Can I go too please?

So the day that we all went to the Christmas Show, this is how poor Hope felt when we left the house.....poor baby. She will get her treat this week when we leave for our holiday beach retreat on the Outer Banks......

JBM Takes Manhattan (Part 2)

OK, I know this is a few days later than promised....but here we go.

After St. Patrick's, it was off to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Again, the reaction was "WOW" and then, pride, as the tree came from the same town in CT where Nurse Nancy grew up and Nonnie still lives. Here is view of the tree with JBM.

Finally, the purpose for our visit was the Christmas Spectacular. Flyboy and I had not been to Radio City in 10 years and JBM had never been there. Again, the eyes and the awe were evident. The biggest thrill was waiting for the 3-D movie!

After Radio City, we walked down Fifth Avenue to 42nd Street and into Grand Central through the front door. We took note of the clock at the main entrance, the eagles on either side and, of course, the Chrysler Building which is my favorite building in the whole city.

Back on the train and after a bit of debriefing, the adventure was over.....

What a thrill for us all. Next year? We shall see.

JBM takes Manhattan....(Part One)

One week ago today, FlyBoy, JBM and I ventured into NYC for some Christmas fun. It was after school, so there was no playing hookey (until the next day). In his 8 years of life, the poor, deprived child had never been to Manhattan. Perhaps the mother lion in me did not feel comfortable taking a smaller child to such a big place or relish the idea of pushing a stroller through the insane Christmas crowds. Whatever the reason, he had never been there.

Our evening started with a train trip. The whole evening could have ended right here (and saved us some money) as being on a train is always a thrill for JBM. It was a local and stopped everywhere it could with JBM announcing each stop as if we could not hear the conductor. You gotta love it!

Arriving in NYC, we strolled into the main concourse of Grand Central Station and I watched JBMs face. It was thrilling. I do not have any pictures of this moment since I knew I could not capture the real moment. Looked up at the ceiling at all the stars and constellations and then scanned the room. After the initial "wow," the next comment was "I remember in the movie Madagascar, Alex got hit in the head by the old lady on that staircase!"

We moved on to Park Avenue. By far my favorite street in Manhattan during the holidays. I love the white lights on all the trees and turning back towards Grand Central to enjoy the old building against the MetLife sky scraper. JBM thought it was pretty cool too.

We headed toward Fifth Avenue and entered St. Patrick's Cathedral. We talked about the saint statues inside and I challenged him to find the statue of St. Peter. I knew it was in the front and we would be required to make a full circle around the cathedral in order to find it. We had such a nice time talking about all the saints, lighting a few candles along the way and reflecting in front of the nativity. About half way through, JBM turned to me and said, "This place is amazing."

Flyboy and I just love experiencing those things we have become used to through FlyBoys eyes.....

Part two tomorrow with pictures...provided my camera, iPhone and computer all play well in the sandbox together!

Renegade Donut!

Sitting in my office yesterday and in walk two first grade students. One was having a birthday celebration and was handing out donuts to the class and other staff in the building. It is always nice to be remembered....you kind of feel like one of the cool people.

Anyhow, as the students are coming in the door, I see the birthday child dive to the side to rescue the last donut that had fallen out of the box and onto the floor. She proceeded to put the donut in a napkin and place it on my desk! Thank goodness she did not wait for me to taste it. Mom tried not to laugh and the Nanny exclaimed, "A special gift, germs and all...."

While I do believe in the 5 second rule, I do not think it applies to the health office floor or the floor in a doctor's office. Guess it did not pay to be "cool" this time.

Happy Friday!

Which one?

I need two pictures for my Christmas cards. One picture needs to fit in a horizontal frame and the second in a vertical (both 4 X 6). Which two of these three would you choose? Have you done your cards yet?

Opinion vs. Fact

I spent part of the afternoon yesterday at the Ob-GYN office for my annual exam. Not my favorite thing to do but very necessary. Anyhow, I could not wait to engage my doctor in conversation related to the controversy about mammography and self breast exams. I have been going to this same physician for over 20 years and know that he is passionate about breast health. He did not disappoint. We talked at length about how "stupid" the idea of having mammograms every two years is and he had a laundry list of patients saved either through mammography and/or self breast exams.

Some interesting "insider" information. My doctor shared that a major part of the funding for the study was contributed by China. His thought, "they have a population issue so what do they care if people die of cancer!" Interesting. Second tidbit, he watched a panel discussion with the head of the study as one of the panelist. His overall opinion of this physician was, "it was like watching a talking tree stump." Guess she did not creat much confidence.

To make a long story short......do not sell yourself short. Have a screening mammography on an annual basis and please remember to do monthly self exams. Both of them save lives.

This concludes this Tuesday editorial....Have a nice day.

Drama

It is Monday morning and the holidays. Families spend the whole weekend running from one event or visit to another. On Monday morning the kids are wiped out and then have to get up and come to school. Guess where they wind up....you've got it. In the Health Office complaining that they do not feel well. I am currently entertaining one of my favorite drama kings. He walked in the office with his long curly hair all tosseled in his face and shared the following: "We are doing yoga in gym class and I suddenly felt very dizzy and can barely walk." GAH! Add an English accent and a frequency of dramatic visits all year long and you will know that my patience is being tried already.

I think we have an actor in the making.....and I am in need of a nice glass of wine.

Happy Monday!

Officially Made the Rounds

First it was me, then JBM and now FlyBoy. I certainly hope that the dog is not next. I do not want to say or hear the word flu in my house for the rest of the winter. Can you guess who makes the worst patient? I will give you a hint.....it is not the first two mentioned in the first sentence.

I do feel bad for FlyBoy but I know he will survive :)

A Dog's Life

This is a case of total contentment.....the blue bear is one of JBM's favorite buddies. He shares it often with Hope. Based upon this photo, I would say she likes it. Happy Tuesday.