Wendy

A friend of mine insists it's brat like "cat" but I've always heard it pronounced as in "caught". What area of the country is it common to pronouce it as "cat" ~ and doesn't that seem weird to you?

Does anyone have recent experience traveling by train on Amtrak? My daughter will be in college this Fall in Spokane WA and will need to get home in December to Denver CO. It's a 2 1/2 day trip by train, but we're concerned for her safety traveling alone. She's going to be 19. My husband traveled by bus a year or so ago and said it's REALLY changed. He didn't feel very safe himself with the other passengers, so I'm much more concerned about our daughter. Is Amtrak much safer than the Greyhound bus system now? Thanks for your feedback!!

My daughter's getting married later this summer in the Bahamas. We don't expect many will actually be able to attend due to the cost of getting there, and because of this, my daughter is inclined to send out an announcement AFTER the wedding so the mailing can include pictures of the ceremony. I know we don't expect people to go all the way there, but to not share the news prior to the wedding seems to me like friends and family will think we don't want them to even have the opportunity to go or not. I feel like an announcement is a courtesy to let you know before the event happens. Any thoughts?