybody.

to the forum

wow, talk about a tough decision! I can only tell you what I think I would do; and that would be to get married at home first. If you feel strongly about your step mom and dad seeing your wedding, I say go for it. Nobody needs to know that you did it besides the 4 of you (oh, and BDW! ) If you feel strongly about getting married for the first & only time in the BVI, then do that. I just realized that my post is really NO HELP! haha, sorry!!!

(darn double post!)

to the forum

Shelley, you know we're all here for you and we will help you in any way possible. Hey, you can always come to Ocho Rios in April!! Seriously though, you'll still have a fabulous wedding day. We will support you through anything you decide to do! Please let us know how we can help you!

Hi Liza! You have plenty of time to plan the perfect wedding!!