Josie's Blog

I now have reason to be "that sweaty, red-faced girl"...

2009-03-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have asthma. And I'm allergic to everything...practically.

It all started about 6 months ago, when I started getting sick a lot for no reason. I figure I had some kind of "cigarette smoke allergy", which I discovered today does not exist. But, my symptoms always seemed to turn up anytime I was around cigarettes, even just one. Within the last month or so, I had Strep throat and bronchitis back to back. So, Mom got me an appointment with an allergist.

I went today, and upon talking to the doctor before testing, I kind of started feeling like I was overreacting, and I really wasn't allergic to anything. Maybe my 4-5 upper respiratory infections a year was normal, or related to something else.

They proceeded to start the testing on my back. I had 64 samples pressed into my skin with tiny needles that I barely felt. That definitely wasn't the worst part...

The worst part was resisting the urge to rip my skin off for 15 minutes while THIS developed...

It itched so bad that Mom had to talk to me constantly to keep me from focusing on it. The worst itching was on the back of my neck, which is at the very top of the picture.

All in all, I have a mild mold allergy, a moderate tree allergy, and a very severe grass allergy. She told me that cigarette smoke is not an allergen, but an irritant, and since my allergies are so severe, they trigger the asthma whenever I am around it. The asthma and allergies explain why I constantly have an upper respiratory infection. I have to start taking shots twice a week, carry an emergency inhaler, and carry an Epi-Pen for emergencies. I had to practice in her office by jamming it into my leg. Good times!

The reason why I'm allergic to so many things is because Louisiana does not freeze, so the allergens are in the air year-round. Here's a detailed list of everything I'm allergic to. No animals or foods.

TREES: Maple, Sycamore, Walnut, Willow, Poplar, Elm, Pecan, Cypress, Mountain Cedar, Red Cedar, Mulberry, Cottonwood, Privet, Birch, and Hackberry.

Basically, the only trees I didn't react to were Pine, Ash, Boxelder, and Oak.

GRASSES (allergic to all I was tested for): Bahia, Bermuda, Timothy, Rye, Johnson, Fescue, June, and Orchard.

Who names these things????

MOLD SPORES: I won't go into details because the names are even more ridiculous. Out of a possible 14, I'm allergic to 12.

WEED POLLENS: Cocklebur, Sagebrush, English Plantain, Mixed Ragweed, Lamb's Quarter, Pigweed, Marsh Elder, and Sheep Sorrel.

Haha, pigweed! The only one I wasn't allergic to was Kochia.

SO...long story short, the nurse told me it wasn't all in my head. I really am that nerd that's allergic to everything!

Merdi Graw

2009-02-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was Mardi Gras here in Louisiana, not all over the country as I thought in elementary school. In the above photo, you can see that I was very enthusiastic about catching as many beads as possible. And no, you don't flash the goods in Lafayette. You can also see that I am not a true Pardi Gras girl, as I knew where I was, was drinking water, and my hair didn't smell like vomit.

The Mardi Gras festivities here start way before Mardi. There were parades in Lafayette starting on Valentine's Day. The night before Mardi Gras (Lundi Gras), I attended the Queen's Parade with Kevin and my cousins, Seth, Maddie, and Jacob.

I then proceeded to get smacked in the face with an enormous clump of beads that I decided to catch with my nose and mouth.

Mardi Gras day, Kevin rode in the Independent Parade, which is the best parade. It's all independent (hence the name) companies and groups. Basically, anyone can ride and doesn't have to be part of a "Krewe", which costs thousands of dollars. He had an armful of beads that he was saving just for me, and when he spotted me, I waved and told the people with me that he was approaching. He gave me a gesture to get my hands ready, and so I threw 'em up to get my goods. However, the lady right behind me decided she deserved my really nice beads that were especially for me, and she reached above me and got all of them except two. I was left with TWO beads. Really nice beads, but only two of them. As my mom said, "That b****."

There's Kevin amongst the Mardi Gras peeps on his float. Unfortunately, he's not the hottie in the #22 jersey, but rather, the hottie to the right of that said hottie.

After catching all we could, we walked down the street to hear my cousins Cameron and Tyler play with their band, Nunchuck.

That's Cameron on the far left and Tyler on the far right. They're guitar-shredding bros.

However, our Mardi Gras wasn't all good, clean fun. Dad did meet up with a flasher...

Twas a splendid Mardi Gras... much better than the Mardi Gras when I broke my L1 vertebrae, but not many things are worse than that. Here's to next year, and three days off of school again!

Laissez les bons temps roulez.

Missed me?

2009-02-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

Okay. I'm doing it. I'm taking the plunge. I'm going to try to contrive some kind of interesting blog after 3 months without an update. Buuut, don't hold your breath.

All that's been going on is school, and my weight loss. I talk about those things like they're nothing, but they're a huge part of my life right now. School is the same, just more time consuming, and my weight loss in my main focus right now. One of my electives this semester is an Advanced Aerobic Dance class, and my teacher started a program on the side for people in the class who were overweight. It's an intense 15 week program of cardio and healthy eating with the promise of losing 20 to 30 pounds by May. Since the beginning of the year, I've lost 12 pounds and 6 inches total from my chest, waist, hips, thighs, and arms. I really feel the difference in my energy, and definitely see the difference in my clothes. I can't wait until I can buy clothes again! Right now, I'm sporting the "baggy butt" look until I can buy new pants at the end. The look will catch on, just you watch.

Now, I need to shout-out to my favorite blogs:

KATIE: Isn't the Snuggie amazing, sans Snuggie-fuzz all over your clothes? Not a day goes by that I don't snuggle with a Snuggie on the couch. Also, I wanna take secret road trip to Abilene for Mardi Gras. Don't tell Mom and Dad. Oh, wait...

THE DAILY SQUINK: Congratulations on Miss Lydia Rose! She is adorable, and I find she looks just like Rowan with dark hair. If you ever need a babysitter, just give me a 20 hour heads up, and I'll drive over. Also, I'm glad to be Facebook friends with both of you. I was so pleasantly surprised when I got the friend requests. Does Rowan have one? I need that cutie on my friends list.

LOLAPALOOZA: Emilee, thanks for the comment shout-out to me on one of Katie's latest postings. How's that scratched up lip? My mom and I look forward to all of Lola's videos. She is hilarious! Not to mention precious. Katie and I reminisced about her water overdose when Kevin and I visited Dayton. Good times with a super full diaper!

THE BECKS FILES: Oh my God, Sam is growing up so fast! He was only a few weeks old when I met him, and he only gets cuter! Every time you post pictures or videos, I just wanna squeeze him. Give him a big squeeze for me! As we say in Louisiana, "Cher bebe!!!!"

THE MCLAUGHLINS: Congratulations on your baby girl!! I'm so excited for yall. I've never met Luke, but I'm excited to have a new McLaughlin to love! Keep us posted!!

And with that, my pointless English class is ending. Cross your fingers that I keep this up!

Direct to My Heart

2008-11-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

The Toups household has been living under a rock when it comes to television technology, but alas, no more! We finally got DirectTV and DVR! Even though it took literally all day yesterday (8:45-2:45), and the installer kinda forgot that I needed a box and DVR in my room (he came back today), it was worth the wait. Now I get to record my sleazy shows instead of rushing home to watch them when they originally air. Oh, the life.

HOLY POOP. I cannot believe I almost forgot to mention this! Everybody needs to check out www.faceinhole.com. It's a hilarious website with famous pictures of art, celebrities, movies, etc. with the faces of the people missing, and you upload your own face! It's amazing. Here are a few of my favorites...

I call this one "My Grandmother's Worst Nightmare"...

Ryan, showing Katie the world...shining, shimmering, splendid.

Kevin, not letting me be in the show.

Katie, Kevin, and I purple hazin'...

Now, go! Have fun!

Flip Underwater Case is Flippin' Terrible!

2008-11-14T15:32:00.001-08:00

I dare you to try to look past the sheer "Popeye-the-Sailor"-ness of my forearms long enough to notice the pure frustration and agony in my face. What would make one so upset on a beautiful Friday afternoon after school? Allow me to explain...

For my birthday in June, I received my precious Flip Video Ultra from my parents. We've been inseparable ever since. In July, I ordered the Waterproof Case to go along with it to bring on our vacation to Panama City. It was supposed to be delivered the day before we left (and I had paid extra for expedited shipping), but they sent me an email saying it was backordered, and I didn't get it till the end of July, when it was totally pointless to have it (and they still charged me extra). So, I've had a love-hate relationship with the case since I got it. I never even took it out of the box. Well, today I noticed that our wheelbarrow in the backyard was filled almost all the way with rainwater, so I decided to give the case a try. I took it out of the sealed box, followed the extremely easy directions, and locked the case. I submerged the camera in less than a foot of water for less than a minute, only to discover when I pulled it out that IT LEAKED WATER ALL OVER MY CAMERA.

When I opened up the case in panic, the water just poured out. I was so nervous, but my camera seemed okay. I tried to turn it on, and I got a bright green screen that wouldn't go away until I took out the batteries and put them back in. Then, it stopped working altogether.

I remembered the days of dropping my GameBoy in the tub and quickly disassembled the camera to let it dry. I even blowdried it on the low, cool setting. Still nothing. I put it aside and hoped for the best while I very agrily emailed Flip. I wasn't very hopeful because their warranties only last 90 days.

They responded pretty quickly, saying that if I sent them all the info they needed, they would send me a return merchandise authorization. Hopefully, they will be able to fix MY camera without sending me a new one first. I'm just sentimental. As for the case, I couldn't give a "flip" (get it?) about it, and even if they send me another one, I'll never use that devilish accessory ever again out of fear.

Amongst all my rage, I saw this video, and it really made me smile and feel better. Even better is that I can understand everything she's saying! :-)

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

First time for everything...

2008-11-07T10:09:00.001-08:00

This weekend will be the first time we babysit Noah and Julian overnight! Since Julian is at the age where he's into climbing and eating everything, this should be interesting. I have no doubt that Noah will be very easy for me to handle. He's made such an amazing improvement since he's been in school! Mom is spending her evening tonight baby-proofing the house before they arrive tomorrow. It's been 20 years since she's had to do that!

I'll leave you with this video. Before he was in school, Noah struggled to learn to ride a tricycle. Now, he's a pro!

Rock the Vote!

2008-11-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the first time I get to vote for President! The only time I've ever voted was for Louisiana's governor a few months ago, and uh, well... that didn't work out, so hopefully this time it will!

Just remember to vote. and just remember this...

Halloweeny!

2008-11-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

I spent my Halloween at school, then racing around town to find a costume, of course. I am a terrible procrastinator, but I wasn't really planning to dress up until that day. I finally decided on a Disco Girl costume from Party City, partly because I liked it and partly because it was one of the only costumes left, and I didn't feel like being around all those people anymore. Mom and I went to Noah and Julian's house for Halloween. They were so cute! Noah was a Pit Crew Member for Lightning McQueen (from Cars) and Julian was Superman. They went on a hay ride around the neighborhood with all the other kids and intoxicated parents. They had a margarita machine on the ride! Hope the kiddos didn't mistake that for an Icee machine...

Yours truly!

Noa-Noa!

Ju-Ju!

The 3 Muskateers!

BREAKING NEWS: JOSIE IS OFFICIALLY BIGGEST LOSER ON CAMPUS

2008-10-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

SO, I never update. I know. But that's because nothing interesting ever happens. UNTIL YESTERDAY.

I had just gotten out of class. It was around 4 o'clock, when traffic on Johnston St. is starting to be at its worst. For those of you who don't know, Johnston St. is the busiest street in Lafayette and it cuts right across campus. It was raining and I had just crossed Johnston with my booksack on my front with my purse and umbrella. I was crossing over a wooden walkway just after the crosswalk when SUDDENLY and without warning, my feet completely slipped out from under me and I fell right onto my butt. I was in a lot of pain, so naturally, the first thing I did was look around and make sure no one else was on the sidewalk to see me fall. Nope, no one. Thank goodness. However, there was a whole line of cars right on the side of me waiting to turn onto Johnston St. I pulled myself up by the railings and just kept walking with all of my stuff hanging from my arms. A man put his window down and asked me if I was okay, to which I'm sure I turned purple while saying, "YES, SIR! THANK YOU!" I then stopped, rearranged myself, and kept walking, hoping that not all of the people in this super long line saw me fall on my assets. The whole way to my car, everyone saw my scratched-up, dirty leg. Awesome.

Today, my lower back really hurts, as well as my hip on the spot where I fell. Surprisingly, there's no bruise there, but there is one on the front of my leg where my booksack fell with my laptop and books in it. My leg is still scratched, but not bad. Basically, my lower back hurts, but so does my pride.

Rita's brother, Ike

2008-09-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Rita's little brother Ike payed us a visit today, and he seems to be acting just like his "witch" of a sister. It's like deja vu down here. The only difference is that Texas was also affected by Ike, whereas Rita just missed it. We evacuated back to Maw Maw's house in Lafayette for the night, because the water was supposed to rise during the night, and we would've been trapped. Around 2:45 this morning, we all woke up to watch the weather, and I ended up staying awake from fear. There were tornadoes popping up all around us, and we think that we heard one outside. We heard on the news that the sheriff's department would turn away anyone trying to enter the parish, but Dad wasn't having that. We ended up heading home, and after some detours because our usual route was flooded, we made it and found that our house is okay. However, the coulee in our neighborhood is about to overflow, and the Vermilion River is spilling onto the streets. Hopefully, we won't have to leave again. In not-so-good news, our good friends who live about 3 or 4 miles south of us (who just finished salvaging and remodeling their house after Rita flooded halfway up their walls and cars) have water in their house again. Needless to say, we don't like Ike.

I'm fine, plus some Julian.

2008-09-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

Everything is fine down here after Gustav! Very minor damage to our house, but still no electricity. We're staying with my grandma in the meantime, and I go back to school on Friday.

On a completely different note, here are some of Julian's favorite things to say!

After Gustav

2008-09-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

As Katie has already stated on her blog, everything down here is fine...for us, at least. Only minor wind damage to our house and trees. Thank goodness if wasn't as bad as predicted!

Gustav.

2008-08-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

With Tropical Storm Gustav in the Gulf of Mexico, and the inevitable fact that it will probably end up being a Category 3 hurricane, just keep us in the south in your thoughts. The most popular projected path has it headed right for our area, or a little bit west. Everything down here is a little bit frantic because of Katrina and Rita. I wish we could come to Ohio!

Laziness=I should be blogging.

2008-08-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Since I've stopped working for the summer, I've had days at home all to myself, and yet, my blogging has suffered. Just how is this possible? I've been watching marathons of America's Next Top Model like it's nobody's business, but can't seem to remember to update my poor little blog. Well, here's to changing that.

I start school on Monday, which means tomorrow is my last weekday to do whatever I want. I've been trying to get back on a regular sleep schedule, not my usual staying-up-all-night and sleeping-all-day routine. Yesterday, I actually woke up at 7:45...refreshed. What the??? I know, it's crazy. I even cooked myself a healthy breakfast! Today, I'm a little bit guilty...I slept till just before 10. However, I did wake up fully alert at about 4:45 this morning and had to try very hard to go back to sleep. This never happens! I can seriously sleep undisturbed for 14 hours. Now, all of a sudden, I wake up alert? I kind of hope it stays.

YAY!

2008-08-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a long time, today actually feels like summer vacation. I didn't work today and just spent all day watching Food Network, The Golden Girls, and hilarious videos on funnyordie.com. It's a shame that I start school on the 25th, and I'm just now enjoying the laziness that is my college break.

Ahh. The life.

In other news, Katie and Ryan came into New Orleans on Saturday and waited on their niece Charlotte to be born. On Sunday afternoon, when Charlotte still hadn't made her debut, they decided to head home to see us. When they got to Baton Rouge, they got a call saying Sarah's water had broken! They welcomed Charlotte in spirit when she was born around 2 a.m. Monday morning! Yay, Charlotte! And yay, Justin and Sarah! Katie and Ryan are in Abilene, Texas, right now looking for a house, but when they come back, they're spending a week here! Yay again!

In the meantime...

2008-07-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

I made an ADORABLE video of Buddy, the wonder pooch, but for some reason, I can't upload it on here without it taking several hours. In the meantime, I found this bumper sticker on Facebook and laughed SO hard that I was afraid to wake the parentals! Enjoy!

What are the odds?

2008-07-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

In the midst of silly gas prices, I'm always looking for a deal. The most convenient gas station about a mile or two from where I work always has the highest prices around. Yesterday, this station surprised me by having regular gas for $3.89, only a penny more than the cheapest gas in Lafayette. I breathed a sigh of relief and gave me Elantra a taste o'gasoline. However, while looking and my receipt and preparing to get in my car, a man approached me with a sad story about how he had a truck driving service that went out of business in Beaumont, TX, and he was trying to get to Slidell, LA. I quickly said, "Well, I'm not headed that way." He immediately responded with, "Actually, I was hoping you could spare a little gas money." I lied and said I didn't have any cash, and that I used a credit card to tank up. I hurriedly wished him good luck and opened my car door, and he said, "God bless you," and walked away. I felt scared but terrible all at the same time. Later realizing I would've had to lean into my car to the passenger seat to get my wallet, I thought that I had made the right decision, but I still felt bad. That's just how I am, I guess. If I would've been holding money, I would've gave him some. You never know. Although I was curious as to why his car had Mississippi plates if he was from Beaumont, travelling to Slidell. Oh well. Maybe I saved my life, or maybe I rejected someone in need. Can you see both sides? My parents would say I did the right thing, but I do see both sides. I guess the point of this ramble is that if I had a little bit of cash on me, I would've spared it. But it wasn't. It was way in my car. Well, enough. I just thought it was weird that the one time in months that I go to that gas station, this would happen. What do you think?

Home.

2008-07-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I had to bid Dayton farewell yesterday, which was especially saddening because we don't know if we'll ever be back. I'm not one to cry in airports, but yesterday I had to pull a Deanna from The Bachelorette and catch the tears before they even came out of my eyes.

Our flights back went just fine. In Atlanta, we had more than a 3 hour layover, so that was pretty boring. All I did was people-watch while Kevin napped. We got back to Lafayette at 9, and our moms were there to sweep us up and bring us home. Today, I'm at work, feeling sad because I'm not in Dayton with my sissy. So, to cheer myself up, I made a video featuring one of Kevin's family's dogs, Dino. The video was inspired by Joe, Melissa, and Sam's blog (see side link) which features an ADORABLE video of their dog, Charlie. Hope you enjoy!

Tom Thumb

2008-07-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Whilst enjoying myself at Maison Lemaire, things got a little out of hand. For starters, Katie brought me to the Delias store at Faketown, where we picked up a nifty catalog. Among the outfits in the pages was one entitled Hang Time, where the model was in her "just hanging out" clothes. The outfit was RIDIC. Why even try to describe it? Here it is...

So, when we got home, I went upstairs and attempted to make an equally ridiculous, though not as revealing, outfit. I came downstairs with a polka dot top, denim shorts, pink tights, and Adidas shoes. I was looking si-lly. I then tried to pose like a model by grabbing the banister on the stairs. While reaching, I tripped and slammed my thumbnail into the wood. I thought I was fine and laughed it off, but when I looked at it, I had a line across the middle of my nail and there was blood all over my thumb. My nail had bent backward! I went upstairs to clip my long nails and clean up, and I started feeling queesy. My nail had separated halfway down the nailbed. It huuuurt. I took some Tylenol PM, but today it actually feels worse underneath the nail. I'll be brave!!

Imagine my nail a lot longer. This is what it looks like today.

Our Exciting Trip to Dayton!

2008-07-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

So, Kevin and I finally arrived in Dayton. We flew here along with Katie, who was returning home after almost 2 weeks away from Ryan. The flights up here went fine, and we actually landed in Dayton 30 minutes early. We did have a 3 hour layover in Atlanta, where we ate at a crowded and rushed Chili's...and also, where this happened...

PCB!

2008-07-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE THE BEACH!!

Gee whizz, guys, Panama City Beach sure is swell! We arrived late Saturday afternoon after some slight problems... you know, the GPSes leading us down the wrong road, then telling us to turn down non-existent Joe Dugger Road. After that little hang-up, we discovered our condo, complete with a walkway over the street to get to the parking garage. It's 30 stories high, but we're only on the 3rd floor. Actually, we'd be on the 4th floor in any "normal" condo, but Tide Water likes to do the French thing and act like the 2nd floor is really the 1st floor, and the floor that would normally be the 1st floor is the ground floor. Okay, I'm confusing myself.

Anyway, the condo is super nice. Would you like to see? Well, too bad. You'll have to wait until I can find my camera cord. For now, just take my word for it.

(Technically) One More Day!!

2008-07-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Since it's Thursday night, that means there's (practically) ONE more day until we go to Florida! Katie flew in yesterday morning and she's coming with us. Also in tow will be my mom's entire side of the family, minus only one person! It's gonna be crazyyyy. Seeing my grandmother at the beach is going be interesting. She's never gone with us, so, this is the start of something new, and hopefully blog-worthy! We're going from the 5th to the 12th, then on the 14th, Katie, Kevin, and I are flying to Dayton, where Kevin and I will be staying for a week. We keep saying that we'll get tired of each other, and we probably will. I kid. So, I'm looking forward to meeting all of my sister's friends (and their babies)!

Hurry up, Saturday!!!!

STP ROCKS!!

2008-06-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

No matter what kind of crud the members of Stone Temple Pilots have been through (i.e. Scott Weiland's highly publicized drug addiction and legal battles), they still manage to deliver an absolutely amazing show. The concert last night in Houston was literally the BEST show I've ever been to in my entire life. We were under the pavilion and our seats were a lot closer than we thought. Although it seemed like cameras were allowed into the show (the footage of their concerts is always all over YouTube), the staff searched Kevin and Scott like they were entering prison. I just had to spin around in my dress. So, the only footage I got was from my cell phone, which isn't great, but you'll get the gist, and it'll take you back to your early 1990s days! Anyone who has the opportunity to see STP should definitely do it, 100%. They're absolutely amazing!

*WARNING! Start your volume low, then adjust!*

The beginning of this first video is pretty much inaudible, but it was when they were coming onstage, and the crowd was freaking out. The song they're playing is "Big Empty". Come on, you know it! "Tiiiiiime to take her home, her dizzy head is conscience ladennnnn!"

Here's a continuation of "Big Empty", with a close-up of Scott Weiland on the big screen.

Yet even more of "Big Empty", but he came right in front of our section! He also had the audience sing the bridge. You can hear me shouting, "Conversations killlll!"

Here's one of my favorite clips of the night. It's of my favorite STP song, "Wicked Garden".

This is a performance of "Crackerman", where I freaked out because Scott Weiland came into the crowd to sing it!

This is "Plush", one of their most famous songs, and probably the best video of the night in terms of quality.

That's all the footage my phone could hold. I have clips from "Interstate Love Song" and "Silvergun Superman", but I'm singing really, REALLY loudly. Thus, I'm too, as they say, "salty" to post them.

Their encore was the best part of the show, but I had run out of room by then. They sang "Dead and Bloated", where literally all approximately 16,000 people were singing along. Then they closed the show with "Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart", which you'll know if you've played Guitar Hero II.

All in all, AMAZINGGGG!!!!!!!!!!

My So-Called Life

2008-06-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

You know, checking my sister's faithfully updated blog only reminds me of my own seldom-visited, seldom-updated online journal. Thanks a lot, Katie! I kid. But seriously folks, I never, ever, everrr update this baby! Maybe it's because my life really isn't all that exciting right now. School's out, I'm working everyday, and don't really have the time to make videos. However, I got a Flip video camera from my parents and a Nikon DSLR from Kevin, both for my birthday (June 7). The Flip makes it so easy to make videos, and the Nikon takes beautiful shots... usually with Kevin as my unwilling model. I'll have to buckle down, make videos, and post pictures on here. In a few hours, I'm leaving for Houston to see Stone Temple Pilots, which I'm totally JAZZED about! I'll definitely make myself post footage from the concert on here. Well, I'm off!

P.S. Katie comes home in 5 days, and we head to Florida in 8!!!! That will definitely give me the opportunity to get some priceless pics and footage!

New Shoes

2008-05-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is a video I made a few months ago with my twin cousins, Maddie & Jacob. Maddie did most of the filming and we all contributed ideas. "Lighting" was done by their dad, my uncle Sean. We would also like to thank Charlotte the dog for an Oscar-worthy performance!

Cuteness Never Gets Old

2008-04-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is yet another video of the boys. Seeing a pattern here? Enjoy!

ZZ Toups!

2008-04-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Dad might be terribly embarrassed, but the general consensus agrees that this video is hilarious!

Broken promises!

2008-04-16T10:14:00.001-07:00

I promised to keep this blog up, even if it was just videos and whatnot, and I have again failed! My main complaint (and excuse) is that it takes FOREVER for me to upload videos on here. I don't know how to "resize" and all that stuff, so it takes several hours. However, I'm going to try again. Here's another little video of Noah and Julian that I made last night after a much overdue visit!

PS. Julian turned 1 on April 10th! Happy birthday, Du-Du! And Noah's 3rd birthday is on May 11th. They're having a joint birthday party in a few weeks, so you can expect another overdose of cuteness soon!

Noah & Julian

2008-02-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

If you've seen my Facebook page, then you've already read this & seen this video. For the rest of ya, this is a short video I put together of my cousins, Noah & Julian. They're brothers (if you can't tell, you might be blind!), not to mention ADORABLE! Noah will be 3 in May, Julian will be 1 in April, & believe me, their mommy has her hands full! That's when "Jo Jo" steps in and lets them climb all over her, hang on her neck, etc. They are 2 of the most important things in my life & I wanted to share this. I have another video about Noah to upload, as well as some videos I made with my twin cousins Maddie & Jacob, but for some reason, those videos take FOREVER to upload, so I'll do that this weekend when I have time. In the meantime, this is just a small taste of Noa-Noa and Ju-Ju's cuteness magnitude!

PS. Pie Marc (their daddy), if you're still in Venice, this might be TOO much cuteness until you get home! They can't wait to see you! I'll take care of them while you're gone. :-)

Videos!

2008-02-17T22:44:00.000-08:00

In my free time, I've been making silly videos. Since I like to put "art" on here, I thought I'd show you guys what I've been working on. Enjoy, no matter how pointless they are!

J'ai besoin de parler français plus souvent.

2008-02-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

As well as slacking in my blogging, I have also been slacking in my French. I have been a French student since my freshman year in high school, which was over 5 years ago. Every semester so far in college, I have been taking French classes, and it is always one of my best grades. However, this semester, I am in a pretty advanced French class. It is French 311, which is French and Francophone Literature. I jumped from French 202 to French 311 and I am feeling it. There are definitely people that are more nervous in class than me, but I find myself trying to speak as little as possible. One of my goals in life has always been to speak French fluently. It is not helping if I do not use my skillz, yo!
I have the same French teacher that I had last semester, so she knows me on a more personal basis than the other 5 or so students in the class (most people do not go above their required Frenches over here, which is a shame with our culture). So, she always says things like, Oh, Josie, you have been to France so you should know this..., then she will go on to talk about something in France, and I feel like she has more expectations of me than the other students. Kind of stressful. I enjoy French so much, but I really doubt my abilities. I am still working on my French minor, though!
I wish I had more friends that took French so that I could speak to them and no one would know what we are talking about! :)

Back and better than ever!

2008-01-29T11:54:00.001-08:00

I don't know how many times I've apologized about this stinkin' blog! Actually, I should say stinkin' me, because the blog can't update itself! I always forget about it and I know I'll never be the diligent and entertaining blogger that my sister is!

So, my last entry before this was some of my photography. I've been keeping up with that pretty often and I also bought a hard-drive video camera right after Christmas. I'm just all about the arts, eh? All I've been doing with the video cam is recording silly videos. Maybe I'll get the courage to post some of them on here... eventually!

Since my last post, not much has changed... except my major. Yes, again! I'm now offically studying Psychology. This time I'm 95% sure it's where I want to be. Last semester, I had a lot of challenges facing me. All within the same week: 1) We found out Kevin's mom had breast cancer (she had a mastectomy and is in remission). 2) My best friend Kara's mom passed away from brain cancer (she was a breast cancer surviver, and for a time in my life looked out for me like a 2nd mom). and 3) I realized how unhappy I was in Journalism. The things I learned began to sicken me. All I have to say is that if any of you have 100% faith in the media, come to me. We need to have a little chat! :-)

So, once everything was under control with Kevins's mom, and my mourning for Ms. Beth was becoming peaceful, I decided that I needed some help and guidance for my major. Mom found me a college-level guidance counselor at UL. When I met with her, she had me take a LONG survey/test on the computer with a lot of other students. It was an opinions and skills kind of test that put me in career categories based on my skills, interests, and morals. Many of the careers that matched up with me just right or better had to do with teaching or counseling. So, I decided to change to Psychology (I've also been pursuing a French minor since I started college). I figured I could do a lot with it. As of right now, I'm looking forward to either being a high school French teacher or a high school counselor. Possibly a masters in French, French Education, or Francophone Studies??

So, basically, everything in life is falling into place. I'm eating healthy, I'm exercising, I'm working really hard in school, and all relationships are great. I hope this wasn't too long. Does anyone actually still check my blog? I'll have to win back your faithfulness!

-Josie

Lazy.

2007-09-14T15:39:00.001-07:00

I haven't been updating...at all. But I have been taking pictures. So, here are some more.

So artistic (not).

My friend, Tyler. I had to take this when he didn't notice, otherwise he would've killed me.

Alida. She's adorable.

Stephen, Katie Claire's man, acting like a kid.

Alida and me being "models". Alida looking like a fashionista, me looking like an idiot.

Testing my shutter speed.

Flower in my yard (hibiscus?) with my digital camera.

Another attempt at art.

This is Noah, my cousin and my heart. He's working on his modeling career in the park.

The end.

SUCCESS!

2007-08-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

I finally got my Nikon to work! I just developed my first successful roll of film tonight. Here are some of the choice ones!

AHH. I'm so excited. :)

This is Dino, the Vincents' Yorkie. He's so funny. He thinks he's big and tough, and he snorts.

This is Buddy, the Vincents' Spaniel mutt. He's goofy and so sweet.

Kevin took this one of me. I like it, but I wish I didn't look so worried. I also wish I didn't have so many neck wrinkles...

Kevin at dusk. Sounds artistic, huh?

Even though they'll hate me for this, I love this quality and lighting. This is Stephen and Katie. For those of you who know me through my sister, this is Ryan's little sister and her boyfriend.

Enjoy!

Keepin' Up

2007-08-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

Keeping with the idea of a photography blog, I have a new picture for your approval. At the beginning of the summer, Kevin and I both purchased Nikon FM 10 cameras online. I've been having some trouble with mine because I didn't know how to load the film properly, but now that I've got it down, no one can stop me! This picture is of Kevin, and I took it with his Nikon. The reason why it came out orange is because the lighting was poor, but I think it makes it cooler. What do you think?

Ca fait chaud!

2007-08-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

This post won't include a photo because I'm at the office. It is so hot in Louisiana that I'm feeling very sick. The front of the office has a glass door and big glass window, so no matter what I do, I'm burning up in here. The A/C has been on 60 degrees all day, and I'm still hot. The high today is 101, which is record-breaking. This scares me. It's so crazy to me that places like Maine have highs in the 90s. That's not normal. Mr. Ricky, one of the subcontractors, has a crew that's been working without air conditioning for the past week, and they've been passing out left and right. At least I have some air, but I'm still feelin' the heat! I think I'm about to leave work about 45 minutes early because I'm feeling lightheaded and hot in the office. Maybe a nap in Mom's freezing bedroom will do me some good!

A new idea.

2007-08-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning (afternoon, actually) to a constant beep, meaning someone had sent me a text message. It was none other than my favorite and only sister, Katie. She told me that Ben had an idea for my blog, since I'm notorious for not updating. She said that he suggested a photography blog, where I post my "skillz" and see what everyone thinks. I think that's a great idea! I have been slacking in the photog department, but this picture here is my user picture on Facebook, and I've been getting a lot of positive feedback on it. What say you?

Hilarious.

2007-07-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Some quick good news is that my good pants that I used to have to squeeze into fit great!

My main reason for this post was to show everyone this HILARIOUS video. My best friend Erin posted it on her Facebook and I laughed all the way through it. Ch-ch-check it!

Starting over.

2007-06-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

The past week hasn't been great in terms of getting back into shape. Like I wrote in my last post, my neck was bothering me for a big part of last week. The good news is that it's all better. I think it was a combination of the computer at work (thanks, Rene!), sleeping in crazy positions, and the stress of last week. I don't want to write any details, but we've been having some trouble with nasty messages on the answering machine here. It's being dealt with, but for all of last week, I was afraid to be alone here. I barely ate (shocking) and just felt like I was getting sick. That stress is gone now, so I'm feeling like I want to start my healthy kick again. I worked out for my usual 20 minutes yesterday, but I really kicked it into gear and burned 30 more calories than I usually do in 20 minutes. I was sweatin', me! I would watch Celebrity Fit Club and hear Ross talk about how he hated to work out, like me. However, now that he has a regimen, he said that he misses the feeling he gets when he works out if he doesn't do it. I feel the same way. I'm afraid to take a day off for fear of becoming unmotivated, but I know that if I do the elliptical every day, I'll get bored or my body will get used to it and stop burning the weight. So, I'm going to do a Tae-Bo/Elliptical routine. I guess that would make today Tae-Bo day! Getting into shape is one of a few of my goals for the summer. The others are to read a lot and teach myself how to wake up early. Both of these are going to be a huge challenge for me since I have a very bad tendency of being lazy, but I'm willing to work at it! Here's to week two (even though it could be week one-and-a-half)!

Dang the luck...

2007-06-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

My enthusiasm after my workout Sunday was very short-lived. Monday morning while I was moving in my sleep, I cracked my neck in some crazy way and i couldn't move it after that. I cried and told Mom, and she told me I probably pinched a nerve. I went back to sleep and when I woke up,it wasn't any better. Dad put some Biofreeze on it and worked some Cajun magic. He told me when he was little, all of the old ladies would make him rub their necks because he is left-handed. Supposedly, this was a healing trait. So, he rubbed my neck at the base of my skull 7 times. Maybe it worked, because yesterday, the pain was almost completely gone. I could roll my head around, so that was a good sign. Well, this morning, my neck cracked again, and the pain is back. What's a girl to do? I missed my workout Monday and yesterday because of the pain. Hopefully, I can take some Advil and break a sweat tonight.

As if all of this wasn't bad enough, I brought my first roll of film from my new camera to Walgreens last night. The one-hour photo was running behind, so I waited 3 hours to pick up my pictures. When I got there, she told me the roll was completely blank. Shocked and upset, I just said okay and left without asking any questions. I can't figure out what must have happened, but I'm praying it's not the camera, not after all the hell I went through to get it. Not only that, but I payed for it myself. Dad said I should have asked if it was really blank, or just under/over exposed. Of course, I didn't think to ask that at the right time. I went on Yahoo Answers and some people are telling me that I either loaded the film incorrectly, or the woman didn't tell me (probably because she didn't know) that it was under/over exposed.

Oh, and my headlight is burnt AGAIN. One of them burns every 2-3 weeks. I noticed it after I left Walgreens in a huff. It only made the situation worse. The only good thing about last night was seeing Noah and Julian and taking pictures of them...WHICH I HOPE DEVELOP. I went to bed pretty early, too, but I'm still tired today. Can a girl get any relief????

Freshman 15

2007-06-10T19:59:00.001-07:00

Dang you, freshman 15! It's true what they say. I definitely gained 15 pounds since I started college almost a year ago. I kick myself for thinking that I was fat at this time last year. Looking back at pictures of me, I had long pretty hair, and I was 15-20 pounds lighter. Yet, I was constantly on a diet, down on myself, and always self-conscious. Now that I look back, I can't believe! I'm making a commitment right now to lose the weight. I'm not happy with the way I look, and I took myself for granted when I was smaller. I'm never going to let that happen again! I'm ready to be happy with my body, and most importantly, healthy. With high blood pressure and high cholestoral running in my family, I don't want to let it take over me before it absolutely has to. I remember taking my blood pressure at Wal-Mart just for fun when I was little. I recently took it for old times sake at Wal-Mart and found myself considered "Pre-hypertension". That's scary. No more. This is week one of the rest of my life!

I'll keep anyone who cares about my blog updated on my progress. I just worked out on the eliptical for 20 minutes. I'm feeling good! Here's to getting back the old me!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2007-06-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

That's right, bloggers. Today was my 19th birthday. I admit, it's not the most exciting age to turn, but it's a birthday nonetheless! Some of my gifts include a debit gift card and bracelet from Mom and Dad, a photo album from Pie Sean and T-Lo, a check from the Vincents, and 35mm color and black & white film, Life is Beautiful on DVD, and an amazing book about photography from Kevin. As if all of this wasn't great enough, my Nikon FM10 manual 35mm camera should arrive tomorrow! It's like my birthday all over again!

Tomorrow night is my 80s party with all of my friends, so really, my birthday is lasting for 2 days! Look forward to some "totally rad" pictures!

No worries!

2007-06-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

I decided to dye my hair brown, and it wasn't as stressful of a situation as I made it out to be. I really like it!

Nothing much to post, except that Vermilion Parish has been declared a state of emergency because of all the rain on Monday. We got 13 inches of water! Some peoples' houses got flooded, and a lot can't get out of their houses because of the surrounding water. Highway 167, the road between Abbeville and Lafayette, was closed for a day because of all the water. Now, they opened up one lane. The roads off of 167 are all flooded and blocked off by police cars. Not good!

BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN: ONE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my last entry as an 18-year-old. :)

Dilemma!

2007-05-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

I can't decide whether I want to dye my hair dark brown, or leave it the dark blonde it is right now. I know you're supposed to have light hair in the summer, but I'm a natural brunette, given, it's light brown (see side picture by Eiffel Tower for my hair completely natural) and I can't deny it! I'm stressing way too much about it. I need suggestions!

Post-Memorial Day Exhaustion

2007-05-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Is there anything worse than the day after a four-day weekend? Me thinks not. Our memorial day here in Louisiana was less than beautiful, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. We had a barbecue at the house with such attendees as Erin Foster, who is my best friend from high school who is in from LSU, the Romaines, the Vincents (with adorable nephew Trevaun in tow), Maw Maw Jane, the new Trcaleks and the Toupses of Kaplan. Julian made the trip and miraculously stayed awake for most of the visit. However, everyone took advantage of this, passing him around until he threw up on Mrs. Brenda. Catherine Romaine and Trevaun became fast friends. I got a cute candid picture of her sitting on the couch with her arm around him. Noah wore me out by constantly running around and wanting to play, but Trevaun took over and played with him. Noah would squeal and laugh with Trevaun. It was too cute! Noah's vocabulary has improved a lot, and he repeats now. His latest words are "Omas", meaning "Thomas the Tank Engine", "Sah-tee", meaning Salty the train, "Me-Maw" for our grandma, "Okay" when he falls down, and some other small words. He was on my lap yesterday while I was showing him the PBS Kids website, and when I clicked on the Boobah page, he kept saying "Booooobaaah!", just from hearing it on the website. I'm proud of the little squirt! All in all, it was a good day. After everyone left, Erin stayed and I dyed her hair (which came out fabulous, by the way). After that, we went to Leah and Courtney's apartment and spent a fun-filled night with them, Rebecca, and Jansen. I missed the old crew! Erin might come over again tonight before she heads back to Baton Rouge for summer school.

Well, I'd better get "back to work", which so far today only consists of calling a brick company for their fax number, then faxing something over. Anywho, have a great day-after-Memorial Day (if possible)!

2007

2007-05-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight is my cousin Cameron's high school graduation. Cameron and his brother Tyler are pretty much the only thing I've ever known of brothers, so it makes me feel like my little brother is all grown up, even though I was only a year ahead of him in school. I've learned more about Cameron in the past year, and hopefully gotten closer. I helped him write his big senior English paper. In his "What I Want To Be And Why" paper, he wrote that his grandfather was his best friend and the greatest mentor he'd ever had, and now that he's gone, he wants to honor his memory by becoming a musician. Everything he wrote in that paper was straight from his heart. I was so proud of him. He has ambitions for college and I know he can make it.

Cameron graduating, as well as all the other people I know graduating this year, makes me feel very nostalgic. It takes me back to this time last year when we had a table in our dining room with my graduation pictures and all my gifts and cards from everyone. I had cut all my hair off right before graduation and was ready for change. I was headed to France the same week I graduated and had the most unforgettable experience of my life there. It was like my classmates and I were on top of the world, and the centers of attention. I miss it, but I guess it's time to pass the torch.

Cam's party is here tonight, and I can't wait to give him a big hug and congratulate him. I love that boy like my own brother!

You've come a long way!

Frustration!

2007-05-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

Lost has left me completely frustrated!

I get into a gripping 2-hour episode, only to be left hanging at the end! Katie told me that it's not coming back until February 2008! That's entirely too long! Oh, cruel world!

Well, hopefully today will be better. In fact, it will. Pay day. :)

My Heritage, My Foot!

2007-05-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

So, apparently, I'm not the only one who had crazy luck with this myheritage.com thing. Katie told me to check out Rob and Melissa's blog to witness the simply sorted array of celebrity matches they acquired. It's unreal! The website matched Rob, whom I've never met but seen pictures of, with the Rock. Oh really, myheritage.com? You think a twenty-something white guy looks anything like famous entertainer Dwayne Johnson, aka, da Rock? I beg to differ, just as a beg to differ that I look anything like Mischa or Marcia, the latter of whom I can't decide is even pretty or not. As Stewie Griffin said of her, "The old one looks like someone pulled Silly Putty over their knee." I'll have to test this website again when I get home from work because I didn't go beyond the first two matches. I'll have to see what famous men I look like, which is sure to be more ridic than a party-girl and a twin-poppin' red head.

Mischa, Mischa, Mischa!

2007-05-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Following in Katie's footsteps, I decided to go to myhertiage.com and see which celebrity I most resemble. I have no clue how this happened, but the highest match percentage paired me with Mischa Barton! In a close second was Marcia Cross. What do you think?

Signed, Josie A. Toups

2007-05-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today at work, I received the privilege being able to sign the paychecks here. Tomorrow, I learn how to do payroll, and everyone is making that sound very scary. Then, I get to sign all the checks for Friday when everyone gets paid. Never has my signature been so cool!

All in all. today's been pretty uneventful, except that Kevin is home sick for the second day in a row. I got here at 8 yesterday morning, and by 8:30, he was home in bed. He has some sort of allergy problem. Today, he didn't attempt to go to school at all. He's been sleeping until lunch and I'm so jealous! Well, not of his illness, but you know.

Ms. Brenda and I ran the roads this morning. First, we went to the bank to turn in the paperwork for me to be able to sign checks. Then, we went to Target to get supplies for the shop, including a new coffeemaker. It's nice to get out of the office because I feel pretty useless in here with nothing to do. I guess I'd better brace myself for tomorrow when Tante Steph comes back and teaches me more stuff about the ins-and-outs of the biz.

If anything exciting pops up, I will update Blogworld with the goings-on. Until then, I guess it's back to Yahoo Launchcast Radio and Facebook for me!

Oh, nostalgia!

2007-05-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

I'm at work right now, but the day is still low-key. I've already learned what a "lien waiver" is, so if you need a definition, I'm your gal. I've answered quite a few phone calls this morning, and I feel the familiarity with everything getting better. I'm running errands later for Mr. Kevin. Hopefully, I don't mess this up. Today, I'm feeling a hint of nostalgia. I'm listening to Kevin's Yahoo Launchcast Radio and I'm basking in the glory of the 1990s Country station. I told Ms. Brenda that country was all I listened to when I was growing up, and that on my 8th birthday, I requested that song, "I think about youuu, eight years old, big blue eyes, and a heart of gold." Yesterday, Katie reminded me of when I would make my mom close her eyes at a red light and I would tell her when it was green. Good times being little. I feel too much like a big girl today, working as well as scheduling my own doctor's appointments. I'm growing up too fast!

Work it, girl.

2007-05-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

I started my new job today working for Kevin's dad at Vincent Enterprises (if you so happen to call on a Tuesday or Wednesday, that's me answering the phone)! Today was pretty uneventful because I was pretty much job shadowing Kevin's aunt Stephanie, although Tante (Aunt) Melanie's 5 full-grown labs escaped from the fence next door at least 10 times. I'm taking over for Steph every Tuesday and Wednesday by myself while she is at school to be a vet tech. I'll be there pretty much every day, but those are the days that I'll be flying solo. I'm really in for it on Thursday when Steph teaches me how to do payroll. Apparantly, it's tough. I'm also still babysitting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'm just going to be rolling in the money!! Kidding. I want to try to get enough money to fly to Dayton this summer, and actually pay for myself. I need to rebuild my checking account, so all this working will be good for me in the long run. I don't know if you guys knew this, but eventually, people stop sending you high school graduation money! Anywho, I'm excited about working. How am I doing as a "blogger"?

Trying to keep up the blog!

2007-05-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

So, Katie informed me that Ben said if I want to be a journalist, I need to update my blog more often! Now that's it's summer and the stress is wearing off, I'm going to try to keep this thing up! Thanks to Ben for the intervention!

Procrastination

2007-03-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

Okay! I know I need to start writing in this thing, but I'm such a victim of procrastination. Plus, I've been stressed with school and changing majors. Well, today, I did it! I changed my major to Journalism (Mass Communications) with a minor in Photography (Visual Arts). I'm still going to continue in French and probably obtain a minor. I'm really happy with my decision. I know I could do a lot of things with Journalism, especially with a background in photography. The only things I'm afraid of are the visual arts classes I have to take to get to Photography. I will have to take drawing, and maybe design. I am in no way an artist, so these are pretty intimidating. However, I am really looking forward to next semester.

Now the only thing hanging over my head is my situation with Honors. I have already made up my mind that I am not taking any honors classes next semester, and I actually want to leave the Honors program altogether. Today, when I changed my major, I tried to drop Honors seminar. I was told that I would have to go to Dr. Pat, the Honors president, to drop seminar. This is ridiculous to me. I am intimidated by this 80-year-old woman. I don't feel like I need to defend to her why I am leaving Honors. The truth is, it is not the kind of environment I want to be in. I do not want to be involved with a program that preaches about "open-mindedness" and "respect of opinions", yet anyone with a Christian or conservative point of view gets shot down by Dr. Pat herself, a self-proclaimed liberal atheist. I don't want to have to explain this to Dr. Pat, and I don't feel that I should have to, but the lady the changed my major told me that she has raised hell before because they were letting student drop Honors seminar without consulting her first, which isn't needed for any other class. People are telling me to just stop going to seminar until I'm kicked out, but I want to leave Honors, not get kicked out. I want to leave with some dignity, and I feel like Dr. Pat will strip that from me if I go to speak to her.

Well, opinions and suggestions are welcome. This is the only situation still stressing me out.

Balentime's/Anniversary

2007-02-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

So, today was Valentine's Day, which means it was also me and Kevin's two-year anniversary. The first gift of the day was an ENORMOUS card that I put on Kevin's car (huge envelope included), and I also wrote all over his car with window chalk.

So, I cooked for us instead of going to a restaurant. I made Kevin's favorite; chicken caccitore, buttered corn, and garlic bread. We exchanged before we ate.

Kevin was quite happy with his cookbook, or was he quite happy with Rachael???

I was super excited to receive roses and a new pal, G. Willikers.

And we were both excited to receive chastity rings from each other. It was cool because we didn't know we were getting them from each other.

Thus ended a great Valentine's Day and anniversary. I forgot to mention that I got chocolate, candles, and a gift certificate from Mommy dearest. C'est delicieux!!

Working?

2005-07-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

New blog. Woot.