What about laser treatments? I wonder if anyone has had real success with them. I did a series of them a few years ago for my many spots. (I have freckles, which I don't mind, but now I also have sun damage spots mixed in, making my face look like some sort of sepia-toned map of the world when I don't have makeup on.) The laser turned a lot of the spots darker at first, then they basically fell off. I have one biggish spot in particular on my cheek that bothers me more than anything, and that one didn't go away completely but it was definitely lighter. The problem is, within a year all the spots were back. I can't afford to do laser treatments all the time! I even had a dermatologist try to "burn" off that one dark spot with that thing they use to burn off minor moles. That didn't work a bit. I do have the Obagi hydroquinone cream that I bought from Amazon. Unfortunately, I'm not that religious about using it but an aesthetician told me with these products you have to really use them religiously for many months to see a real difference. When I did use it religiously for a while, what I noticed is that the spots darkened at first (I didn't use it on my whole face, just on a couple of really annoying spots) and then peeled a bit, and finally they did lighten up. So I'm trying to do that again. What I really want is a magic instant eraser! I am in the middle of a second series of microdermabrasion treatments that I started last spring. I go about once a month (I didn't go in summer). I think that has lightened some of the smaller spots, and definitely makes my skin look clearer in general.

Jakabedy...yes, you've got it right...and it sounds like it was a nightmare! (I am new on the committee, having just volunteered to pinch hit the night of the event.) Sponsors did have people submit separate payments and some walked in with a fistful of checks. I agree with you that it should probably be the responsibility of the sponsor. The way it worked for me was that I joined a table my friend C was putting together. But I paid through Paypal directly to the organization. Another friend L also wanted to sit with me, so I called C and asked if L could join us. C said yes. L paid through Paypal. Organization had no idea L was linked to C. (clear as mud?) The problem I see with your plan above is that it is so much easier for people to pay through PayPal. But PayPal doesn't seem to have lots of options for gathering details. I like your verbiage about seating together only if purchased together. We are thinking that there needs to be some kind of box to enter each name in for a multiple ticket purchase. We are not doing half tables. It's ten or nothing. Xantippe, I will look at the websites you mentioned. Thanks! Suero, we had approximately 36 tables this year. The issue was gathering all the names and matching them up. We did not do name tags. But, we are considering having people print out a ticket online to get in. We did use spreadsheets and it was still a lot of legwork tracking down the seating info. This is not a big ticket event, btw. Thanks everyone, for the input. Off to look at Eventbrite. :-)

Reminds me of the time my older son (about 12 at the time) got off the school bus somewhere. Where? I'm still not completely sure! (Now, this is the smart kid, not the one who really is 'dee-dee-dee'. That kid has enough sense to actually ask an adult where the heck he is, and maybe could that adult call his mom? Or better yet, to stay on the stinking school bus if he doesn't know where he is! Nope - This is the smart kid...) So we live on a tiny little street accessible only from a small street, which was under construction for some time a few years ago. Apparently one day, that small street was under so much construction that the school bus couldn't even turn down onto that street -- so they didn't. (At least, according to my kid, they didn't.) I don't know what happened to the other 20 kids or so who also live off this small street, but at some point, My Kid (the smart one) gets off the school bus alone and calls me to come pick him up. Thank goodness he had a cell phone! Him: Hi Mom - Can you pick me up? Me: Huh? Hey - You're late. Where are you? Him: Well... Me: Are you at school? Him: No - I'm on that street. Me: What? What street? What happened to the school bus? Him: Well - you know - that other street. Me: That other street? Him: Yeah - you know - that other street. Me: Near us? Him: I think so. Can you come get me? Me: You want me to get in the car and come and get you, but you can't tell me where you are? Him: Yeah. Me: That could take a while... Him: Why? Can't you leave now? Me: Yeah - but where should I go? You want me to just drive around? Him: Yeah. Me: No. Him: Wha? Me: You got off the school bus and you don't even know where you are? Is that what you're saying? And now you want me to get in the car and come look for you? What were you thinking?! Him: Wha? Me: OK - Look for a street sign. What does it say? Him: A street sign? What do they look like? Me: Wha? Him: OK - It says 'Bunker Hill' (a street, but also our neighborhood - not sure which he means) Me: OK - Now can you find another one? Him: Wha? Me: If you can give me two street signs, I'll know where you are. Him: No - there's just one. Me: Are you on a big street or a little one? Him: Sorta Me: Sorta?... Him: Yeah. Me: OK - can you see any streets that are bigger than the one you're on? Him: Yeah. Me: OK - Walk toward that street. Any more signs? Him: No Me: OK, I'm going to guess. You keep walking toward the big street, and when you get to the corner, stay there. I guessed more or less correctly, and had a nice long talk with "the smart one" about actually plugging in his brain and turning it on...

They both likely get those blue/purple "fruits" like grapes in late summer early fall, that are gone now. I know mine were pretty tall, up to my hips and I'm 5'7" average woman. I'm guessing mine aren't delicate enough to be the real thing, usually the dainty forest natives don't do as well as what I have is doing there, but, that spot is especially rich and woodsy, I wish it was a larger spot than it is. I'll wait until next year when it flowers, I will do a look at images online, but, unless the real thing is more dainty, I'm guessing I won't be able to tell. It all has turned yellow and is on the ground now, we've had a couple low 20F nights. Thanks Tom