Helen

I'm traveling to Kentucky to watch my husband graduate from basic training. Unfortunately, I'm from Tucson, Arizona. I've never left the state, and I can count snow on my right hand. I know I need cold weather clothing, but I have a total of three (yes, three) long sleeve shirts and maybe one windbreaker. I also want to look nice for the graduation, I'll be meeting several important people.

What can I wear that will look good AND keep me extra warm?

My best friend of nearly 6 years is gettng married on February second. I'm her Maid of Honor, my second time being one (although the first didn't mean half as much to me as this one). The last time, the bride wanted a very untraditional wedding and there were no speeches, no toast, no tossing of anything.

This time, however, I'm supposed to give a speech at a reception that looks to be about 100 people.

Now, there's a twist. She's marrying my fiance's brother, whom I've also known for about 6 years (they beat us to it, lol). I love them and their 3 month old daughter, my neice, very much and I have a few ideas on what to say, but I'd like to hear a few other opinions, too.

My best friend found out recently that she's pregnant (with my boyfriend/fiance's brother's child. I'm gonna be an auntie!!). I I want to know, what are the chances that she'll have a girl?

She is one of 3 girls, with her mother being one of about 7 children, 4 of which are girls. Her boyfriend is one of 5 boys, with an adopted mother. His biological father is one of 2 boys.

I'm just curious...she and I both want her to have a girl, but since she's barely 2 months along, it's too soon to tell.

I know that the new husband is supposed to remove his new wife's garter (worn just above her knee under the wedding dress) as part of the reception, and she's supposed to throw it (or at least, this is the version I've always heard) like the bouquet.

My question is: why? What is it supposed to symbolize and what happens to the person that catches the garter? Where did the tradition come from, or did us crazy Americans just make it up? Is there a specific color that a bride should wear, such as white is the traditional wedding dress color?

I'm curious, because I plan to wear a garter at my own wedding, and I want to know why in the world I'm wearing it!

My friend and I are looking from answers from people, women mostly, who have been in this situation.

Megan, my friend, has missed a period, or I should say, is missing one right now. She's taken one pregnancy test, a few days before Christmas, and the result was negative. The problem is because her body is so irregular, and she's under some stress right now, we're not sure when her period was supposed to come. We've counted back from when she thinks her last period was, and it should be around now.

As soon as she wakes up today, we're planning for her to take the second pregnancy test. We looked it up on the internet and found that the First Response test has the most accurate chance of catching the HCG hormone 4 days BEFORE her missed period.

She has all of the signs of early pregnancy: tender but not swollen breasts, hungry often, tired all the time, dizzy spells, a slight cramping in her uterus, and she spotted about a week ago for less than a day.

What are your opinions?

My boyfriend is a Capricorn. I am a Taurus. What are your opinions on the compatibility of this pairing?

My fiancee and I have decided on some names for the children we would like to have in the future. I'd love to know what people outside my circle think of them. Please, be completely honest. (My name is Helen; his is Andrew)

Natalie Jean (Jean is his mother's middle name)

Andrew Gabriel

Darak Isaiah (Said Derek)

Trinity Elizabeth

Anna Louise

Jacob Alexander

Please note: we're not having 6 kids. We only want three, or as many as the Lord sees fit, but since we don't know the sexes, we chose two for each.

SITUATION: My boyfriend's mother recently graduated from college with her bachelor's degree. She invited all 5 of her sons (and their significant others) to the graduation. I live with my boyfriend, his two older brothers, the oldest's wife, and the second oldest's girlfriend. I could not go, because I had to work. My boyfriend went. This was Thursday night, and he stayed at his mother's to catch a ride with them the next morning. I haven't seen him since. He hasn't come home.

PROBLEM A: Sunday, I had to take my grandmother to the airport. He'd known about this for at least a week, and had agreed to go. When I called him on Saturday to make sure he was coming home in time to go with me, he said he wasn't coming home until Sunday night and would be putting in a specific job application on Sunday (yesterday). He called his brother last night and said to tell me that he wouldn't be home. His mother had only come to town for groceries yesterday and wouldn't bring him here.

Today, I bought my boyfriend a hat with his initials on it. It's a Christmas present, and it's now well hidden in my roommates' bedroom.

My question is whether or not this is a nice gift. He's been bemoaning his lack of a hat for a while now (since my cat ate his last one O.o) and we've been together for 4 years, so need and familiarity aren't much the trouble. I'm more worried about originality, and, of course, his opinion.

If someone got you a hat that you needed, in your favorite color, with your initials, would you like it? (Please be aware, I'm bored out of my mind.)

My room-mates' cat is very young, only 8 months old, and we're all wondering whether she could be pregnant. She recently was let out of the house, and was gone for about four days. We're not sure, mostly because her symptoms before she left were very...un-heat-like. There was yowling, yes, but not an excessive rubbing or spraying, or even any additional flightiness like most of the cats I've owned exhibit during their heat.

My questions are basically: is she old enough to possibly be pregnant?

Could she have been in heat, most likely her first, without some of the typical symptoms?

(And, yes, I do know how to tell when a cat is pregnant, at about four to five weeks. My mother was a vet. tech and taught me how to feel for the fetuses, as well as the fact that I've read on the subject before asking this.)

Okay, here's the story: my long-term boyfriend and I plan to marry eventually. Of course, the subject of children has arose and my thoughts were to have each baby about 3 or 4 years apart so as to limit dealing with so many little ones at one time. He says that it might lessen my stress, but that if there are so many years between them, they'll never really be friends. He has 4 brothers (two older, two younger) and I am an only child, so you can see where our thoughts might differ. Health is not really an issue, because I know that it varies for each woman and my doctor will help me with that decision. It's not urgent, we're both quite young still...but I'm curious as to what others think.

If the cat is healthy, kept indoors, is happy, well-fed, and of a normal weight, how long can they live?