five things, may 24 edition

1. I think, as you've seen, it's been a pretty okay week for the folks around here at least. Miss Violet has perked up a bit. Although we can tell that she's starting to diminish, she's doing better than she was over the weekend, which makes us all feel easier since Neel's out of town. Callum had a banner week, yes? It's funny how we all remember the moment of getting our braces off so well. His social studies teacher made him smile for everyone, and he said that even though it made him feel self conscious, he quite liked it! We went to his favorite restaurant with a friend of his on Wednesday night for Wing Night. My boy was in heaven. His friend's mom, who is a new friend to me (isn't that always nice?) and I kept joking that we were going to get the salad. As if a wing and beer joint has salads. Cole slaw is as close as it comes and nobody orders that!

2. I think we're lucky that neither of us travels so much that it's a burden on our family. When Neel is out of town, Cal and I treat ourselves to the food he doesn't like, like artichokes. It's a treat my boy and I love, and we rarely get to indulge in. Super bonus on a weeknight. Papa's not gone too long this time, but we're already ready to have him home. Plus, he does the dishes.

3. I think I really could use suggestions for cute walking shoes. Any thoughts? It's much easier for me to do this in the winter, but I need walkable, not totally flat, and of course super cute.

4. I thinkAnnie had an interesting observation on yesterday's post. Americans (I'm paraphrasing) have a lot of flags. She's right. She joked that we needed reminded of where we lived, and I always figured it was a bit of chest-thumpery. Whomp, whomp. We're Americans. See the flag? We had our own flag for ages, a 1776 flag with 13 stars in a circle, because Virginia is one of the 13 original colonies, and I always thought that was cool. Still, we're not real flag wavers here. Besides, it's too tattered to hang now. I get Annie's point. And then, as I was headed to school to pick up Callum yesterday, I listened to President Obama on the radio give a speech about terrorism. He got heckled big time during the speech by a woman who wants him to close Guantanamo. Well, duh. (And, side note, he was way more patient with her than I would have been. I felt like I learned some about parenting in the moments that he let that impassioned woman just have her say. But that's a story for another day.) As he spoke to her and continued the speech, he referred to this man, the Shoe Bomber. Remember him? President Obama recounted on Thursday, "In sentencing Reid, Judge William Young told him, 'the way we treat you…is the measure of our own liberties.' He went on to point to the American flag that flew in the courtroom – “That flag,” he said, “will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag still stands for freedom.”

His overall speech seemed particularly poignant in the wake of London's most recent and especially brutal terrorist attack this past week. My heart ached to hear this story, and I felt for my friends to have this horrific attack happen in their city. Freedom shows itself in all sorts of ways, some flag waving and some not so. Freedom means taking our kids to ballgames and wandering busy streets and Boston Marathoners coming back en masse in 2014 to run again. I guess for some people it means putting a flag at the end of their dock and for others it means draping a flag over the remains of their tornado-ravaged home.

5. I think it's Memorial Day weekend! In my house that will mean some exam prep, some jet lag recovery, and if Neel and Callum get lucky, lots of World War II movies. Hello, Normandy. Cal and I are working tomorrow to clean the house and get some homework done and get ready for Neel's return, and after that it's all play. Summer's just around the corner. Are you guys feeling it? What fun are you up to? In my book, summer can't come soon enough.

Five things, the "this is really happening" edition

1. I think I can't believe I finally get to tell you guys that we're taking a little big trip this summer. Wheeeeeee! We've been talking about this trip for a long time, months now since we discovered that Neel had a Eurpoean conference in June, but pulling the trigger was a bit stressful. Air travel ≠ cheap, you know. Still now that we have, I'm giddy with excitement, and we're counting down the days. Neel's meeting is in Greece and Cal and I are flying to London to meet him, and then we'll all fly home together. What a way to kick off the summer. I can't wait.

2. I think we're incredibly lucky that Neel's field takes him to Europe to conferences so regularly (A colleague of his has her big annual meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan this year. Not that there's anything wrong with that.). He leaves for Sweden next week, and that trip, Cal and I are sadly not accompanying him on. (insert huge sigh here) It's been a long time since we've traveled abroad. Our last trip was to Hungary, I think, in 2009. It feels like a lifetime ago. We really feel so blessed, despite how long it's been. We've been to Montreal, Germany, and Greece as well as Hungary and so many places here in our own vast country. But this trip? Well, this feels special. Because we're not tagging along to Greece but meeting Neel over there, these are places we chose. Can you imagine how hard it was to pin them down?

3. I think our plans are to spend three days in London and three days in Paris, although Neel and Callum seem to have concocted a plan to swing by Normandy on while we're en route to Paris. They schemed this at my Mother's Day brunch, wouldn't you know. And had me Google this. ON MOTHER'S DAY. Apparently there will be much watching of World War II movies before we depart.

4. I think one of the best things is that the last time I was in London was when I was almost exactly Callum's age. That was a long time ago. And still. I'll totally be subjecting him to stories that begin like this: "When I was 14, and we came to London..." We will also be listening to this song and probably this song on repeat. I won't subject him to this song, which was everywhere when I first stepped foot on British soil. ;)

5. I think I have a million questions for you guys! I can't for the life of me remember what to do with my phone once we've gone international. I'm gonna need to be instagramming, donchaknow. Where should we stay in London? In Paris? I know a bit about London, but next to nothing about Paris except that it seems nice enough. Wink. What should I pack? Any suggestions for cute walking shoes for summer? What should I read to get ready? What are our must sees, eats, dos? What treats should we get to bring home? Callum's social studies teacher is a total dear and she's begged to come with us written an itinerary for us; you just know Erin is guiding our path (thank God); and I'm totally counting on this lovely lady to point our way as well.

Somebody pinch us.