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Jacqueline: This time last year I broke it off with my BFF - it was a very unhealthy relationship and I guess I never really had time to dwell on the situation because my wedding was only a few months away. So NYE this year rolls around and i'm starting to think about it ALOT. Not that I want to rekindle anything (NEVER LOL!!!), but you know...just sad it happened. I think another reason is that I recently switched jobs (was at my last one 5 years) so im a little sad/scared about all the changes that lie ahead.

I confess to feeling really down this holiday season although I've been putting on a brave face. I'm over eating because of it, which is the opposite reaction I have when I'm stressed. The over eating means I'm gaining lbs, which makes me even sadder. First time I really have the holiday blues - I hope I dont cry my eyes out when the ball drops

In order of importance: Be confident in what I want to do, but especially in what I have to say! I have this evil insecurity of looking everywhere else besides a persons eyes and giggling/smiling too much when speaking or being spoken to. Return phone calls/texts, dont break plans last minute, stop being so much of a flake. I hadnt realized I became anti-social over the years until I finally broke off a longterm unhealthy friendship Take better care of my appearance. I want to be a girlie girl this year! Train for a race...maybe even for a marathon. I started 2 years ago and lost motivation while wedding planning. This one covers tone up/weight loss too!

House party at DH cousin's house... Get Fat, Get Juiced, Pass Out! Have a great night everyone!

Depends on your budget really... I had them at my wedding and they werent a light source so much as an amazing accent in pictures taken during sunset. Otherwise, I think you couldnt even see the light when you took a flash picture... The light is basically a battery powered lamp and each cost me $30 to rent (including battery).

Please don’t mistake my inquiry as complaining about sponsor ads... I hadn’t signed on in a few weeks and was wondering if the link was an option (and broken) since the ads on all sides were new since my last visit too. I was just trying to call attention to it in the "Bugs" forum if it was a broken option for "at work" days Guess it’s just a fluke though...thanks everyone!

The "Remove Advertisements" link on either side does not work for me! I keep getting this message: Our records show that you have already registered under the name of plumsugar. If you have lost your password, click here. If you would like to modify your profile, click here. Please help!

I get my hair Thermally Reconditioned (curly to straight) on a 3-4 month basis. My advice is to wait until after your wedding in October! Although I’ve gotten the process done about 5 times now, I even waited until after my wedding to get my HORRIBLE 5 month old roots redone lolol! 1) Even if you have had the same amazing person work on your hair, there is always a risk of damage. I got a bend once (yes, a physical bend in my hair) that had to be flattened out at my next retouch…4 months later! 2) 80% of the time an apprentice works with the stylist (or even more so) on your hair because the process is so complex. If you dont know them or if you get the wrong apprentice, you get one side of your head messed up! 3) If you get the process done too close to wedding day, it would be impossible to style it until 2-3 weeks after. AKA you can’t heat style or finger style it…not even tuck it behind your ears! 4) A follow up to #3: If you would like to color your hair, you wouldn’t be able to do so for at least 2-3 weeks before or after the process and it can only be semi-permanent. Plus, say farewell to highlights if that was your thing! 5) Another follow up to #3: Jumping into a refreshing tub of chlorine (your resort’s pool) is out of the question unless you wear a dorky cap (like I did lolol) or you know how your hair will react to the chemical…it may do nothing or it could wipe away the $$ and time you put into getting it! Then there's the having to cut it out if you want a change, roots growing in, ect ect. It may sound like you have little options when you get a TR/Digital Perm, and you do lol, but with all these restrictions it’s my favorite investment <3 It’s all about the right timing, research, and what kind of person you are with your hair!

DH & I were thinking of moving into a luxury apartment complex this fall. We figured his job is secure and I’m getting new employment soon so things will be perfectly fine for such a change. Except… BASIC weekly groceries have turned into $70 (originally $35-40) and filling up my tank is now at $50 (originally $25) Then, my father got "fired" yesterday. It's an indefinite layoff I guess you can say; He's been with the company for close to 15 years so they wanted to at least give him a severance package and be able to collect unemployment… He’s 57 and only had a few more years to retire. I can’t imagine how difficult it’s going to be for him to find something new. Needless to say our plans have changed and we are focused on just getting through these upcoming months with enough saved in the bank in case something does go wrong for my parents, my brother (who works in the same company as my father), or us. I was even thinking about forgetting my job search and sticking with my “secure†job. But my dad told me to strike when the iron is hot because not even a secure job is guaranteed in these times.

Dear D: Please try to take DH’s wild ideas with a grain of salt. Yes, you love to back him up on anything he dreams up just as a good wife should do. But on top of the career change you are currently perusing, his wishy-washiness of first buying a house then staying in the apartment for another year or getting a new similar apartment next month or staying in the apartment for another three months or getting a new bigger apartment in six months or moving in with his dad to save money EVERY OTHER DAY is really stressing you out!!! Also, I understand it was really annoying that certain motivated individuals in his family egged him on when he first thought of buying a house and that started this whole moving into a new apartment (or not) fiasco. Just try to keep your feet planted firmly on the ground and don’t get swept up in their wild ideas. Unless you want that new change to be exotic dancing. Sweet. With love, D’s Conscious <3

Speaking of this... I really cant standdddd these personal websites like Myspace/Facebook... The people who are picture-whores (90% of my family/friends) all take pictures on their own cameras at every event we go to and then all those pictures are plastered on their gallery's the next day. So yeah, I have to make sure for my own sanity that I vary my outfits lololol

Quote: Originally Posted by lauren c. are you in bergen? Essex Hubby is based out of Lyndhurst, which is still Bergen County only 10 minutes away from our apartment woohoo!

Beach Beach Beach! Hubby was transferred to a new store and now has Sundays off again (I love the NJ Blue Law!) so we plan to go to the beach as often as possible to make up for all those weekends we couldn’t! Besides that, we are planning some group activities with friends: white water rafting, great adventure, bowling nights, tons of bbq's...All the cheesy teenage things we used to do lolol

Quote: Originally Posted by TammyB Damn cat was probably on my bed last night with powder all over his face and I didn't even know.. lol My new kitten B.B. doesn’t really go after any people food besides giving the occasional "mew" when smelling buttery popcorn... However, my mom's cat loveeeees olives and Cool Ranch Doritos - yep, that flavor only!

Oh wow! Thankfully no one was home at the time!

Update: Because I need to vent out these emotions! After a few days of anxiously waiting for a solid reply from my boss, I got declined for a raise and more hours. This really upset me, but was ok because during that wait I decided (with help from you ladies!) that it was time for a change anyway. The crazy part… I already got called for two interviews!!! OMG…I only had my resume exposed for one week and I am so not prepared for things to go this fast!!! Tomorrow morning is at a realty company’s corporate office for an Exec-Assist position and Friday is a phone interview for a Senior Admin-Assist position at a Financial/Retirement company which just happens to be in the 80’s of the Fortune 500 list lolol!!! I feel so blessed for even getting call backs, but I’m incredibly nervous that my first two interviews are with huge players like this!!! I feel like I’m going to die from excitement!!! I dont even know what excuse im going to give to miss work for a few hours tommorow (at least Friday will be on my lunch break - of which i never take so somethings going to look suspect lmao lmao) Wish me much luck that I don’t stammer or stutter or even freeze this week…I don’t even remember what an interview is like lololol!

Quote: Originally Posted by Hartyt509 I don't think he probably meant it the way you took it - but if you really want to leave then you should just be straight up with him. Cause the more softly softly you go it will be worse to leave. I only know this because I left after 13 years and it was difficult but something I needed to do I definitely know he didn’t say it to be mean or anything. But that type of extra income he offered me was not what I was looking to get out of our discussion yesterday and I had hoped that he would be a bit more savvy to realize it...He still hasnt told me of a potential salary increase, but the more I think about it the more Kat81 is right: I did grown out of this position and hadn’t realized it. I read something today describing how many older/smaller employers are totally out of touch with the market especially if they use older equipment, aren’t too computer savvy, ect. Totally the case here…I honestly believe he thinks I’m overpaid :/ I'm almost sure that come summer i'll be on the hunt...which is sad to think about, but promising for me, my hubby, & our future

So Long! Sorry! I have been working as an Administrative Assistant for approximately five years now. I started p/t while attending college and was paid a basic salary which was substantially raised every year. Now that I am working f/t this year, I make about 33K without benefits (it’s a small business/home office). Although I was recently placed on a profit sharing plan – which is amazing and bossman is super generous – I am starting to realize that my worth is much more than just $33k a year considering that I have received a college degree in that time and my administrative skills have had time to mature. This was made super obvious to me when I updated my resume the other day; who knew so much could change in five years! The problem lies in that my employer and I are very close; we run like a family business. During these five years, I’ve done things (besides obvious administrative stuff) like take him to the hospital, water his plants, and random odd jobs which were sometimes fun to do and sometimes “you wouldn’t believe it if I told you†stuff lol, but it was a great p/t and I didn’t mind it at the end of the day. In this case, it’s completely hard for me to detach personal feelings from business, but I finally mustered up the courage to tell him that I was looking for a p/t at nights/weekends (which was my original plan) in order for him not to freak out when receiving reference calls. I also mildly planted the seed that I glanced at some f/t positions in my p/t search and realized the starting salary in positions for someone with my current qualifications ranged from a minimum of 40k to 55k WITH benefits! But I told him not to worry because I wasn’t looking to switch jobs, just need a little extra income. We had a long talk about what would warrant my search for a p/t and he said he needed some time to think about what he could do for me first (if extra hours or more money) and would let me know by Monday at latest. The slow season is starting which is understandable that it would be difficult to give me more hours, but he did ask if an extra hour a day would help. I said it would, but not by much and I would still need a p/t job. I didn’t want to outright ask for a large raise in my salary. Some recent factors just made me chicken out: he flew to my DW, gave me a substantial gift, and all the super nice stuff over the last five years which were all “personalâ€. But today was killer...and I think it’s because I was too nice in negotiating the “business†side into a dead end. We work in the oddest industry: insurance claim adjusting. Every day is different and you do get placed in the worst ghettos with the most random people/situations. Hence my odd jobs. So... he asked me if I wanted to go with him Saturday to a construction site to scrub toilets and clean as the insured is bitching and moaning about random stuff before they move in. He does this sometimes just to get the insured to shut up about the contractor's mess…BUT…he asked me if I wanted to go with him because “money is moneyâ€. To this I said “you are right!â€â€¦not because I was accepting his offer, but because it pushed my train of thought over the edge and maybe it is time for a BIG change in my career I don’t know if I came across like a greedy b**** yesterday (considering the recent events between him and I), but it really pissed me off that he didn’t even inform me of any pay raise/more OFFICE HOURS before asking me if I wanted to work a (literally) shit job on the weekend that has nothing to do with what my position is! Yeah i did stuff like this before, but I just feel like I was snubbed and he's treating me like a p/t worker who is desperate for money. I want a p/t for more money, but its not because i'm broke, and I’m not 20 years old anymore I need some advice to get a level head before I officially start a new f/t job hunt. I love what I do and really care about my boss/his business/and my wonderful work environment. But I dont know if my run here is coming to a close…so you tell me if it sounds like it is!

We were in the car last night (around 730pm) and the temperature still read 101 degrees! I'll be at work for a large portion of the day - free air conditioning! - then rush home for the paid air conditioning lol… No way am I stepping outside today and getting my famous sweat mustache ick!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Yari It also makes your MII more plump...sigh! Nooooo that suckssss!!! lolol ::rubs chin:: Just read this thread and the amazon reviews; I'm mucho interested in a Wii Fit now! I think its purchase time!

I can’t believe your sister did not think these false accusations through nor all of the things that could have gone wrong with your daughter, your FI, yourself, your relationship with FI, and your relationship with her!! As hard as it might be to do - although psycho sis has made it quite easy - you're making the right decision by cutting her off. A restraining order sounds good too...for everyone’s best interest...especially if she’s lying to your father/family about this as well. Document everything and keep your head up babe!

I haven’t laughed so much all week!!! I'm a 100% cat person, but all of your dogs are hysterical!! Foil pooping was the best!! And I agree, a picture of pup in pampers please!!

Sandra E: Happy Birthday!!! Here's mine (June 3): You are more than a big ball of energy - you are a big ball of hyper. You are always on the go, but you don't have a type a personality. Instead of channeling your energy into work, you instead go for fun and adventure. Witty and verbal, you can have an interesting conversation with anyone. Your strength: Your larger than life imagination Your weakness: You tend to be pretty scattered Your power color: Lime Your power symbol: Lightening bolt Your power month: March

wooohooo... mucho sexi!!

I felt like Pres.Inter was only 5-10 minutes from Dreams, but maybe we had speed demon type taxi drivers lolol... Make sure you know what all the fee's are for having non-resort guests at your wedding and/or spending the day with you guys at Dreams!