New York

Thoughts on New York:

Despite the garbage, it is a lovely city.
Cab rides are almost as much fun as a roller coaster.
NY is ahead of the game because there is no need for car seats.
Trick or treating in CVS yields a high amount of candy.
Dang it, where is Big Bird? I'm waiting for him to come around the corner.

NY Weddings:

SO these are the girls who where 4 inch heels. Ok, now I know.
They sure have hotter pastors then the ones in my neck of the woods.
Cupcakes are a good thing.
Who knew that much liquor could be consumed before 5pm.
(Oh what a lovely couple!)

NY Vacations:
Remember, when going to a wedding, pack all the clothes you need including your daughters dresses.
Fast moving traffic is a great form of entertainment for children
And adults....
It is useless to have a conversation with a partially deaf father while walking the streets of Brooklyn.
Bring plenty of friends, family, cash, and comfortable shoes.
Have the best time ever at your brother's wedding.

Best of luck to Adam and Amanda. The wedding was great, so marriage can only get better.

Deep thoughts by Lisa Banning

I don't have much to say in terms of a thoughtful, insightful blog. But I have quit a few random thoughts. And I've had a good run of interesting patients lately. In face, so many that I need to have a blog called "S**t my patients say. But that gets into a whole legal thing. So here it is....all my thoughts on a page.

Patients and related patient thought:

45 yo female here today for check-up. She starts telling me how she is doing and how she has been feeling. She says she's great, when "her heart stops she does her CPR and 2 rescue breaths and it starts back up again." She then goes one to demonstrate. She also tells me about her concerns over her medication because you can't breastfeed while taking it. She has had a hysterectomy.

This is the same woman who told my boss that she really enjoys camping except when the chipmunks talk to her they often are too loud.

Same day, that afternoon. I see a woman requesting a pregnancy test. She reports that her "uterus has grown back and she's 2 months pregnant". Her husband "felt it move last night" After informing her that body parts don't grow back, she agreed to an xray. She was constipated. Her husband was very happy that she was, literally, full of shit.

Had a woman come in today with a bite (from her husband obtained in a fight) on her face. She wanted to know if she needed a rabies shot. I think she has other problems to deal with first.

Commented on a 9 yo girl's shirt by saying, It's really cool, you look like Madonna. She asked, "who's that?" OMG, I'm officially old.

Other thoughts:

Who are these woman who dress like the models in Cosmo? Or InStyle? And are 4 inch heels really comfortable?

Read a "dressing stylishly during pregnancy book" and one of the suggestions was never to wear comfortable flats. I thoughts who are these bitches reading this book and have they ever been pregnant.

Thought to myself, I could get a perm. My hair needs some body. WTH? Do they even do perms anymore? (NOT getting one)

How is it my daughter can open the door on the changing table, get out the vaseline, smear it on her face and toes in the time it take me to pee, but can not manage to feed herself noodles?

And that's it for now. I'm off to bed to think about my trip to NY in 2 days! Holy crap that was fast! So dear readers, please respond with some random thoughts of your own.

Who says there's not a heaven......

All my life I've hated raw tomatoes. They're slimy, squishy, and one ill place squirt can take your eye out. With that being said, I don't mind cooked, sun-dried, minced, fried, or otherwise transformed tomatoes.

This hatred of raw tomatoes has always been a source of shame and disbelief for my mother. And my dear grandmother always offered me a tomato hoping I'd change my mind. But no luck. I have tried and tried....still don't like them raw.

And then there was a child born. Her name is McKinley. I know, without a doubt, my Grandmother Elaine had a good long talk with her in heaven. I believe she instructed little miss McKinley on all the wonderful properties of a tomato. Well, Grandma, it worked.

Little miss McKinley can spot a tomato from fifty yards away. She points, says please, then rushes to her chair for a delightful snack. A trip to the farmer's market is almost sensory overload. Whole tables full of tomatoes just waiting to be eaten.

So I will stick to the fried green, the sun-dried, and the lovely salsas. That is, if I can get any off the vine without McKinley hijacking them. And Yes Grandma, I'll try just one bite. Just for you.

Hot summer day

One of the world's biggest problems is what to do on a hot summer day. It has plagued all of us since birth. It wasn't so bad when we were young. We run around, get wet somehow, then off to bed. If you were lucky there was ice cream involved sometime before teeth brushing.

Then off we went to school. Remember spending those last few days of school plotting out your summer time adventures. Where you were going, which route was the best one to take your bike on, how many days you were going to spend in the pool. By the end of the summer your skin was peeling, your hair was green, but the days had flown by. You were enlightened and ready for a whole new year.

Then we started to grow up. Chores were added to your daily summer activities. Suddenly the bike didn't seem so fun. You had to summer reading (really never a problem for me.)

And older we grew. Hot days suddenly weren't so great. We had to work, do chores, and go on vacation with our parents. The idea of running around getting sweating was no longer a treat. The basement with an air conditioner looked like a much better option.


Well today, I returned to childhood. It was hot...really, really, southern hot. With humidity. I decided to plot an escape. First, a left over Dilly bar divided two ways with dinner. Then on went someone's swimming suit (not mine) and out came the hose. There was a wading pool, a sprinkler, and a bucket. A good head to toe soaking improves all moods. McKinley and I then took a ride on our new two seater stroller. (Well I pushed, she rode). All this followed by a action packed bathtub. We did fulfill our reading requirement with Daddy. Three rounds of Good Night Canada and off to bed.

I like childhood. My hair may not be green and my skin will be intact, but I'm hoping for, at least, some enlightenment by the end of the summer.

Baby talk

I like to write insightful, useful things on this blogs. Seeing as I have not written since May, apparently insightful things are not common in my brain. So, I'll just write about McKinley and our latest trips....

-McKinley received a lovely little doll from her Grandma today in the mail. She was quite distressed that is was "trapped." We rescued the baby from the plastic and was given a big hug by a happy little girl. She then threw her little baby out of the stroller, said "bye-bye", put the new doll in the stroller and took off. Don't worry, she came back for the little baby a minute later.

-Thanks to a great trip to PA, one little girl is greatly in love with cows. Dogs. Goats....really anything with four legs. On the way to Walmart today, she kept looking for "moos" and was very sad when there were none.

-Speaking of Walmart, I'm really glad I'm not 21 anymore. I may have had a better butt then, but I'm pretty sure my brain was smaller. And I'm really, really, really glad I'm not sixteen. I could be five again. The dress up clothes are much better. I found a mermaid tail today. Where was this crap when I was little!?!

-Traveling-was wonderful. PA was beautiful, the Amish were fascinating, and Utah was home. I miss family so much and wish we were closer. But it's nice to be home.

Summer

In my dreams I am an artistic, earth mother who's hair looks great in a bun. You know, like the beautiful hippie chicks in the movies. In reality, no many look good with their hair in a bun and I gave up scrapbooking because of lack of inspiration. I think I'll stick to being myself....but the earth mother part is working for the plants. Now if I could keep the kid out of the pots.

Homesick

Where is exactly is your home? Is it your childhood home where you spent your days growing and maturing?

Is it where you spent your youth, filled with passion and new discovery?

Is it where you spent your time as a young adult? Where you made mistakes both major and minor, only to find later they weren't such as big deal?

Is it where you are now, wrapped up in your own life and new responsibilities?

All these thoughts filter through my head as I try to find my footing as a mother, a wife, a friend, and myself. I was nostalgic for my childhood vacation spot as I thought of cool summers and wide open spaces. But I immediately thought of how I long to spare that space with my own child.

I listened to an old CD yesterday and was immediately transported back to my college days when I could spend a night at a concert and still wake up the next day filled with energy. I thought of how the music influenced me, made me proud, defiant, and willing to change the world. Then I saw my 14 month old, "dancing" in her car seat, clapping along to the beat.

So where is your home? Where are you in your journey as a person? Does the past get muddled with the present, clouding your memories with only the good times?

There is an old saying that "Home is where the heart is"....so what is your heart? Mine is man with hair starting to go gray, who always remembers my birthday but sometimes forgets the card. And a little girl who can dance to Ani DiFranco, who can be amused for hours by a game of peek a boo, who has a lifetime of memories to come....where is your heart?