The place we went with priced cupcakes the same no matter what. We ended up paying extra because we wanted them to come and set them all up (because no way was I setting up cupcakes on my wedding day). But the cupcakes were priced based on volume, no matter what the event.

Genius. Paper-plates were MADE for Thanksgiving.

As does any vintage store that sells keys. Seriously, what is with all the “old-fashioned-key” decor I am seeing at weddings?

Splendid! I’m so getting that one!

You are an evil genius. I need you on my shoulder to advise me at all times.

I have a feeling that, if we do buy a home, my mother’s set of china and my MIL’s two sets will be thrust upon us. They will probably do a drive-by and leave it in our yard.

We just had a relative get married, and my mom was talking about going rogue and getting her “china, or maybe crystal, I don’t know why she didn’t register for anything nice.” And I was like “Mom, no. They live in a one BR apartment. People gave us that stuff too, and now it’s at Goodwill. Save her the drive to…

Your comment made me LOL. Admittedly, I get all the feelings when my mom whips out her china at Thanksgiving, as it reminds me of all the Thanksgivings that came before, and all my loved ones who ate off that china and are now dead (RIP, Grandma).

Yes! Rubber rings. We are looking into getting those for daily wear and travel.

Ah, yes, the apartment parties, where everyone sits on the floor and everyone is fine with it because it’s not like their place is any bigger.

Many vestigial parts of the wedding industry hate millennials.

Exactly, you can give your kids gifts without over-doing it. We got ONE gift from Mom & Dad and ONE from “santa.” And my parents encouraged us to think really hard about what we wanted because we had to make it count. If we asked for something too big (like a pony), they’d be like, “That’s too much, think of something…

When I was a kid, I was SUPER unenthused about travel. It was a thing my parents made me do. I’d have rather gotten a book or art kit under the tree.

Yes! The giraffe pictured was in the Okavango Delta. Then we went to Chobe National Park (Savuti and Chobe River area). Were you in Chobe as well?

Here’s mine from Botswana. Not the best picture, but it was the first giraffe I’d ever seen in the wild. I got hundreds of better, closer giraffe pictures over the next two weeks, but this one was special because it was my FIRST GIRAFFE. Our safari started as a “walking safari,” and we were just walking along in the…

I’m not one of the ones saying the city “should” build more affordable housing. Did you mean to respond to me, or someone else?

We live in an “ask for forgiveness rather than permission” culture, for sure. But it’s impossible to know about all the risks unless you’re aware of stories like this fire. I would have probably attended this party in my 20s without thinking twice. Agreed with all your posts that more practical risk-avoidance…

Thank you for posting this. And I am so incredibly sorry for your loss.

Nobody is saying they’re “owed” the privilege of living anywhere. I’d argue the people living in a warehouse “collective” in the city are just as gritty and scrappy as those who pack up and move to BFE.

People die in Airbnbs, too, because they don’t get inspected like hotels do. But all people care about is that they get to rent out a giant house for $100 a night instead of staying in a “lame chain hotel.” I was the only one who checked the smoke detectors the last time my friends rented a party house on Airbnb.