no nuts for us

As many of you know, my dear husband has quite an allergy to nuts of all varieties. When I first discovered this, my immediate, appalled reaction was – this man has never had a Reese’s Cup!

The stories of Doug’s allergy range from hilarious to horrifying.

-In kindergarten, his teacher had made “Ants on a Log” and Doug tried to tell her that he couldn’t eat it, but she thought he was just being picky. In a final moment of exasperation, she scraped off the peanut butter and made him eat the celery stick, which, obviously still had remnants of peanut butter, which obviously led to an allergic reaction.
-In college, Doug’s friend Steve had just eaten some peanuts, then the boys starting horsing around in the kitchen and Steve wound up grabbing Doug’s arm, only to leave raised rashes in the form of finger prints on Doug’s arm.
-In college, I had eaten trail mix for a snack, and I made sure to brush my teeth after eating them… because I was worried that the particles might travel through the air to him… not for any other reason. Anyway! Doug was doing some homework, and I was massaging his neck, when all the sudden he reached up and grabbed his neck and started itching it. “Did you eat nuts?!” Whoops… I had forgotten to wash my hands.
-Then, of course, there’s the notorious Peanut Butter Playground Story…

Doug’s nut allergy is one of the reasons I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting a hefty crown in heaven. I mean, think of the sacrifices I have already made in the name of love! Listed below are just a few things I have had to give up:
- PB&Js - Peanuts on sundaes - Eating Reese’s for dinner - Planters Cashews -Moosetracks Ice Cream - Peanut butter on s’mores - Chocolate with Almonds - Cashew Chicken - Dad’s nut-covered truffles - Banana Nut Crunch cereal – Butterfingers - Ants on a Log - & so, so much more.

We can never get carry-out Chinese because of the use of peanut oil. Whenever we go to PF Chang’s or Mongolian BBQ, our orders are made on a special grill (i.e. on the stovetop in the backroom).

If I ever experience an intense craving for nuts, then I have to follow this regiment: throw away the wrapper (let’s be honest – I get more cravings for chocolate with nuts than just nuts), wipe the counter, wash my hands, brush my teeth (again, that particle-through-the-air thing!), and drink lots of water.

I still eat nuts, just not nearly as often as I’d like. You can't enter the Bannister household around Christmas, during the prime of Dad’s truffle-making, without eating nuts (unless you’re Doug).

So, if we ever have an argument about making sacrifices for our marriage, I’m pretty sure I’ll have the upper hand. After typing all this, I hope anyone who reads this understands the humorous vibe it’s supposed to have – I really don’t use my forced no-nuts diet as leverage against my husband. Not on a regular basis, anyway.

another one bites the dust

After months of prompting, coercion, bribery and flat out begging, my hubby has finally succumbed to the pressure & joined the blogging world! In all actuality, I think I said to Doug, "You should start a blog," and proceeded to set up his blog. And then he posted in it.

And in case anyone was wondering, Doug has been gone for exactly 49 hours, and I still haven't locked myself out of anything! I'm picking him up from the airport this afternoon, and then we're going to hang out in the airport for about an hour. Why? Because our dear friends, Steve & Heather, are returning home from 2 years in Africa!! We are so excited to see them again and hear all about their adventures! Welcome back to America, dear friends.

the roger bannister i know

I've been very blessed by the relationship I have with my dad. He's always been more than candid about his opinions regarding my outfits, haircuts, boyfriends, grades, etc. While I certainly was not overly thankful for Dad's input/regulations/discipline growing up, I've reached the stage in life where I am truly grateful for how "strict" and "mean" he was while I was under his roof.

A few reasons my dad is the best:

-While I was student teaching, my dad made my lunch almost every single morning, usually complete with an uplifting note, one of which is in still tucked inside my wallet:

Special places

Exist in the hearts of some dads

For special daughters

Like you.

-I don't remember this, but when I was a newborn with colic, Dad made up the "burp-dance" to calm my antsy stomach.

-Whenever I got sick as a child, my dad would hold my hair back as I leaned over the toilet and puked my little guts out (gross!).

-I don't remember how old I was, but one night, my Dad woke me up in the middle of the night to take me to the pond so I could see millions of fireflies in a group of pine trees - just flickering their lights in the dead of the night.

-Another time, Dad woke up all of us kids in the middle of the night so we could go into an open field and look at the Northern Lights over Lake Ontario.

-While I was in Oxford, I got a package in the mail from Dad. It was filled with Frootie Tooties - these tiny little fruit-flavored chewy things from Narby's that I was obsessed with.

-Dad always cut my steak for me, even at my wedding:

photo by Jason Atkins

Suffice to say, my dad's pretty dear to my heart.

photos below by Tom Rivers

hitching the horses on my wedding day

If you look closely, Dad is holding my veil so it won't blow against my face

A modified burp-dance?

"I know you're the right man for her, because she's a better woman with you than she is with her daddy."

I love you, Dad.

Happy Birthday.

please tell me this is a joke...

Was this article an April Fool's Day joke?

3rd graders plotted teacher attack

It's not that I don't take school violence seriously... I'm just a little alarmed at the thorough scheming of these 8-10 year olds! Someone needs to monitor their CSI viewing.

But seriously, did this really happen?

some april fools

Today, Grandma Bannister turns 90 years young. I don't usually approve of that phrase ("years young") - but in Gram's case, it's only fitting. She is probably one of the most spry 90-year-olds you'll ever meet.

How many other 90-year-old women do you know that still cook [personal] record-breaking amounts of the world's best applesauce?

Or weed their garden every day in the summer?

Or make large dinners when sons/daughters/grandkids come over?

Or go camping every summer?

Not many.

My Gram is one in a million.

This is a picture of her with her remaining siblings - Gram, Uncle Pete, Uncle Tuner, and Aunt Cile. Um, how much do I love this picture of Uncle Tuner, captured mid-laugh?!

And little Griffin turns 6 today:

Happy Birthday to my favorite April Fools!