Aubrey

Would love to use this, but don't have a compatible phone.

Find a good deal (Expedia.com and Travelocity.com have them) on a package! We stayed at the Monte Carlo and got free Cirque Du Soleil tickets.

The Monte Carlo was nice for the room, and was convenient for a cheap breakfast or lunch with the food court inside. Also centrally located, easy access to the major hotels. We got married inside the Las Vegas Hilton, which was also really nice. I've stayed at the Excalibur, but it's best for people traveling with children IMO.

The Paris was probably our favorite inside, but we did not see the rooms. Probably where I'll stay next time if we get a good rate. Either way, look and book a package if you can. You shouldn't do Vegas without a great show!

I keep seeing the "I don't have time to make my own bread" excuse. Seriously, get a bread making machine. You control the ingredients, so it is still home made. No need to do all the kneading, waiting around for it to rise, etc. If you really want good breads, this is the way to go!

Breadman TR520 Programmable Bread Maker for 1-, 1-1/2-, and 2-Pound Loaves -- $50! No more "I can't find good bread" crying

or a little fanicier, but still doesn't make you broke:

Cuisinart CBK-100 Programmable Breadmaker

darkchilde, you are tiny! If you're fat, then I'm obese.

And I just found out, after swearing off chocolate...my skin cleared up.

I want chocolate. =(

I agree. Denial diets don't work anyway, since they're not sustainable. Lifestyle changes are better. Eat your chocolate, just control your portions. I have no control over sweets if I see them, so I have my husband hide them from me until I want a little. He brings me a few pieces and I feel better. No more binging on junk. Also, I do find that better quality chocolate makes me want to eat less, because it is just soooo intense. 70% or 80% cocoa. Not many people can eat a lot of that at once, but a little is so yummy!

The other thing about chocolate... it can improve your mood (clicky here for explanation)! So a little is really not so bad.

admittedly, we don't come on here too often anymore, especially considering that many of us have facebook pages. I'm sure we will start coming back again when the next bout with USCIS comes along...

Our anniversary is next Wednesday - time has FLOWN by! Amazing how the speed of time changes when your living life instead of waiting for it to begin!

I don't want to be depressing - but we shared the news with everyone in the first place so I thought it fair to share this on here too... We had a miscarriage before Christmas. No need for mentions.. we're ok now and happily trying again

One thing I will ask for is some prayers! I have a job interview next Friday - Senior Personnel in the Epidemiology Dept for Flagler County Dept. of Health. This would be FANTASTIC for us as I'd have a normal 9-5 job and be home with the kids nights and weekends. Far cry from my normal 5-6 days a week working from 2p-11p. Also it has benefits and we have no insurance now.... So I'm really excited!!! Prayers welcome!!

And for you facebook'ers - plz no mention of the job interview on there... I have ppl i currently work with on there and I don't want the word to get out

Thanks!!!

well... Ryan is calling!! Have a great day everyone!!!

Good luck! I know how tough it is having opposite schedules. I wish you two all the best!!

I also got a job and start Monday as a graphic designer for MAQ Software.

It's awesome to see anniversaries coming around. The last almost 8 months for us has flown by. I finally set this thread up for an email subscription because the posts are so spotty, and I don't want to miss what's going on.

Congrats on Jeremy's permanent position! That's wonderful news.

Andy got the job at Valve. It's a contractor position to start, which means no benefits for now and hourly wage. But it's a good hourly wage and he gets free parking in downtown Bellevue (which would be 18/day, no small change!), free breakfast/snacks/lunches, and a fully unlocked Steam account (some $10K worth of games)... so it's crazy good. Hopefully in a few months it turns into a salaried position, like it has for most of their 250 or so employees. All the salaried employees are going to Maui in a few weeks for a company vacation... JEALOUS! But I think the best part is that he gets to hang out with 3 other native Germans in his department.

I'm still looking for a design job, but have had a few leads so far, which is better than I'd been doing before. Still waiting to hear back on graduate school acceptance, too. Overall, we're doing really great though.

I'm with you there ashen

I havn't exercised for the last 3 days... I just can't bring myself to exercise lately.

It's so frustrating... I lose determination on things just way too easily.

I think what makes the exercise thing so hard to keep up with, at least for me, is that I'm stuck doing it myself. It would be easier with a workout buddy - that way each person can motivate the other when they don't feel like it. The other factor that's kept me from doing it regularly was being so tired all the time. But I am so happy, my husband started a great job and also no longer has to work night shifts, so my sleeping habits are becoming regular again. I know I will have an easier time keeping it up now.

The last couple days has been crazy on my progress though. I'm down about 5 pounds since I started, but quit exercising for about a week from complete exhaustion and chronic migraines. Now that's over and the last couple of days have been CrAzY with having just 1 car and preparing for my own interview (I ran around literally all day yesterday reworking my design portfolio and getting prints, ugh). So I broke form and had a glass of wine last night (drinking my calories!) and then had taco bell for dinner. Then today I skipped lunch for 2 rice cakes... I was too busy to eat. Those little setbacks really add up, and it sucks! I want to fit back in my old clothes again!

While I'm not "huge" (the Wii Fit tells me I'm "normal" but I'm close to that overweight line), but I am not thin and healthy anymore. I was always the slim one my whole life (my ex-husband even called me "skinny lou" as a hillbilly nickname), and I still have clothes from 5-6 years ago that are size 4 and 6. Now I'm 10/12, and I hate it. The flub on my stomach, the extra weight I can see in my chin, and BLECH.

Oh, I absoultely agree on the language topic Nina+Matt!

Believe me, I WANT to learn all the German that I can! Especially while living in Germany. Because I know once we move back to the states, it will not be as easy for me to continue learning. It's just NOT easy to learn at all. I think that a lot of adults have trouble learning new languages. I feel lucky to have at least taken two years of Spanish in high school. I don't practice my Spanish so much anymore (because I'm learning German), but I believe by me learning that language, it made me more adaptable to learn more languages in the future.

What really sucks is, like I previously mentioned, I have learned all of my German on my own. I want to go to school, but it's either too expensive, or gets cancelled on me! arggg. So frustrating! Anyways, I've learned A LOT of German other ways.. In my house with my husband and stepchildren.. On the women's fastpitch softball team that I play on.. And while working my previous mini-job, and the new job I just started today!

Use Rosetta Stone. I went through French I and it was a breeze. Like playing a game (not boring/frustrating like books and CDs). When we have the dough to dish out for the full language pack, it will be how I acquire my German skills.

A couple things:

Even if you need some coursework, if they are "easy" for you it is possible that your school may allow you to test out of those classes. I'm a US citizen, and I took quite a few tests to get out of a full year of college coursework (all of my math, literature, some foreign language, etc). You should look into this if you really think you could pass the tests.

The others are right -- a degree is insufficient to teach in K-12 schools. Each state has different requirements for reaching teaching certification, but most require a person to have education coursework/student teaching, which will take a year or more of additional school past a standard BA/BS in your field. This might be cheaper for you in the long run, though, instead of getting a Master's or PHD.

Also correct -- you don't stand a chance of teaching at a community college without at least a Master's in your field, and a PHD for university coursework.

Careers in Forestry are hard to come by. The level of demand is pretty low, and you'll find the jobs are often in the middle of BFE (nowhere) or seasonal. The people from the University of Idaho (which is quite big in forestry/government land type jobs) who went for those careers often interned and volunteered for years with no pay just for a shot. But, you could transition into environmental/outdoor education with some additional credentials.

Good luck! It's tough out there, regardless of your education and country of origin. On the job training is almost unheard of these days, and I myself keep staring at job listings wanting too many years of experience and skills I don't have, despite 2 degrees and work experience.

It's pretty hard for me to do anything except the Wii Fit.

We have no exersise equipment, we can't afford a gym membership and I dont have running shoes

I can't really look into anything else until one of us finds a job.

I am in the same boat with the no money problem. I have a Wii Fit, too, but have to say you definitely do have low cost/no cost options without realizing it.

I think the strength training on Wii Fit it is decent, but the cardio is just not enough unless you modify it with weights (I use a $5 set of 1 lb wrist weights for the boxing) or an aerobic step (such as this one. Even the strength training could use a boost with a resistance band. I know you can find them cheap at Walmart or Target.

For Wii Fit alternatives/no cost: what about your local library? I was just at mine and they have a ton of workout dvds to check out. I picked up Dancing with the Stars weight loss training, and I can renew it for up to a month. You should look into your library for more choices.

Also, never forget you can run in place with weights to make your indoor jog more intense -- water bottles, books, a sack of flour... it might sound silly, but you definitely CAN step up your workout for cheap/free if you think outside the retail box. You can do it!

Well, first and foremost, you will need to learn German.

Hypothetically speaking, "when" you move here, you would have to go to your local Landesamt and apply for a "Residence Permit" (Aufenhalstitel) which allows you to live here with your German spouse. When you are married to a German Citizen, you will typically get a Work Permit attached with your residence permit, which is what I have.

Here are a couple of links that may be helpful to this conversation. My husband and I have looked into this ourselves before deciding on his move to the U.S. We still consider a move to Germany at some point. My German is zero right now, but I have two university degrees so we figured I would do OK if I picked up some basic German before heading over. Regardless, this isn't in our cards for many years, at the least. Hopefully the info helps though.

http://www.integration-in-deutschland.de/S...ug-flyer-en.pdf -- page 2 lists the exceptions to the German language requirement. Note that 1) university degree and 2) being a U.S. citizen both exempt you...

http://www.toronto.diplo.de/Vertretung/tor...er__spouse.html - basic information (not detailed) about how to get a residence permit

Wow, this thread went from positive and helpful to disgusting and awful in less than 24 hours. Showing pictures of unhealthy foods and disgusting pictures of meats is NOT support for weight loss.

Please? Pretty please? It was bad enough to have unfortunately walked down the candy isle at the store today and have to pull myself away wanting some.

Hubby came home with regular instead of whole wheat pancakes. Ugh. We are too poor to throw them out, and it is too time consuming to make two kinds. Those little things really add up, and I get so frustrated that money inhibits my progress. Can't afford egg substitute or to throw out all the yolks -- so I'm stuck with the fat of the whole egg. I think he was frustrated with me though for buying whole wheat bread for myself, which costs twice as much as white, no matter what brand/no brand you buy.

Overall my calorie consumption this week isn't too bad, but I'm definitely getting more fat intake than I'd like. Days I'm too tired to do cardio, I do a small set of strength training stuff that spark recommends. I haven't weighed myself in days, so no idea on progress. But I definitely am doing more than I have in months, so that's good.

What is the deal with the cabbage soup thing? What am I missing?

Yep, it was roughly 2 weeks for us too from Vegas. We went with a Vegas wedding for a couple of reasons:

1. We were living in the middle of nowhere practically, so we would have to plan something from scratch with little notice in our little town. We wanted a nice wedding for not too much money.

2. His family was flying over, and we thought it'd be better for them to spend their first time in the U.S. with something to actually see and do besides being bored in our little town.

3. We couldn't do it easily enough where my parents live either, since Texas has a 72 hour waiting period.

We got married in La Bella wedding chapel (which is inside the LV Hilton) and could not have been happier with it all. It was a great deal, quality photos, and super friendly service. We enjoyed our limo ride from our hotel, had our own flower color choice, and brought our own CD of music instead of using their standard choice. I really recommend them for a great service!

Is there an option to enter your own food? I use Calorie King, and they have t hat option. Most stuff has nutritional info on the back.

I also read today on my Ck that if you guesstimate what you're eating, you're probably eating more, therefore not getting an accurate calorie count.

Yes, sparkpeople lets you enter your own food. I guesstimate stuff like veggies, because it's hard to accurately measure how much I throw into my eggs, for example. There is just not enough time to measure everything. It also has a pretty cool database of food recipes, even for vegetarians (Yay!).

@ Darnell: Yuck, how do you stand eating just that? Especially steamed tofu? I'm a vegetarian myself, but can't stand tofu unless it's marinated and cooked to firm. Have you thought about eating edamamme? Same protein, same ingredient, but tastes way better imo.

Hi guys!

I will be moving to the Staates in end of Mai (K1 visa).

I was wondering, what should I do with my place of residence in Germany. Is it necessary to give any notice of departure? Should I inform any public authority that I am immigarting to the U.S.?

Is this necessary? What consequences does it has?

thanks for your answers.

- Adam

Yes, you do need to let Germany know you will not be living there. My husband did so before he left. I don't remember the process, but I don't think it was complicated or time consuming. I'll ask him to post when he gets home from work and explain it to you.

I totally relate to the spouse not wanting to eat fruits and veggies. When I met my husband, he refused to eat almost any veggie or fruit at all. It's so hard for especially because I'm a vegetarian! I get so tired of eating the same thing over and over. He HATES beans, and well, that's the only protein I can afford right now besides eggs and PB. He will eat peas, diced carrots (only if they are super soft/overcooked), corn, tomatoes, and spinach. Fruits he is better about, but we can't afford much in that department -- pineapple was the only thing he ate though before I met him... on his pizza.

I haven't exercised since my last post (what, 3 days ago?). This is the problem I struggle with most with exercising. It is not a lack of motivation, but the combination of recurrent migraines and fatigue. One or the other has stopped me in the last 2 days. It's not the fatigue you get over after getting your heart rate up either. My husband's working graveyard shifts, and I'm suffering major insomnia as a result. At least I've been good on my eating habits -- keeping my calories at 1700 or so, according to SparkPeople. Does anyone else suffer from these problems getting in the way of exercise? What do you do?

Discover card. 1% cash back on just about everything, 5% on promotional things (sign up with 2 clicks online every 3 months) including AIRLINE TICKETS and other travel (5% cash back on an international flight is niiiiiice), or groceries. Take it as cash at $50, or turn it into gift certificates at retailers for up to double the amount.

The other thing is that they've always been a nice company. No hidden fees, no random interest hikes (when they were allowed), and super nice customer service people. I have a Citi card, and I really hate the people at their customer service, they jacked my interest rates up for no reason, and their website constantly tries to trick me into signing up for stuff I don't want.

I rarely have a problem with a place taking Discover, either. I say go with them.

I know this is Canada forum, but hopefully you all don't mind if I join in... I could use some support!

I'm at 160 pounds, and while that's not "huge" it's the heaviest I've ever been. I gained 10-15 pounds of it since last fall, and the other 20 creeped in over the last 5 years. I miss feeling healthy, lean, and fitting into my clothes. My husband and I have been struggling financially, so we can't afford a lot of the healthier foods. It's made it really hard. It didn't help that my last temp job involved an hour commute and sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day. 10/hours a day sitting was not good!

Short term goal: 10 pounds by March 30 (150 pound weight)

Long term goal: 130 pound weight by end of the year or size 6 again.

Eating goals: Cut out the fats where I can (cheese, oils, etc), cut snacks, no more junk food. I allow myself one or two hard candies a day to stave off the sugar cravings. Wish I had the money to afford whole grain stuff and more veggies, but it all costs too much. The other problem is my husband tends towards being underweight, so I really struggle to make cheap meals for our different needs.

Workout goal: 5x/week. My workouts vary between Wii Fit (I like using my wrist weights with the boxing for cardio), Wii Active Fit (I can't do the 30 day challenge, I've failed 3 times now because it reuses the same muscle groups), and Dance Dance Revolution. Tried running/jogging and my hip joints incapacitate me for days after I try.

Any tips or advice are always welcomed!!

kayak.com found the cheapest flights for us.

And just as a FYI: It's one thing to get over a person -- the loving them, the missing them -- and a whole other ball game to get over all the ####### and heartache they put you through. When someone devastates your life, it's hard to get to a place where you can get over that no matter how over the person you are. We all need closure. One way or another.

Thank you.

For me, I think it's a disgrace to myself if I ever have an ex.

Easy to say if you have a great spouse. My ex-husband sucked the life out of me. It was a disgrace for me to stay with him as long as I did. My friends and family thought I was a new person afterwards, but it was more like I finally got to lift the burden from my shoulders and be myself again after 8 years.

There's been so many posts about kids, and that seems to be the only reason to some to hate things about your ex. I fortunately did not have kids with my ex-husband, but I still hate things about him -- the things that changed me in ways that I do not like. I will spend many more years un-learning the damage that 8 years with him did. I hate his mental illness (bi-polar), isolation, and never doing anything without being asked. I hate that he never remembered to do anything on his own. I hate that he often ignored me when I spoke, and rarely laughed out loud at my jokes. I hate that he complained when we did stuff I liked to the point that I gave it up. After so many years, it left me feeling depressed and alone, and I rarely smiled anymore. It was never deliberate nor abusive, so I stayed with him anyway until I reached my breaking point.

I am grateful every day that I left that marriage and found myself again. I am even more grateful that I had the courage to tell my husband that I love him and pursue this wonderful marriage I am now in. I never dreamed that a man could be so loving, understanding, thoughtful, and work so hard for our marriage. We smile and laugh together all the time. I just wish that I could have gotten where I am today without having 8 years of my life sucked away by my ex-husband.

I am so sorry for your loss. It brought me to tears. My husband and I both send you our condolences and a big hug.

Ironic post for me, since my husband and I just watched the film for the first time. I'd never heard of it, but whattorent.com recommended it.

It will cost you a lot more to bring them in than to just buy them here. Fish and wildlife is in charge on animal immigration check there site out for the rules.

Indeed. They've also gotten a lot more strict on bringing in animals that aren't the standard cat or dog, and for birds are probably looking at a lengthy quarantine.

Given the economic meltdown of U.S. automakers, selling off of Euro brands, and recall wazooland: Has your opinion of automakers changed recently? I know mine has.

I've owned a used Mazda, used Geo metro (Suzuki), and now a Toyota Corolla.

The Mazda went through an alternator and two transmissions before the crusher. It burned oil for years. It was my first car, so I didn't get to pick it (in my defense).

Geo Metro was the replacement (again, I didn't pick it). I called it a pregnant rollerskate, a go kart, and "Bob" (a palendrome). I sold it to some illegal Mexican workers on my ex-husband's family farm, and found out the engine dropped out a week later when they were driving it to Mexico. I guess I got lucky with my timing?

So I thought, I want something RELIABLE. My parents had good experiences with their Toyotas. I read Consumer Reports. Positive reviews everywhere.

My 04 Toyota Corolla has been a PAIN! The paint is pathetic -- under warranty I made them replace the bumper when a huge chunk of paint came off when I hand washed it with the sprayer. Then there was the window bolt recall. Then air conditioner problems (a $400 fix), and replacing the serpentine belt. The back automatic window stopped working. The gas system had a leak. And now it's getting oddly low gas mileage (~26mpg when it used to get 32-36, even in heavy traffic). And my car only has 60K miles.

I will never buy an American car. Ever. But I'm not impressed with my Toyota, and definitely not impressed with the huge recall disaster with their braking systems in the news lately. I'm strongly considering other auto makers for my next car purchase, but pretty unsure of where to turn.

What do you all think?