Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Welcome to the Family, Zoie!

So sorry I've been MIA.

Turns out I've had to WORK at work the past few weeks... imagine that.

I'm really no fun when that happens.

I've been meaning to introduce you to the newest member of the family:

Zoie Bostic (with her mom)!!
Zoie is Aaron & Sandi's new baby. She is a chihuahua-poodle mix and is about four months old. She is smaller than Isabelle!

Zoie loves her cousins, and Ollie loves her, but Isabelle is very jealous. It is fun to watch them all run around. Zoie is coming to stay with us at the end of August when A&S go on their vacation. We are so excited!

Here's a pic of all the Chappell/Bostic animals... Zoie, Oliver, Isabelle and Sophie (who belongs to mom and dad) Not sure what is up with their demonic eyes, but I assure you that all these babies are angels...

Now I must go watch So You Think You Can Dance. I have to start voting because our idiot nation voted off Will last week, and he was the best dancer EVER. I have to stop that from happening again.

Peace and love.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Good Cop, Bad Cop

Have I mentioned that Justin and Jonathan own a trailer park??

It is a sight to behold, I tell you.

Well, we have lots of interesting tenants, and someone is always getting evicted or arrested or both at the same time. The stories these people make up for why they haven't paid the rent is extremely entertaining.

Jonathan always feels sorry for them and wants to give them a second/third/twentieth chance. He is the good cop. (And I usually side with him!)

Justin doesn't care if their dead-beat tale is out on the street. He is the bad cop. And he threatens to make me move out there when I don't behave.

They have a meeting this afternoon to evict another tenant. Justin's job is to be forceful with the mama that owns the trailer that her baby is living in with his baby mama and she other kid.

But I wouldn't take a man who dresses like this seriously at all:

This picture is from JC's trip to NYC.

This is what the boy do without me to tell him what shirt to wear with what shorts!!

And I thought he had some fashion sense...

Sure glad Nicole packed for her husband. He looks decent.

P.S. All the other pictures are of buildings. All 89 of them. Where are the pictures of the five guys who went on the trip??

P.P.S. Please do not be offended if you have ever/currently live in a trailer park. I'm sure this particular park would not be comparable to yours in any way, shape or form.

Monday, July 21, 2008

It's My Birthday, What, What?!

My 28th birthday was last Friday.

I can't believe I am this old. I am knocking on 30, people!!

Justin threw me a party on Wednesday night. He did such a good job of organizing the people and the food. I was a proud wife. We had hamburgers and hot dogs, and he even made a relish tray. I didn't know he knew what that was! I didn't have to lift a finger, and I enjoyed it very much!! These lovely little creations are gluten-free, vegan chocolate chip cookie cupcakes with icing. They made a decent substitute for the cake I would have rather had, and all the friends got to share! I am sad that they are all gone...
All the girls at the party... Betsy, Nicole, Lisa, Lauren, Lucy, Krista, Sally and Hannah Cate. (Mary Fuller was there too, but she must have been outside with the fellas)
The men (spouses/children of afore-named women)
I got LOTS of presents! And you know how much I love presents!! It was so fun for me to see how well my friends have gotten to know me over the past couple years... lots of cutesy girly things that I have a hard time buying for myself!

And books, of course. It really was a very fun party.

I got up early on Thursday morning and drove to Dothan with the pups. You will notice that old Ju-C isn't in any of the next pictures...that is because he went to NYC to see the Yankees play ON MY BIRTHDAY! He had never been to Yankee Stadium, so I told him he could go as long as he came home with a little blue box for me.

This is Sandi (my SIL) and me in my mom's garden. I want a garden like this!

The Bostic fam. This is probably the first family picture we've had in 10 years. Sorry it is blurry.Me and Daddy at Mikata. I chose to go there for the big celebration, and ate lots and lots of yummy sushi.And for an extra $6 they will sing Happy Birthday to you, give you a pineapple boat and take your picture with a Polaroid camera. I also got some chopsticks of my very own!On Saturday Dusty and I went to our friend Stacy's wedding. She looked beautiful, and we got to see several friends from high school that we have been missing!! And since old Dusty doesn't get out much without her darling child, we skipped the reception (after we said hello, of course) and headed to dinner just the two of us. I feel certain that we haven't done that since college.
We ate at this really yummy place downtown called Bistro. If you ever go to Dothan you must go there...it's open for lunch and dinner and is across the street from Grand Central Station. I almost cheated on this diet... D got a grilled chicken breast with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes in a pesto sauce over a potato cake with fresh mozzarella. OH YUM. It looked so amazing, and I was tempted like never before. I do love the food...

Anyway, we had the best time, eating and driving around town and pretending like we were 18 again. We stayed up way past our bedtimes, but it was worth it.

So my birthday weekend was quite wonderful!! When I got home yesterday, Justin produced a tiny blue box, true to his word! Yay! He bought me some silver stud earrings, and they are beautiful. He picked them out himself, and I think that is the most impressive part. He also bought me a new cosmetic bag from Kate Spade (so cute! brown with white polka dots).

The boy is smart I tell you (except he thought the cosmetic bag was a purse....)

So today I am exhausted, but the kind of exhausted you are when you've had too much fun. I am contemplating going to go to bed when I get home at 4...

Love, love!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Monday, July 14, 2008

The One Where Miss USA Trips and Falls... AGAIN.

I usually don't watch the Miss USA/Universe stuff.

But last night there was nothing else on, so I watched a bit of it.

I have two comments.

1. Obviously... I almost died when that poor girl fell. At first I thought she did it on purpose (like maybe a "here's to you, old Miss USA"). But then I saw the horror in her eyes, and I knew it was an accident. And since I know how she felt (from falling down the stairs during the recessional at my wedding), I am still feeling sorry for her today. How awful to practice and prepare and then fall down!!!

2. And now I am going to take a jab at her... Did anyone see her little bio film? Where she said that she never felt pressured to be thin and how she embraces her healthy body? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? That girl is so dag gum skinny. I was giving her props, then I saw her whole body and just got mad. She may not be starving herself like some of the other girls, but she is certainly not indulging in brownies and ice cream. I'm just sayin...

And now I am done venting about something that really doesn't concern me in the least...

For Meg, who really does care: I went for my post-op visit last Wednesday. Dr. N said I was healing nicely! The surgery was successful in his opinion. I had had so much past infection in my maxillary (cheek) sinuses that little holes had eroded on both sides into my nose... CRAZY! And the lining in my ethmoid (nose) sinuses had grown down into the folds of my nose. That sounds gross. He fixed it. I can breathe, and I am feeling pretty good. I should be completely healed up in the next six to eight weeks. (Then I can begin a rotation diet.) I had NO pain whatsoever with the surgery, and I am so very thankful for that. I still have to squirt salt water up in there several times a day, but I hope to be through with that in the next 10 days or so. It doesn't hurt; it is just a little gross and completely inconvenient. I go back again next Monday.

Love to you all on this very rainy Monday. I would like to go to sleep, but am pretty sure that is not okay in the working world.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I'm Alive!!

I know you all have been worried sick about my condition.

I have been taking it easy/being lazy.

Here is what I looked like after the surgery:Pitiful, huh?

Please, lets all comment on:
1. The state of my eyebrows
2. The glasses circa 2000
3. The big fat lip (not poking it out...they pinched me during intubation! I have lots o' ulcers)
4. The general ugliness that is represented here

Obviously I am feeling better or I would not offer up such a photo.

Hope you are having a great week.

More tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Under the Knife

Tomorrow is the big day!

I check in at the hospital at 7:30 a.m. I am #4 on Dr. Norris's surgery schedule (he has three little babies before me). He says that the surgery should take about an hour and a half, then I'll go to recovery until I am ready to go home. I figure that I'll be safe and sound at the house sometime after lunch.

That is when the flowers should be delivered...

So...the bad news is that my openings are abnormally small... he plans to open them up and clean out my ethmoid and maxillary sinuses.

I likened it to Roto-Rooter, and he agreed.

The good news is that my septum is just fine. He has promised that I will not come out with a new nose a la Ashley Tisdale.

I've asked him to remember anything crazy I do or say under the influence of anesthesia. I'm pretty sure he thinks that I am not taking this seriously because my questions to him centered around the state of my nose and what kind of narcotics he will be prescribing...

Please pray:
a. that Dr. Norris will be well-rested and ready for the surgery
b. that his surgeries before mine will go smoothly
c. that I will not throw up
d. that the pain will be manageable
e. that the surgery will be a complete success and I will heal perfectly and be able to eat a brownie before I die

Here is what I will be doing for the next few days:
Sleepy Isabelle when she was just a pup!
Don't forget the prayers.

And the flowers.

Tata!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Another Post About Food

Imagine that.

Me talking about food.

I just can't help myself. I love the stuff.

It was our turn to host our supper club this past weekend.

I usually tend to get a little carried away with themes, decorations, invitations, food... I drive Justin nuts when I get like this. I can think of/talk about nothing else. I probably should see someone about this...

This month was no exception, and I found myself tying little raffia ropes on the handles of my pitchers, just because it was cute (and theme-appropriate).

We had a luau. I made Margarita Beef with Orange Salsa and Chicken and Fruit Kabobs. We also had pineapple casserole, a broccoli salad and a pineapple-orange cake for dessert.

Everything was beyond delicious, and quite beautiful, if I do say so myself.

Justin built some yard games...Corn Hole and Hillbilly Golf, but I forgot to take pictures of them until it was dark! So sorry.

We also dressed up. I wore a coconut bra. No pictures of that either.

Well, I have a picture of that, but I am choosing not to share it.

It was definitely worth all the days of chopping up fruit and all the little cuts in my fingers, but I was so exhausted when it was over that I told Justin that the next time we have supper club I am making lasagna.

My little umbrella glass decorations!

Justin with his glass of punch (with Malibu pineapple rum)!Isn't my punch so beautiful! It tasted really good, too.
The Margarita Beef and Orange Salsa. Yum yum!
Kabobs with Honey-Ginger Chicken, Pineapple, Peach, Orange and Sweet Onion