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

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

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?

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

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!

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...

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!

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...