Just a follow up on the "no gifts please" issue, because it is something we all always agonize over, isn't it? It went as we predicted. Our very closest friends got me birthday gifts (in groups of 2 or 3). These are the people with whom we are so close that we give each other gifts for big occasions, party or no party, so we ignore "no gifts, please" if there is a party, because just as we aren't giving a gift because of the invitation, we aren't refraining from giving one because of the invitation, either. Our very, VERY closest friends also got us anniversary gifts (one from a group of three couples, one from one couple) -- same circumstance. Most people either brought a bottle of wine, amaretto, or champagne, a small birthday and/or anniversary gift (about like you would give for a hostess gifts -- candy, a funny little purse mirror, etc.), or nothing. Several (whether or not they could attend the party) made contributions to various charities. Another factor that may have made a difference was the gift my husband gave me -- the best ever. It is an album of stories and memories he asked people to send. Not only do I love it more than anything else he could have thought of, I like the idea that that would help people feel like their contribution to the album WAS a gift -- and they are right! Anyway, the bottom line is that I think that whether or not you put "no gifts, please" on an invitation doesn't make much difference; those who would anyway will anyway, and others might bring something small, but about the size they would probably bring as a hostess gift anyway. The real function is for the hosts to avoid feeling embarrassment about giving themselves a party for a gift-y occasion. So I guess in the future I will stick to no reference at all to gifts, EXCEPT where we are both hosts and also the guests of honor. I still feel, also, that people LIKE giving gifts to their friends. And I'll close with a funny story to that effect from this birthday: one day, about 11:30 am, a couple of weeks before the party, I called my friend G, on her cell phone, to see if she wanted to go to lunch. No answer, so I called A. No answer, so I called N. No answer - !!! "Why don't my friends take my calls," I thought, feeling very unpopular. So I called C, and she and I went to lunch. The next day, G called me, laughing. She said, "Sorry I didn't get back to you until today. I bet you wanted to go to lunch. I was out with A and N, shopping for your birthday present!" They had figured it out and wanted to share the laugh with me. (Good thing I had tried all three of them, eh?) They had fun shopping together, and I love the gift (it's a glass necklace) because it makes me think of them having a good time because of me.

Our anniversary is January 15th, so we try to head someplace warm and beachy whenever we can. One year we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, which is a drop-dead gorgeous resort. We had an oceanfront room with a huge balcony and it was so romantic! We took a private helicopter tour of the island and saw the famous waterfall shown in the Jurassic Park movies. The diving trip along the Napali Coast was a awesome, too. We LOVE Kauai! Another year we flew to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. We loved the wonderful boutique hotel and restaurant there, The Sugarmill. The food there is fabulous. There wasn't a traffic light on the island, just roundabouts, and a rain forest and mountain in the middle of the island The diving off Tortola was excellent. Road Town got boring after one day, but the miles of beautiful beaches more than make up for it. A couple of years ago, we rented a villa overlooking Magen's Bay on St.Thomas. We lucked out, as 95% of the available parking on that island seems to be on a 90-degree incline, either up or down . . . but, thankfully, our villa in Peterborg Estates has a large flat parking area! It also had an infinity pool overlooking the bay, huge gourmet kitchen and 6 different patios. The diving there was just ok, so we took the car ferry over to St. John to dive. Shopping and dining were great. We loved that place and definitely want to back again. Last year, we spent our anniversary at a wonderful B&B in Santa Fe . . . which was close to home, fun, but definitely not warm! Lynn

You will really enjoy putting this together. I did one for a 60th anniversary (5 years ago!), before scrapbooking was so big and before there were a lot of products available. I covered a binder with fabric and put the wedding picture on the front in a fabric-covered frame with silk wedding flower trim. Like the response from Mar, we asked all the grandkids and great-grands to write about their favorite memories of visiting the grandparents' farm in Wisconsin (they were all city kids), and the brothers and sisters also contributed by writing about some of their favorite memories. We had lots and lots of pictures representing the 60 years they shared. I would suggest carrying out the color scheme of their wedding (although at that time there may not have been one), or the flowers that were used. Have the wedding attendants relate anything amusing that happened the day of the wedding. If there are any surviving momentos, such as a handkerchief, fabric from a dress, napkin, you might find a product available for preserving and incorporating that into the book. Enjoy!

Thank you for the suggestions, Though my BIL is not the massage type, that RED ENVELOPE is really cool and if I don't come up with an idea we will get a nice gift certificate! We had just moved our godparents off the old farm house after 40+ years in the same home and the plates and knick nacks she had packed away in boxes was overwelming. I would rather get something that can be used and enjoyed then the item that gets kept in the bottom of the china cabinet for another 20 years! thanks again