It's Official!

The deposit has been made to the Winnetka Community House! The date will be June 6, 2009. One thing on the list that we can cross off now. Yay!

Which One Looks Good?

So - what do you guys think? These are the two styles that I've come across that I really like. Of course, we'll need to try it on, but I want to know what you think about these dresses.

Date Has Been Selected

Mark your calendars --Leo and I have agreed to have the wedding set on Saturday, June 6, 2009. We are putting our deposit down on the reception site this weekend and will let you know where it will be shortly.

With the date set, we've also selected our wedding colors. It will be sage green and chocolate brown. (The colors here are a bit washed out -- but hopefully you get the idea).
BMs, we'll be shopping for your dresses very soon! Get psyched!

Another Wonder of The Pill

I thought this was an interesting article I came across today.


`The Pill' Helps Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk, Wider Use Is Urged
By Chantal Britt

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aJUHj5yzEfHI&refer=home

Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The longer a woman uses the oral contraceptive pill, the lower her risk of getting ovarian cancer later in life, The Lancet medical journal reports.

Ten years of pill use reduced ovarian cancer cases as well as deaths from the disease, according to research by Valerie Beral from the Cancer Research U.K. Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University.

Oral contraceptives, which contain the hormones estrogen and progestin or progestin alone, are used by more than 100 million women, the journal said. The pills have been linked to increased risks for breast and cervical cancers and shown to have protective effects against ovarian, endometrial and colorectal tumors. Beral's findings mean the contraceptives should be more widely used, an editorial in The Lancet said.

``We strongly endorse more widespread over-the-counter access to a preventive agent that can not only prevent cancers but also demonstrably save the lives of tens of thousands of women,'' the editorial said.

Use of the pills cut the number of cases to eight per 1,000 women from 12, and the number of deaths to five instead of seven per 1,000, Beral said.

The hormone drugs, which have been used for almost 50 years, have prevented about 200,000 cases of ovarian cancer, and 100,000 deaths from the disease, Beral estimated. Use of the medicines may prevent at least 30,000 cases of cancer per year over the next few decades. Beral analyzed data from 45 studies in 21 countries including almost 100,000 women.

Other Factors

Risk reduction didn't vary according to factors including ethnicity, education or the consumption of alcohol or tobacco, she said. The dose of estrogen didn't have an effect on prevention rates either, the researchers found. The pills used in the 1960s typically contained more than double the estrogen dose of those sold in the 1980s.

Women in their 20s may be more concerned about the possible link to breast or cervical cancers, which are more common, the editorial said. The overall cancer-preventing benefits of the pill are a ``positive'' message and should empower women to decide for themselves about the evidence, it added.

Women may cut their risk of developing ovarian cancer by consuming about three cups of coffee a day, a study published Jan. 22 in the journal Cancer found.

Reception, Schmereption

One of the biggest things I would like to knock off the wedding planning list is the place for our reception. Leo and I have looked at the Winnetka Community House and we both LOVE it. They'll also let us bring in some "ethnic" foods, which is a big plus for us. However, I am definitely the most impulsive person I know and NEVER compare anything. I always fall for the first choices -- selecting a college, purchasing a car, condo, shoes/clothes, etc. I'm pretty much set when I see "the first one."

Because of this, I wanted to shop around and keep my options open this time around. So -- Jihan and I decided to check out Crowne Plaza O'Hare this past week. My thoughts?? Ehh -- aside from it being a hotel and a place where people can knock out right afterwards - there were no other pros.
Additionally, we asked the Catering Manager if she could show us some pictures of past weddings so we could envision what the empty banquet place we were shown looked like set up. She told us that all of her photos were outdated!! What kind of place doesn't update their portfolio? That was a bad sign for me. Palencia and I thought that it was because they catered mostly to business events instead of weddings.

We're supposed to meet with Grand Piazza sometime soon. I almost feel like it would be a wasteful meeting. I think Leo and I are pretty much set on the Winnetka Community House.

Bridal Party Selected

It wasn't a difficult decision for me to come to when I had to select my bridal party. I have a pretty close group of gal pals that I love dearly, so this was definitely one thing from the wedding planning checklist I could check off easily. Leo still has to come up with his groomsmen.

In any event, here are my bridesmaids:

Jihan Palencia (Maid of Honor) - Total no brainer in having you be my right hand woman. I promise I won't turn into a Bridezilla. I can't wait to plan everything with you.





Erica Gelvan - My cousin. I love you. Hurry home so we can get together!! GO MARQUETTE!!






Nadia Hindaileh - I've known her since Sophomore year of Geometry, when my pick up line to her was "Hey Nad, got any gum?" ;) We've been friends ever since -- over 10 years!!





Kristina Mallorca - If she hadn't started dating Leo's older brother - I am quite certain I would have met this girl later down in my life. Six degrees of separation hits close to home for us. Japan, Philippines, NY -- what next, chick?





Tram Phan and Toni Quach - My pseudo twin (Tram) and one of my best friends, my cousin Toni. These girls know how to party and I know our parties before the wedding will be very memorable. ;)





Sophia Varnasidis - College would not have been the same if I didn't share my experience with Sofoula. Who else could I complain to that my psycho ex roommate moved out on me in the middle of the night, jammed the lock, piled the trash super high and didn't take it out AND stole all of my toilet paper?!