Laura Laurie

Based on the following details are there any vacations you would suggest?

Male and female couple (both under 25, but over 21) in 2+ year relationship

Male currently living in southern California, & female currently living in northern California.

Places we have been to together (usually with family/friends):

-Tahoe/Reno (California/Nevada)

-San Diego (CA)

-Laguna Beach (CA)

-Palm Springs (CA)

Places one of us has been to:

-Mexico

-Costa Rica

-Hawaii (Maui, Oahu, Big Island)

-Florida (Orlando, Disneyworld...)

-Arizona (Phoenix, Fiesta Bowl, river, etc.)

Any length of time from 2/14/14 to 2/23/14 (but preferably 3+ days). Open to having friends/family join us after we have a few days to ourselves.

FYIs:

We have never been to Las Vegas, traveled/visited any other states than the ones listed, and have never been on a cruise.

Budget:

approximately $1,500 (for any flight/hotel/train/car/etc. and activities)

in addition, boyfriend has $400 southwest he could use

I am in my mid 20's and have been officially with my bf (he is 23) for 2 years (we have been friends for almost 3).

As marriage has been brought up (by both my bf and me), and my sister has recently discovered fertility problems within her married relationship, I have been thinking...

Is there testing my bf and/or I can do before we are married just so we can know what we are getting ourself into as far as the possibility of conceiving a healthy/normal baby?

Is it bad that I want to test our genetic compatibility before even officially getting engaged?

I have always been aware of my bf's abnormally low sex drive and small "load" (I'd say less than a teaspoon), but it wasn't until my sister's pregnancy issues that I started to really think about this.

I would much rather find out now that we are not compatible in that way, when we are not yet emotionally invested in having a baby, but is it wrong/weird for me to ask him about getting tests done?

I am on the pill (Microgestin).

I take it every morning but at different times (I do not know if this is a problem since I originally started birth control years ago for acne, and I wasn't told if I have to take it the same hour everyday- rumor has it that you do, so now I'm worried I'm in trouble).

My last pill was Friday January the 18th. I started the "sugar pill" Saturday the 19th (although I never actually ingest the brown sugar pills). I should have started my period this week.

I had unprotected sex late night Thursday the 10th, and Wednesday the 16th, again late at night. I have not had sex since.

Yesterday, the 22nd I did a pregnancy test in the afternoon (First Response 6 days before your missed period). The test was negative, and yet I still do not have my period and I'll be starting my pill pack again this Saturday, the 26th.

Does the test mean I am definitely not pregnant from the 10th, but there's a chance I might still be pregnant from the 16th, or I am not pregnant at all, or is there a chance I could be pregnant from either times? I do not know how soon after I can test and know for sure.

Rumor has it I have to wait 10 days, in which case I would be cleared for the 10th but not the 16th yet. I have also heard that I have to wait three weeks. Honestly, I have no idea how this works, especially with the "text 6 days before you're missed period".

When/how should I test again, and can I start my pill pack again (even if I am going to need to do another test when I'm on the pill again)?

I am finishing up my last 2 quarters in college and decided it might be smart to start thinking about buying a home (as I think it is better to have thought at least a little about this beforehand).

My family all lives in Orange County (Laguna Beach area) and I know there is no way I would be able to afford living there, so instead, I'd like to live fairly close (somewhere in Southern California, or, I am even open to Arizona cities that are fairly close to the California border). Also, I am interested in homes (not condos) and am willing to spend time on a foreclosure fixer-upper, or perhaps even buy land and build a small home.

What advice would you give me?

Should I look into I buying land? If so, where?

What cities might fit a young potential buyer's budget but are in these areas (southern California or Arizona cities that border California).

Any other random advice you would like to give me?

I'll either save up to buy right after college, or, if I go to graduate school i might have to put this off for a few more years.

Oh, and if you can, what do you think the market will look like over the next few years?

Even if your knowledge is not spot on, I can grantee it is certainly better than mine and therefore all advice is appreciated. Thanks!

I do not know who to invite! I know the typical response of "it's your wedding" might continue to come my way but I need some logic here, what is the least worse solution.

Thank you in advance!

Dilemma #1

My blood-related aunt (one of my mom's 5 sisters) fairly recently (within the last couple of years) divorced my uncle. She has since been living with my uncle's, now ex, friend and business partner. I love my uncle even if he isn't blood because he has been in my family my whole life, and so I want him to be at my wedding but I don't want him to be hurt by seeing my aunt there. I know my cousins would be happy to have their dad at the wedding as well. I do not want to invite my aunt's new man as I am uncomfortable with the fact that my aunt is with him (especially considering the circumstances); I am also upset with my aunt and do not want to draw her bad energy into my wedding but she's my mom's sister and my mother would be very upset if she was not there.

Dilemma #2

My brother is always dating different people (ALWAYS) and as a result random women are often in family pictures from year to year. (I swear every family vacation he's run off with women he's met instead of enjoying family time with the rest of us)

Would it be wrong if I told him I only wanted family at my wedding (especially since that's another mouth to feed), and is it even worse if I stay true to this standing for all guests (so the only "non-family" that would be allowed is fiances of invited guests)?

Dilemma #3

I have a HUGE family (My mom is 1 of 6, my dad is 1 of 5, and I have over 30 relatives on both sides [that's just counting blood-related aunts and cousins]), my fiance has his mom, dad, sister, and 1 grandma, and an aunt. He is close to all his relatives while I can't even remember the names of some of mine. He wants to invite extra friends to make sure we both have an even amount of guests, however, I feel this is unfair as due to my large family size I will not get to invite any of my friends. How do I handle this? And is it wrong to not invite certain family members I am not close to because it will make my wedding even more expensive? Or is it not worth upsetting people? Also, my mom wants to invite her friends and my wedding list is growing rapidly out of control with more people I "have to" invite significantly outnumbering the people I want to invite. This is hard too because I am an extremely frugal person.

Lastly, I am tempted to have a wedding with just my immediate family (mom, dad, older sister, her husband, older brother, younger brother, 2 sets of grandparents, and my fiance's mom, dad, sister, and grandma), but I think my mom would also be upset by this.

My boyfriend will be going to graduate school in San Diego while I'm finishing up my last year at Davis. I am looking at all the ways to get to and from each others' places. I've looked at trains, considered driving, and now am looking at plane trips- but there is so many airlines!

It would be wonderful if you could help =)

I am Political Science-Public Service major at UC Davis. I would like to get a Masters degree but I am not sure in what I want the degree in.

I really enjoy STATA and R programming.

Should I pursue a Masters in:

Political Science

Statistics

Computer Programming

Or something else? (and if so what?)

What are the particular benefits of one degree over another? Is there anything I may struggle with?

Thank you for your time and advice. =)

I am 21 and getting my motorcycle license

(Finally! I had my permit for almost a year and my parents STILL would not let me ride)

I am taking the class and then plan to get my license which is the last step of their "regrettable" approval.

But I was wondering if there was any positive stats out there I could use to reassure them (perhaps something about the ratio of men to women that get in single accidents [like my brother, he go in so many just riding crazy and trying to show off, I am sure not as many women have the drive to do that?].) I don't plan on showing off or being a wild driver (i'll save that for dirtbiking)

Thanks for the Help! =)

As the question got the jist of:

I am heading from Orange County on the 5 freeway to LA.

Google maps says it is a 1 hour 20 min drive (and with traffic it will be 2 hours 20 mins)

If I leave a lil before 7 on a Wednesday (specifically tomorrow January 5th 2011)

what time can plan to be there?

I need to be there around 8:10 (but definitly no later than 8:20am) so I can park at The Grove Shopping Center and head on over to the Price is Right (also, I do not have to wait in line as my group and I have garanteed seats.)

What time should I leave? How bad is traffic on a Wednesday around that time?

Thanks! =)

A guy and I met through online dating and we had the most amazing chemistry and connection from our first phone conversation. We both admitted that we have never felt so close to someone so soon and have broken all the dating rules, like what you should or should not talk about which I think has allowed us to feel closer talking about more intimate taboo things so early on. We went out to ice cream for our 1st date (our first meeting was at a park with both his dog and friend there so I don't really think you could call it a date) and we talked 2 hours and he asked if I wanted to hangout longer but it was late and I didn't want my family to worry. I remember him asking me what I thought about long distance relationships and then he warned me that he might be getting a paramedic job in Las Vegas in a month or two (I live in Orange County of Cali so that is about a 4 hour-ish distance). He leaves in a week or two but recently he asked me to go shopping with him to look for stuff for his future home. He plans to move back to Cali when he get a fireman job here in Cali but who knows how long that could be.

Anyways, long story short, I like the guy and he likes me and I think we are 50/50. Half of me thinks I have just met an amazing person but I should let him go because we just didn't have enough time to get serious and the other half of me thinks there is no way I should let the best catch/connection I've ever had so soon in my life go.

He will be 25 in October and I will be 21 in December (but I am very mature for my age and he likes that about me because I am the youngest [in age gap] he has ever dated). We both have had 2 serious relationships before (although he's been engaged, where I have not).

I am still in college, he has already graduated from paramedic school. And basically he has the most going for him compared to every guy I have dated before him (I've dated quite a few "dirtbags" as my dad calls them that had nothing going for them), AND he's the first guy my family and I actually both like.

Ok, sorry for my life story but I figured some people may need some more info than others to give a response. Let me know what you think: should I let things develope and try to have a long distance relationship so soon, or is it too soon and we would have needed mor etime to make this decision so you would advise me to let it go? Thanks!

Oh, and if you think I should stick with it, do you have any advice on what to expect, how to handle the distance, and how often minimumly you think two average people need to see eachother to make a relationship work.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Hello and thank you for taking the time to help me out!

Because I am going to be a new rider and I am female I don't want to get taken advantage of while purchasing a new/used motorcycle. I already have my permit and have ridden once before in the desert (but that was a few years ago and I didn't know anything other than how to ride [I went with my boyfriend I was with at the time and I didn't fall all day!]) but I am looking to purchase my own, and since more often than not I will be forced to ride alone I am looking into purchasing a dual sport (this would be good because I don't have a truck and loading a bike into my minivan would just be ridiculous and the places to go riding are relatively close).

So there's a little about me, now, what should I look out for when purchasing a bike? What's a good deal? I am planning on buying a dual sport somewhere in the 250 range (definitely not smaller than 230 and since I am a new rider I don't want to go over 400 tops! because I could hardly touch the ground on the 230 and I don't have a lot of money to have a bike lowed). I really like the yamaha WR 250! But those are pretty expensive, but just curious, could you throw out a year and what would be a good deal (used) and what would be an amount I shouldn't exceed?

$20 spending limit

Oh and we are both 20 (well I am almost 20, I will be so on December 28th, 2009)

What should I get/give:

movie tickets

dinner certificates

theme park tickets (well for some place cheep like boomers)

make a coupon book for him that says stuff like "dinner prepared by me" and "i'll wash your car" etc

what's your original idea? do you have something to suggest other than what's on this list? go for it!

Thanks! =)

My boyfriend and I got together on November 16th and as you can calculate, by December 25th (gift giving time!) we will have been together almost 1 month and 1/2. He is 20 and I will be 20 December 28th. To ease a bit of the awkwardness (because we are already close but probably will not be super close [our last relationships had been for almost a year, if not more than, by the time Christmas had rolled around] so we both don't know what to expect or how to handle the gift giving if any at all).

Here's a problem: I LOVE giving gifts while my boyfriend is not fond of gift giving (just because he gets upset when people do not respond the way he expects them to or when people do not seem to enjoy the gift it hurts him, or something like that). So to solve this we actually agreed to give/get gifts for "us" as a couple to do things together (my idea) to make our relationship grow and spend more time with each other (like: movie tickets for us, dinner, museum, theme park, etc). I think this is a good idea because we don't have to try and read each other so well so soon and there is less pressure to "succeed" in buying the appropriate gift for him (or in his case, "her") and having it be "a waste of money" and/or a disappointment for both the giver and the receiver.

Here are my questions (if you can give your advice on any it would be greatly appreciated):

-Should we give gifts this soon in a relationship

-If we do buy gifts, how much should we spend

-Do you like the idea of buying gifts for "us" rather than each other?

-What gift suggestions do you think should I give to "us" (either of the ones previously mentioned above or new ideas?)

Thanks so much for your help! Even if you are not quite sure about your present idea it greatly helps me consider other options.

I was mainly wondering how to take head shots and/or what should they look like? I have never had professional photos taken of me before and someone recently asked me for my head shots and "Information."

What "information" do they mean and am I supposed to e-mail one head shot or more?

Again, since I am new to this I do not want to put a lot of money into it because I do not know if I am serious enough about it or even good enough.

Thank you for your help! =)

So I have not set it and if I do set it I get to pick out 2 to 3 more oysters so I was wondering how do I sell the others I don't use if I do set one? And even if I decide not to set it how do I sell it (the origional one I have right now)? I've been told it's a very nice pearl with a good luster that could seel for over $100 but I have not found a way to do that, and I certainly do not want to buy an expensive setting thinking I can earn some of that money back if in reality you cannot sell a single saltwater pearl by itself.

Any suggestions? How do you know, or are you just guessing?

Thanks SOOOO Much For the Help!

I am a young artist (19 years old) just getting back into my love of art that I used to enjoy and do so well at as a child. I never have completely given up art, I still was involved in art just in other ways such as playing my flute.

I know it's near impossible to make a real living off of my canvas designs (especially since I can barely afford the art supplies) but I would still like a little extra cash, get paid to enjoy doing what I do for fun in my free time when I'm not busy with school and work.

I've heard of art festivals but how do I get into one? How can I sell and display my work? And will it cost me money to do so?

Thanks so much for the help!

~Me, L.C.

I really have never dyed my hair. The "red hair" photo was a niffty camara effect (hence why my face is sooo white). Thanks again for all the help peoples!

~Me

First off thank you so much for the tips and ideas; I just read an article on yahoo about different face shapes and I really cannot tell what mine is and what would look good since I am blonde-ish but not bright blonde (the color, it's all natural and never has been dyed [I plan to keep it this way] and it changes in the brightness of the blonde highlights over the months and depending on how much sun I get).

I do plan to donate my hair to Locks of Love again this summer but any length styles are welcome because it will get long again (almost 2 years ago I donated 12 inches and it was at the tops of my shoulders and look where it is already!).

Thanks again so much for your help, advice, suggestions and most importantly time you took to "throw your two cents in".

~Me

Hello,

I was wondering when you are in college and first start dating how long should you make a guy wait before you allow it (the relationship) to be "official" (boyfriend and girlfriend)?

College is quite different from high school when it comes to men's dating tactics (from my experience) and I was wondering what is appropriate?

Here are some scenarios, thanks so much! It's a major help:

A) a guy you met just once in public asks you for you number then plans to schedule a date, if all goes well how many dates (since you barley know the guy)?

B) he's an old friend but you just start dating, now how long?

C) a guy from class that you occasionally talk to for a few months in a row, then how long?

Answeres in # of dates or time are both fine. If you know some other way to put it that also helps, so thanks again!

(I'm 19 and already in a relationship but sometimes I wonder if it was rushed and I don't know if it's to late to ask now since we became "official" on tax day, April 15th)

Ok well I don't really need to know how to be famous because I already have some ideas but you can still answer that question if you want. But here is my real question (with a little detail and explanation first):

I have never moved in my life until this past June (friday the 13th 2008 doo do, doo, do, doo do, doo, do O_o lol) and I've been having trouble meeting and making friends. I just go to the local junior college where it seems no one is interested in making friends (which is probably due to the fact that they still have friends in the area and therefor have no need to make any). I've been friendly, joined clubs, have taken extra classes that had to be approved by the Dean (half my idea was to meet people and the other half was to keep myself busy from going bored out of my mind if I didn't). Also, I come from a very conservative family and have strict parents, however, I respect them so I obey. How do I find "friends"? And I'm not a weirdo as much as that sounds like I'm a total loner (which curently I am) but I had many friends in high school because despite my parents' "protection" somehow I was able to grow up just fine and not be socially awkward or appear to be the type of "sheltered religious weirdo kid" or whatever people's misconseptions are. In fact, most people are suprized to find out that I'm so "normal" although I've never been to a "party" before and drank or done drugs. SHOCKING! 0_0 >=/ Anyways, to make a long speal short, what can I do to get some people that'll like and my parents will actually approve of, to hang out with?

Thanks! Oh, I'm late for work! Talk to you all later!

PS

I'm also single.