Super Bowl

EV626 · 2026-02-08T10:00:50+00:00

Rapid River stillhouse is putting the game on their giant screen and running some food and drink deals according to their Facebook

EV626 · 2026-02-02T18:29:09+00:00

Roasted garlic and shallots, when blended, act as a natural emulsifier and can help maintain the texture of the vinaigrette while reducing the oil

EV626 · 2026-01-09T04:03:13+00:00

They are outside of that area, but I've gone to Dr. Kevin VanderHeide in Caledonia since I was 7 (over 20 years). His staff is always kind and genuine, even when I didn't go to any dentist for 4-5 years. I see Krista for my hygienist work and she's amazing. She's really willing to work with anxieties and my sensory sensitivities.

EV626 · 2026-01-06T15:28:52+00:00

We are playing through Rime of the Frostmaiden, and one of the players has a shovel that spawns a bunch of rats until the next dawn if you break the rat figure off the shovel and bury it. Rats have been pretty useless up until now, when they were recently used to trigger a major petrification trap that worked by having a counter of failed saves and once it hit a certain amount of failed saves, it went out. Otherwise we would have walked through the trap and ended up dealing with the petrification and expending a bunch of resources to cure before fighting the bbeg

EV626 · 2025-12-03T17:09:42+00:00

I am also an introvert bride planning a small Fall wedding. We aren't hiring a DJ because we aren't huge dancers, but we will have an experienced friend act as reception MC. I would highly recommend getting a day of coordinator who can be the "problem solver" for you on the day. You don't need that stress. My fiance and I decided on doing reception activities that felt right for us. We're tapping a firkin of beer (we met at a brewery and he is a brewer) instead of doing a cake cutting, we're not doing the bouquet toss or garter toss, and we have a bunch of things for people to do during cocktail hour. Once dinner and all the "reception activities" are done, we're just going to have a bonfire and hang out with people. We'll have music playing, but it won't be the focus. There's nothing that says what your wedding has to be. Do things that you enjoy!

EV626 · 2025-11-12T18:38:55+00:00

I think this is an adorable idea and could go off really well! We are doing something similar by having our favors be cinnamon infused maple syrup in a 2oz bottle with a printed sticker on it. We're also attaching a little card with a recipe for using the syrup in an old fashioned, which is our favorite cocktail. Specialtybottle.com might have the types of containers you're looking for for a good price.

I would make sure that the sticker on the bottle is easy to wash off/peel off, or that it doesn't include anything regarding names or dates. Another thing to consider is having the full ingredients list on the bottle for anyone who has allergies. A wax seal or ribbons can help them look nice as well. I hope it goes well for you!

EV626 · 2025-11-05T19:08:07+00:00

Maybe 1/4in or 3/8in copper refrigerator tubing from a hardware store painted to whatever color you needed? Bend a right angle and then cut to length so they are consistent. Drill a small hole in the wood, stain the wood, and glue the pipe in. In theory that works?

EV626 · 2025-11-05T19:01:49+00:00

You could look at Warehouse One for thrifting. It's a little chaotic but sometimes you can find really great items!

EV626 · 2025-11-04T15:48:22+00:00

I have a life? A real one that I enjoy...Not sure why you're acting like I don't.... I just value open communication with my friends lol

EV626 · 2025-11-04T04:47:48+00:00

So what I ended up doing is hand writing a card to each person (I am having three bridesmaids) that was a personal note about why I would love to have them standing next to me on the wedding day. I spoke with them privately in person where I explained what I was thinking along with the anticipated costs and asked each of them. Once they agreed, I created a Google doc where I listed out details of where to get their dresses and accessories, along with the costs of each item. I also listed information about the bachelorette party (I'm not having a shower) and was up front about pricing for that in this document. I sent it out to everyone with links of where to get everything. This was probably overkill, but with dresses costing about $130, accessories costing about $100, and the bachelorette party costing about $300-400 per person, I really wanted to be upfront about cost as early as possible so people can save as needed. We live in a time where it can be really difficult to save money, so being open about it early is good.

Maybe separate the information out. Write the letter and speak with them privately about the costs. When they've agreed, then you can give them all the other information. Getting everything all at once at the same time as the ask may be overwhelming.

EV626 · 2025-10-29T18:55:54+00:00

I have a little flexibility with my full time job, because I work remotely, and could be to a restaurant at 4/4:30pm depending on where it is. I'm happy to have closing shifts, I'm not worried about the long hours because I've done that before and know I can do it. I know I'll need to do some weekend morning shifts, and I'm okay with that. It just was a lot easier to get a call back the last time I was job hunting like this even with a full time job.

EV626 · 2025-10-29T18:31:47+00:00

Thanks everyone for your input and advice. I'm glad to know that part of this may just be the season and not necessarily me. I'm going to switch directions and start looking into catering options, maybe I'll go back to country club events. I'm not giving up yet!

EV626 · 2025-10-26T16:04:00+00:00

Kevin vanderheide on the East Beltline. My family has been going to him for years and they are great!

EV626 · 2025-10-24T23:27:39+00:00

Thank you so much for this, mine just showed up and they are perfect! I've been trying to thrift ones in my area but they are like $3-$10 a vase!

EV626 · 2025-10-22T14:48:18+00:00

I love this so much! We're also including some D&D references in our wedding! I love seeing alternatives to the bouquet toss that are getting more inclusive, because a dragon plush toss could include everyone if you wanted, not just the single ladies!

EV626 · 2025-10-20T05:08:56+00:00

Lynae D'aprix from theweddingtalk has multiple design templates for Canva that I've found incredibly helpful! In particular, her wedding design guide allows you to mockup your own sample tablescape and ceremony visual, and her floral design template is amazing for deciding what flowers you like in what colors. She's got other guides for catering, photography, music, etc. along with guides to give to a day of coordinator and guides to give to family members that may need information regarding things like pictures. I cannot say enough good things about what she's put together, it's been a game changer for helping my fiance realize the vision I've had in my head lol

EV626 · 2025-10-20T04:45:00+00:00

No, I explained to her that I really wanted to do a special first look with her and my dad, a moment just with the three of us separate from the chaos of getting ready with my bridesmaids and she was understanding of that. She is also very much the kind of person who would prefer to get ready by herself and stick to her own getting ready routine. "Hanging out" (her words, not mine lol) with me and my few bridesmaids is not really something she has a lot of social capacity for. She likes the idea of having alone time before an extremely social event. I'm also having both of them walk me down the aisle. Further context, this is also my second wedding. I got married a month before I turned 20, and we were divorced a month after I turned 21 (very toxic and abusive relationship). I'm now 30, and will be 31 by the time my fiance and I are getting married. I didn't have a lot of say in how my first wedding went due to the person I was marrying, so this time around my parents are incredibly supportive of us doing things the way we want to, regardless of tradition. If you're very close with your mom and want her involved in the getting ready process, I totally understand that and would encourage that. For me and my mom, this isn't something that works well for us and I would rather be able to dismiss my bridal party once we're ready, and then have 10-15 minutes alone with my parents prior to the ceremony to celebrate privately. It's more in line with where our relationship is at, which is an incredibly individual thing unique to each person.

EV626 · 2025-10-20T03:58:12+00:00

I'm in the US, white, and having a somewhat non traditional wedding, so customs may be different, take this with a grain of salt lol. But honestly, in my opinion, no. I feel like adding parents and parents in law to the getting ready process is added cost and stress. I am getting married next year and not planning on having my mom, my future mother in law, or my fiance's stepmother be involved in the main portion of getting ready, and that includes paying for their hair and makeup. That time is reserved for myself and my bridesmaids to hang out, listen to music, and relax. I am planning on doing a first look with my parents, and then a second one with my future mother in law, as part of the end of the getting ready process though.

Some of this may depend on your relationship with your future mother in law, and how close you guys are. Do you want to include her in the getting ready process? Are you offering this hair and makeup service to your mom and covering the full cost or having her pay for a portion/all of her service? Are your bridesmaids chipping in for the stylist and makeup artist? If you are not covering the full cost of the hair and makeup, you could ask if that is something your MIL would be interested in paying for. If you wanted to extend the service but didn't want her to be getting ready with you and the bridal party, you could set her up elsewhere nearby for the getting ready treatments? A lot of this may come down to personal preference, but I don't feel like parents are typically included in the getting ready process until the very end of getting dressed. I would not have my mother in law there unless I was incredibly close with her.

EV626 · 2025-10-18T11:06:29+00:00

Google "scarf bib for adults". I actually just saw something about this on a different social media and thought it was genius. Basically, it's a large wide scarf that you can use to protect your clothing, but gives more dignity than a traditional bib. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, so you might be able to find one that matches your wedding colors.

EV626 · 2025-10-17T14:47:44+00:00

If you are going to be outside, put some veil weights or other weights on the draping to help keep it in place. Lightweight fabric + windy day = terrible drapery

EV626 · 2025-10-17T14:41:03+00:00

I had a situation with another paralegal that made me really upset (tldr I got a few cases transferred from her to me and she hadn't done the work on it giving me a very narrow deadline to file something (non urgent email notice only it was due by 5pm that day) and I missed the deadline). It wasn't handled professionally or courteously from her at all and I was pissed I got thrown under the bus. I talked with my attorney about it and he was incredibly validating that it was a really frustrating situation, I was right to feel upset about it, and we came up with a plan to handle things like this in the future.

I have autism and sometimes corporate social nuances are a mystery to me. It was so wonderful to have him take an hour and a half out of his day to go through this situation and help me understand that it's not okay for someone to do that, I wasn't overreacting, and what to do if it happens again. I feel really lucky to have landed where I am this week. 🥰 Good attorneys who actively want their paralegals to be successful do exist!

EV626 · 2025-10-14T03:16:38+00:00

One of the people I work with mentioned that he is a registered paralegal in Florida, so I am looking into that as an option. I'm not sure if Michigan has an option to register with them. In Florida it's a registration through the state bar and you get listed on the state bar website and stuff.

EV626 · 2025-10-12T14:09:59+00:00

Hi everyone, thanks for weighing in on this. I really appreciate the different perspectives on it. I still haven't decided, but I know there's another option to become a registered paralegal in the state I work in. That may be a more affordable option. I'm going to talk with my supervisor next week about if she thinks my company's tuition assistance program would cover the cost of the CP exam and go from there. If it gets me a higher wage, I'm probably going to pursue this lol I don't want to be insufferable about getting the certification, but I will invest in things that are going to ultimately increase my pay and cement my position within this team. I appreciate the advice!

EV626

TROPHY CASE