Posts by Rebecca Vaughn7

gentlepilot9 said:I think we’re actually leaning towards picking Friends after all, so we'll probably just push the wedding back about six months. We already know a few couples who held their big day there, which makes it feel much more solid,
plus there’s honestly plenty of room for around 90 guests. Hey, didn't you host a wedding over at Diocletian once, Rebecca Vaughn7? I was wondering what the pricing looked like there.

I actually went with Friends 😍 but Diocletian was our runner-up. The space is gorgeous, and a close friend of mine got married there, so I know the service is top-tier. We basically flipped a coin between the two and ended up choosing Friends... mostly because the young owner, Joseph, is incredibly affordable and patient. He’ll go out of his way to accommodate just about anything you need.👍👍👍

As for the capacity at Friends... it can handle 100 people if you opt for long rectangular tables instead of rounds. If you insist on round tables, make sure you don't exceed 90 guests, otherwise you simply won't be able to fit enough tables in the room. And for heaven's sake, remember to account for the band, the videographer, and the photographer. We thought we’d cap it at 90 too, but we ended up with 105 and it was total chaos trying to figure out the seating. In the end, we put all the relatives at round tables and sat all our friends at one long rectangular table—it worked out perfectly.

One more tip: if you don't want people constantly walking past your head while you're at the head table, don't put it right next to those central glass doors. Put it in the far left wing of the hall. That’s what we did, and it was brilliant. You aren't staring down a hallway of foot traffic, yet you can still see everything; you feel centered without feeling like you're on display in a storefront window. 👍

Oh, and as far as I recall, the pricing at Friends and Diocletian is identical.

gentlepilot9 said:Hey everyone, I’m starting to map out a wedding for this coming summer with a guest list of somewhere around 80 to 90 people. We were originally looking at booking Amigos, but it turns out they don't actually handle weddings during July or August, which is a bit of a bummer.
We’ve been checking out George’s restaurant over in Philadelphia lately, and I was just wondering if anyone here has ever worked with them or maybe attended an event there? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how the food is! Thanks so much, cheers!

I’d suggest Diocletian. It’s right near George's, just across the street heading toward San Francisco—you can't miss it, right by that little intersection with the convenience store, the playground, and the gravel parking lot.

We bailed on George's the second we saw the owner. Zero professionalism, zero courtesy. To make matters worse, they started making a fuss about putting flowers on the tables... acting like it was impossible, or implying we'd have to pay extra for it. Wtf.

Thanks!!! 🙂 And I hope you’ll have plenty of reasons to be celebrating on a strip test in a day or two 😁

I might get it this Monday, or maybe anytime up until next Monday since my cycles fluctuate between 21 and 31 days...😠 But honestly, based on the breast tenderness I’ve been dealing with since day 16, and the fact that my last few cycles have been short—only about 21 or 22 days—I’m counting on Monday.

We really went all out this month, and we're actually hoping... ugh, I am going to absolutely lose it when it finally shows up. 😢

Oh, right... insomnia is a huge PMS symptom for me too. 😬 It usually hits a night or two before my period starts. That’s how I know, without fail, that it's coming.

Anthony Price5 said:Rebecca Vaughn7, it just finally clicked for me that you might actually be thinking about getting pregnant. 😁

At first, I was under the impression you weren't really looking to 🙂 But anyway... what I was trying to get at is that you can never truly know 🙂
Either way—I'm crossing my fingers for you and really hope everything works out exactly how you want it to. Sorry about the mix-up 🙂

It's all good! You didn't say anything bad 😍 And thanks!!! 🙂

Oh, I want it... god, I want it so bad... Like I said, I'm taking the test on Monday. Dammit, these breasts are killing me... I just need to know if I can finally stop living on painkillers...

Hoping against hope until the very last second...

I've reached that point where I'm scouring the internet to see if excessive, uh, windiness is actually an early symptom. 🙈 What's even worse is that it says it's...

Thanks, slybadger99! 😍

God, I am starving... just two more days...

When you eat asparagus, your pee smells like absolute garbage.🤮 So, I immediately wanted to rule that out as a possible cause via differential diagnosis 😁

Anyway, I went out and bought a test. Just the cheapest one, $7.00, some Sign Test thing. I flat-out refuse to go pee all over $27 just to water them with my tears and then toss them in the trash. I'd much rather spend that money on chocolate.

So now the test is just sitting on my shelf. It stares at me, and I stare back at it.

It's too early, dammit—it’s only December 18th. Even if my cycle takes 21 days this month, it's still way too early.

If it doesn't show up by Monday (which shouldn't happen—if it does, my cycle is totally screwed), then I'm testing.

Alright, it’s time for me to start playing doctor and imagining symptoms, so...

Question for the group. I'm noticing a weird smell in my urine during PMS—no signs of an infection, obviously (just the usual bloating and all that fun stuff)—and my breasts have been sore almost since ovulation (never this early before)...plus mild cramping starting around 6 DPO (also never this early)...and my temperature occasionally hits 98.2°F accompanied by chills (it usually stays under 97.7°F)....there’s no spotting (which usually happens)...but that smell is what's really killing me. I could try to write off everything else as wishful thinking or something else, but not this.
Based on my cycle, my period might show up in 3-7 days. We covered all the fertile days.
Should I keep hoping and counting down the days until the test, or just comfort myself with food like I always do? 😕

Oh, and yeah... I haven't eaten any asparagus. 😬

crimsonsailor2 said:Hey everyone, I need some advice on hiring a photographer. I’m looking for a few professional shots—nothing overly staged or cheesy—around the ceremony and the service. People are quoting me upwards of $500 for this, which feels steep to me. I’d rather find a local pro who knows their stuff instead of bugging my friends, but I don't know anyone else. I want quality photos, but they don't need to be high-concept art pieces, so that price tag just doesn't sit right. What's the consensus?

One more thing. We're torn between two venues. One includes drinks in the package, while the other doesn't—but the second one is so much better that we'd pay the difference just to have it. My concern is how much the bar bill might actually run us. Any idea how to gauge that?

Hmm... normally you're looking at anywhere from $1,200 up to $2,000... but that usually includes the album, the video, shooting at your place, the venue, the church, the reception... maybe $500 is just for a specific part of the itinerary? 🤷
Listen, being too polite never works out... why not squeeze a friend just a little bit? 😍 You could offer to let the photos count as their wedding gift, especially if they're handling the printing.

Edward Rodriguez4 said:So I went to the local Red Cross clinic today for my last blood donation, and let me tell you, the woman working there absolutely butchered me... it was like she was skinning a deer or something! And honestly, how much blood do they really need? I’m telling you, they just sell it all off later—probably straight to some butcher shop to make blood sausages or whatever. Absolute scum! Plus, why does it hurt so damn much when they hit a vein?! Honestly, I’d rather have them just go straight for the jugular; at least then they might actually hit something instead of this mess... and then she has the nerve to comment, "Oh, your veins are so deep!!" Yeah, well, thanks for noticing! 🙄
Should I ask her to use a shallower needle next time???☕

Look, I work in transfusion services, and I swear on my life that not a single drop of blood goes anywhere except to the lab, and then straight to the incinerator after seven days. 😍But hey, even when my own colleagues try to draw from me, sometimes it just doesn't work. I've got veins as thick as my thumb, so you'd think it couldn't go wrong, but sometimes the needle just won't take. It's just how it is...😁

My mom is driving me absolutely insane. She’s been unemployed for ages, she’s drifted away from her entire social circle, and I’m basically all she has left. Because of that, every single emotion she has—the good, the bad, and the ugly—is aimed directly at me. Her whole sense of purpose revolves around those few hours a week when I come over to visit. When I moved into an apartment with my boyfriend—now my husband—she cried for two straight months like it was some endless monsoon. And yeah, I ended up crying too, just because she wouldn't stop.
There were plenty of other gems, but I won't bore you with the whole list...

Get this: when guests started congratulating her at our wedding, she shut them all down. I quote: "I haven't achieved anything; I just lost my daughter."

She even told me straight to my face that while she's glad I'm happy with my life, she shouldn't be expected to act cheerful about the fact that I don't live under her roof anymore and have my own family where she isn't the center of the universe.

Like I mentioned, I’m not pregnant yet (though we're trying), but one of my biggest fears regarding pregnancy is how on earth I'm going to break the news to her if it actually happens.

Anyway, sorry ladies, I'll stop venting now!!! Love you all 😍

rustyrider3, look, I’m not even pregnant yet, but if it makes you feel any better, your mom isn't the only one making ridiculous claims.
Mine actually told me she'll be "depressed" for nine straight months once I get pregnant—and that I shouldn't even mention it to her until the very last second, ideally right when I'm in labor.
Since she kept her promise to be miserable during my wedding because she viewed it as a day of mourning, I have zero doubt she'll stick to this script too.
And of course, she’ll probably try to parade the baby around everywhere, claiming it's "wasteful" to buy Christmas decorations since the kid is already here—even though kids drive her absolutely insane. She'll just "sacrifice" herself for me, as long as she can stomach it.

EDIT: I’m 30 years old. I have a career, a degree, a husband, a car, a solid salary, and I'm finishing grad school. I haven't lived under their roof in two years, but apparently, I'm still just a clueless idiot who knows nothing about how the world works.

George Richardson9 said:Would anyone be so kind as to tell me what is going on here''?😕

George Richardson9, look, from what I’ve been taught, missing one pill shouldn't throw everything out of whack enough to cause an immediate pregnancy. But hey, nothing in life is ever 100% certain. If you skip a pill, the standard advice is to use backup protection—like a condom—for the rest of the cycle. Even when you take them perfectly, there's still a tiny 0.01% chance of things going sideways. Honestly, I don't think that risk changes much if you take the missed pill as soon as possible (and if I'm reading this right, you were only a few hours late). So, seriously, stop panicking. If you can't stop obsessing over it, just go get a private blood test so you can finally have some peace of mind. Good luck! 😍

Robert Gonzalez15 said:Hi there...

So, I have a bit of a question, and I could really use some clarity on this... since I can never quite figure out how to accurately calculate my fertile window—you know, those specific days when pregnancy is actually possible...
I see one thing online saying it’s just a single day in the entire month, while somewhere else it says it's five days before and after that peak day... honestly, it’s always been such a confusing mess for me to wrap my head around...🤷🤷🤷🤷🤷

To put it simply, ovulation usually happens about 14 days before your next period starts, though it could easily be 12 or 15 days earlier.

But the day of ovulation isn't your only fertile day (strictly speaking, it's the only day conception actually happens if we're talking about fertilizing an egg rather than just having sex), because sperm can survive for several days—up to 72 hours, depending on who you ask—while the egg lives for about 24 hours (though we usually count it as 48 hours just to be safe).

What that means is, say you have sex on Monday and get pregnant because ovulation happened on Wednesday (because the sperm lived long enough to wait for the egg). Or, ovulation is on Wednesday, and you get pregnant from sex on Thursday (because the egg hadn't died yet when the sperm caught up to it).

So, essentially, your fertile window is roughly 3 days before plus 2 days after ovulation. And ovulation typically hits 12-15 days BEFORE your next period. If you have a 28-day cycle, ovulation is usually (but not always) on day 14 (you count the cycle starting from day 1 of your last period). If your cycle is 26 days, ovulation is on day 12 (again, not a guarantee—it could be day 11 or 13).

If your cycles are regular and you notice ovulation signs—or better yet, if you track your basal temperature or use ovulation strips—you can pinpoint your ovulation and fertile days pretty accurately. But if your cycles are all over the place like mine, ranging from 21 to 31 days... hm... I wouldn't recommend using this as a method of birth control...

Anyway, I hope I didn't make this sound too complicated...😍 but the links the other girls posted are great, and honestly, even a chat with your OBGYN might be worth it. 😍

Nancy Murphy2 said:Hey ladies...

I don't really know who else to bug, so here I am again. I'll try to lay out my timeline properly. Last period started on November 14th. Usually, my cycle fluctuates anywhere from 21 to 32 days, though lately, since starting hormone therapy, it's been more like 26 to 28 days. We had some unprotected encounters on Nov 13th, then the 20th and 21st, plus Nov 28th and Dec 3rd. A few days ago—specifically Dec 4th and 5th—I felt this weird pressure in my bladder. Then, from Dec 6th until right now, I’ve been dealing with calf aches, bloating, and those heavy cramps that feel just like my period is coming... plus I'm incredibly restless and just exhausted.
I finally snapped this morning and took an Intimate test... and it came back NEGATIVE. If I'm basing it on a 28-day cycle, my period isn't supposed to show up until Saturday or Sunday, maybe Dec 11th or 12th. PLEASE tell me if it's too early for the test to catch anything or if there's zero chance I'm pregnant or... ? Someone help me out...

Look, a negative test two days before your period is due doesn't mean anything for sure. It might still be too soon. If nothing happens by Sunday, take another one. By then, the results should actually mean something. Hang in there—I'm crossing my fingers for you to get the result you want! 😍

Lawrence Perez4 said:Thanks so much for all the input! I had a feeling I might have been jumping the gun by trying to take a test so early... and honestly, it’s not even that I’m being impatient or rushing things, since we aren't exactly following some intense, high-pressure regimen with the baby planning right now... it's more just that this spotting has me a bit worried, seeing as it's been going on for three days now, even if it is pretty light

So, I'm just sitting here wondering—if it isn't implantation bleeding, what else could it possibly be? 😕😢

If it’s not implantation or ovulation, and you're in a different phase of your cycle, it could be weak luteal function... or just plain old stress. Look, I’m hardly an expert here, but I personally tend to spot at the slightest hint of irritation, regardless of where I am in my cycle. If this keeps happening, go see a doctor at Mayo Clinic to rule out a cyst or something similar. There's a 90% chance it's nothing, but if this is new for you, it's better to let a professional give you the final word.

Victoria's Secret deserves a literal gold monument for this. 🙂

analoghawk0 said:Wait, I think I totally misread the situation here... 🤔
You mentioned that this bleeding happens to you every single time right before your period starts.
If that's the case, it can't be ovulation spotting, since ovulation typically happens about two weeks before your period arrives.

No, spotting right before a period isn't ovulation. I get spotting during ovulation too (around day 11 or 12 for me), then I have 7 to 10 dry days, then the spotting returns a few days before my actual period—clearly my progesterone levels are failing me—and finally, the real thing arrives. All in all, I end up having 13 days in a month where I'm not bleeding at all.🙂

Lawrence Perez4 said:Just a quick question for you all!

Does anyone here have any firsthand experience or reliable info regarding implantation bleeding? I’ve been reading up on it, and apparently, it can show up about 6 to 10 days after conception. It might look like light, bright red spotting, or it could be more of a brownish, old-looking discharge... just various little things like that.

Well, it actually happened to me yesterday—just some very light bleeding, leaning much more toward that brownish tint. We had unprotected sex about seven days ago, and then a few more times after that, though that seems a bit early, doesn't it? So, I’m having my doubts about whether it was from that initial encounter seven days back. 😁

I am fully aware that nobody here can give me a definitive answer—only my OBGYN or a pregnancy test can really settle this—but I was wondering if, based on your own experiences, this could actually be a sign of pregnancy? Normally, I don't deal with any weird spotting like this unless it's right before my period starts, but this feels different, and my actual period isn't due for another two and a half weeks. Do you think it’s way too early to take a test since my period isn't even late yet?

That might just be ovulation spotting. It happens either when the follicle ruptures during ovulation or because of that sudden spike and drop in estrogen—nobody really knows for sure. It happens to me almost every month, usually a few days before my period. But if your cycles are irregular or you ovulate early, it could definitely be implantation... I've never been pregnant, so the women who have actually dealt with implantation will probably know better than me.

Fingers crossed for you!!!!!😍