It's Taco Tuesday and I've Been Tagged!!!

I've been tagged! My sweet friend Anna, whom I have known since high school, wants to know more about me! I love being tagged...it makes me feel like I have just been invited to the popular girl's birthday party...a feeling I didn't experience a whole lot in elementary school because I was painfully shy. I wouldn't have invited a mute person to my party either.

But that is neither here nor there.

What was I doing ten years ago?

I was about to graduate from Rehobeth High School. (And because I have my yearbook handy I will share with you my Senior portrait...)

I was getting ready for prom, and I was in L-O-V-E with my boyfriend, Brent. I was planning to stay at home for a year and go to Wallace College (because of the painful shyness). And I was pretty sure that I would be getting married any day now and wouldn't need to go off to school. Hmmm...

Five Things on My To-Do List Today:

1. Make a contact list of those in my graduating class. I am on the reunion committee, thus the reason my yearbook is close at hand. I do not remember half of the people in my class, and that makes me sad. I am pretty sure they won't remember me either, so it should be interesting to call them up and say "Hey, this is Emily Bostic" and then they hang up because I have never talked to them before.

2. Update our church's website with the May Newsletter and Calendar.

3. It's Taco Tuesday! Gotta be at Moe's tonight!

4. Pick up graduation gifts for kids at church. This is the first year that I've had to do this, and it is breaking me! I don't know how my parents bought decent gifts for 15 kids each year. If you are reading this and my parents did not give you a decent gift, please do not tell me. They are perfect in my eyes.

5. Babysit Ethan at 4:45. Can't be late for that.

Five Snacks I Enjoy (post-food allergy):

1. Homemade granola with cashews, peanuts and craisins

2. Pineapple (fresh, not canned!)

3. Frozen fruit smoothies

4. Nuts (cashews are my favorite!)

5. More granola. Justin asked me last week if I was aware how much fat and calories my granola had in it because I've been eating so much of it. Apparently nuts have lots o' fat and calories. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Five Things I Would Do if I Were a Billionaire:

1. Tithe (of course)

2. Pay off our house and buy a lot in The Waters (my fantasy neighborhood here)

3. Invest (this is so boring, but Justin would make me)

4. Have really nice shoes... Manolos, Louboutins...

5. Share. I really think I would share...

Five Bad Habits:

1. Staying in touch. I am a good emailer, but that is about it.

2. Picking. I pick my fingers and my toes and my lips. It is gross.

3. Not getting dressed up for work. Or ever really. I should work on that.

4. Inconsistency. This affects a lot of areas: exercise, quiet time, etc...

5. My piles. I have little "piles" here and there around the house. Why can't I just put stuff up???

Five Places I Have Lived:

1. Fairhope, AL

2. Birmingham, AL (Wildwood Crossings, the Brown House and the first little house that Justin and I bought. I cried when we sold it.)

3. Auburn, AL (Eagle's West, Toomer Hall and Eagle Point)

4. Shell Knob, MO (I worked a summer at Kanakuk)

5. Dothan, AL/Rehobeth, AL

Five Jobs I've Had or Have:

1. Ministry Coordinator at Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church (now)

2. Front desk girl at a pediatric dental office (This did not last long. I am not front-desk material.)

3. Marketing Coordinator for Southern Living Magazine

4. Work study one summer for the College of Agriculture, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. That was interesting.

5. Co-op at Rehobeth Elementary office my senior year

I Want to Know More About (nice way of saying "you're tagged"):

1. Lucy Henderly

2. Lauren Hauge

3. Susanna Cole

4. Amy Boles

5. Krista Nebrig

And that's it! Hope everyone is having a great day. If you know anyone that graduated from Rehobeth in 98, please send them my way...

love, love.

Random Monday Ramblings...

None of these things are worthy of a post on their own:

1. I had a great weekend at the women's retreat. I ate lots of granola. We also stayed up way too late, and I contemplated calling in sick today because of my sleep deprivation. Then I remembered that I work at the church and that would be a lie.

2. My couch is here! Justin picked it up while I was at the beach. It looks great, and I am so happy to have it back. I also got a new lamp for my living room! I have never been so excited about a lamp before... I will post some pics as soon as I can. I am wondering how long my house will be a "work in progress." I take forever to make decisions. And I don't have any cash flow. So it will probably be a while before I am satisfied, because cash flow is an integral part of decorating.

3. I heard a contest on the radio this morning that annoyed me. They were offering a prize to the woman with the least time between meeting a person and becoming pregnant. WHAT? Should you get a prize for being a ho? The winner was 6 hours. It was a one-night stand. And I am totally disgusted that they would offer any sort of prize for this. I was also very concerned at the number of women to call in and offer such information. What is this world coming to?

4. I went to pick up some graduation gifts at the Polka Dot Princess and I nearly passed out! I am so embarrassed. I'm not sure what happened. I had to sit in the back room with my head between my knees while Christie brought me some water. I am such a hypochondriac.

5. I am going to Dothan this weekend for Lindsey's shower, and I am very excited. I bought her a fun present yesterday, and I can't wait to give it to her. The shower is at Robin's house, and I am also excited to see it. I am also glad because my dad will buy me a steak. And I am really into meat these days.

And here is a cute pic because I feel you deserve one if you read this entire post. This is Ethan. I am his fairy godmother, and I get to watch him three afternoons a week! We have the most fun. I hope his mama doesn't mind me posting pictures of him on the internet for all the world to see...

My Babies

My mother (whom I love dearly) is constantly on me to hurry up and have her some grandbabies. Since she is a nurse at an OB/GYN office (and provider of my free birth control pills) she is always coming up with new reasons for why we should begin a family now.

Most of which are very scary and involve the words "advanced maternal age" and various complications of it.

She also throws in a little manipulation here and there... as in "Sandi (my sis-in-law) is going to have me the first grandbaby, and then how will you feel about that??"

She has even threatened to tamper with the above mentioned pills.

I calmly remind her that she already has two very precious grandbabies. And they are the most beautiful babies, smart and sweet.

And when I need to go to Target I can just put them in their crate for a few hours.

You can't do that with a human.

Cavewoman Update

I think I must have been too depressed to write anything since my last post. I have been mourning my allergies.

That is a tad dramatic. But I am nothing if not dramatic...

My friends have been so very supportive of the diet. Only Justin has tried to get me to go with him to Papa's Pizza and sit and watch as he devours the cheesy, doughy goodness. I think that is very mean.

Nicole bought me a happy week present. If you are aware of my very serious obsession with Styrofoam cups, then you know that this is quite possibly the perfect present for me. I love them!! And Coke is so much better when sipped out of a Styrofoam cup with your initial on it...

Carson made me some gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free brownies. They are made with all kinds of weird stuff, and she told me not to have high expectations for them. And while they may look like they taste like dirt, they are actually quite good. Praise to the Lord.

Lucy made me some black bean soup with sausage. I have been eating it for days now. And I realize that this picture does not appear to be appetizing in the least, but the soup is really really good.

My next post will not be about the food allergies, I promise.

Love, love.

The Devastating Diagnosis

Oh dearest friends...

Please join me in mourning the loss of my palate. For it will never be the same again.

I have found out the cause of my nine-month sinus infection.

And it is very very devastating.

I'm talking cry-in-the-doctor's-office-tragic.

I am allergic to MILK, EGGS and WHEAT.

Yes, you read that correctly...I am allergic to all foods known to man.

The doc put me on a very strict "Caveman Diet" of meat, veggies and fruit.
FOR EIGHT WEEKS!!!

What am I supposed to eat for breakfast?

How about a nice slab of bacon with a side of pineapple?? GMO!

He is hopeful that after the eight week diet from hell that we can rotate in some other foods and check my tolerance levels and adjust from there.

I am not going to lie... I have been really depressed about this. I am a lover of all things edible. I plan menus and dinner parties in my sleep. I am always thinking up new ways to cook such and such. I love to cook and try new things. And oh my soul do I love a good dessert! And Lucy made some peanut butter cookies yesterday that I had to SAY NO TO.

This is very frustrating.

Today is better. I have chosen to look on the bright side.

1. I will be really really healthy (like Daniel!... you know Daniel in the lion's den? minus the meat, of course)
2. I will probably drop a few lbs. Maybe this is the Lord's very humorous way of granting my pleas to look like Jessica/Katherine. Maybe my gluten-free bod will be way better than theirs??
3. I do not have cancer. It could be worse.
4. No more antibiotics. I hope hope hope that this current one I am on will be the last. They just make me feel yucky.
5. I will most likely gain a new perspective on food. My current outlook is borderline obsessive, but I figure that I will learn to see it as fuel for my body rather than "When can I get to Gambino's for a plate of shrimp Alfredo?" This could possibly be a good change.

I am really writing this list for myself. So tomorrow when I change my mind (after going to Supper Club and not eating any of the goodies there) I can come back and remember my fleeting moment of positivity.

If you have any advice or know any wheat-free, egg-free and milk-free recipes, please email me.
echappell at espcfairhope dot org.

I'm going to drink a Coke. Because I can.

Oh How I've Missed You!

I don't think I can go on vacation again. I miss too much.



We missed Charlie and Courtney's last day in Fairhope. Sniff sniff. We tried very hard to get back in time, but the airport god would not have it. We miss you guys already!


We missed Ramielle getting booted off AI. And what in the world is Kristy Lee still doing on there? I need to start voting.

I'm stalling because I'm not quite sure what to say about our little jaunt to Florida. I must choose my words carefully, you know.

Our flight was scheduled to leave Pensacola at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday. We got there on time. We stopped for Justin to use the bathroom. We checked in at 7:03. Three minutes too late to check our baggage. We went through security with our suitcases full of "liquids and gels."

Pensacola security is very good. Although they did suggest that I should throw away my Kiehl's moisturizer and just "buy some more" upon my arrival. I did not think that was such a great option.

We had to pay $50 each to catch a later flight.

LATER= 5 hours later.

Justin's little bathroom trip cost us $100.

Make that $120 because we then had to eat lunch at the airport.

Not that I'm keeping tabs.

Or rubbing it in his face every chance I get...

When we got to Orlando Justin's mom (Mary) and brother (Jonas) were waiting to pick us up. They were in a bit of a frenzy because of a BOMB THREAT at the airport. Turns out our later flight allowed us to miss the majority of the commotion. They caught the guy. He was probably trying to sneak in too many "liquids and gels."

The Lord, He doth work in mysterious ways.

Three wrong turns and two hours later we arrived saftely in Titusville, FL. It's a little town on the eastern coast of Florida... a good hour and a half from Disney World.

Justin's Uncle and Aunt were very gracious hosts.

On Wednesday me and Justin and Jonas headed out at the crack of dawn for the Magic Kingdom. To be totally honest with you, the MK lacked some of the "magic" I remembered from childhood. It seemed like everything there was about making money. I hate that I have realized that about the world!! My little Caesar salad cost me $20. We had a great time, though. We stayed to see the SpectroMagic parade and the fireworks show at closing. It was beautiful! My favorite ride was, of course, Space Mountain. I almost threw up on the teacups. I should have known better than to get in there with the brothers.

Justin and Jonas on Main Street
Newlywed couple that I couldn't resist snapping. Justin's uncle said they looked "in-bred."

Ju-C and me after Pirates of the Carribbean. ARRGGGHHH!

In front of Cinderella's Castle

On Thursday me and Justin and Jonas and Mary went with their cousins to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I liked both of these parks a lot. They were more "adult-friendly" and the lines weren't as long as at Disney. We ate some yummy Nathan's hot dogs for lunch, and they didn't cost an arm and a leg.

Me, Justin, Mary and Jonas

We spent Friday lounging by the pool and napping. Well, I napped. We went to see "Horton Hears a Who." It was cute.


Over the course of the week I met about 20 family members that I did not know existed. They didn't know I existed either. Cousins, uncles, second cousins... We really did have a great time meeting all these people. Justin has a second cousin that looks just like him. It is really weird to see a 9-year-old Justin. They all were very normal despite my previous concerns.

Bill and Mary Chappell (the in-laws), Pat and Johnny Chappell (the aunt/uncle)

There is one story that I do have to share... Justin's uncle Donald is 70. (not the one above).He is retired miliary. He has jet-black hair (with help from Just For Men, I am certain), tatoos on both arms and wears jeans with appliques on them. He drives a little yellow sports car.

He has ordered himself a bride from Russia.

I kid you not.

She comes this summer. She is 36. Do the math there people...


He has bought her a 2.2-carat diamond engagement ring to give her when she gets here.


I am SO going to that wedding.




I know this post is a let down... I was warned repeatedly by my precious husband about the consequences of a berating blog. I have been rewarded with a pedicure. So call me tomorrow... I'll be getting my feet done, and I can tell you all about it.

Would You Rather...

Q: Would you rather...
go on vacation with your in-laws
or
get eaten alive by a shark?









A:
JK. It wasn't that bad! Details coming soon...