1. I think one of the worst things about this time of year is discovering all the things I want to buy as I'm shopping for, ahem, everyone else. Coat from Fossil (free shipping!)! Coffee table from West Elm! Rug and holiday dishes from Crate and Barrel! I can't decide if I need to hurry up and get everything done or step slowly away from the computer. Oh, and I still want a white Christmas tree.

2. I think it's pretty funny that Callum suggested that I monetize my blog so I can buy a house on Nantucket. Ha! The pageviews that would take = comic/out of reach/un-fun/ridiculous. But don't think I haven't been looking for real estate.

3. I think it's also pretty funny/sad that Violet was so happy to see us that she actually had a wipe out on our floor and hurt one of her back legs. Don't worry, she's fine. It's only prevented her from jumping onto the sofa (not allowed), and she's already much better. But it's nice to be missed.

4. I think I am so glad it's Friday. We generally build in a rest day when we come home from a trip, and by the end of the week this week I'm definitely feeling the absence of that day. On Monday, Callum's backpack ripped, meaning that even the simplest act of carrying his books to school has been rendered more difficult. On Tuesday Neel had a 7 AM meeting, and before midday he called to tell me that this particular group was meeting again at 5 that night. We've had meetings and baseball and tests and deadlines, your typical re-entry. I'm not complaining (really!), because our trip was so completely worth it. I'm just ready to rest a little, that's all.

5. I think this boat, the Lauren, represents one of my favorite stories from our trip to Nantucket. Before we left, I told Neel and Callum a bit about the trip to New England I took as a kid. Yes, you may have heard, we toured the Breakers. But one day we wandered down to the harbor area of Newport, RI which, as it is still, was rimmed with shops. It was another stormy summer afternoon. When the skies darkened, my dad and I darted into a toy shop. Right as we did, the power went out! Yikes! It was a tiny wandery little shop with high, cluttered shelves. We lingered during the worst of the storm, and when the rain let up my dad bought me a boat, a small wooden sailboat with a green hull (Never mind that the power was out! No power needed to pay cash and hand write a receipt.). I loved it. That evening, when I played with the boat in my hotel room bath (it floated!), I decided to name it the SS Mary Jane (after my mom). People, I was seven. Give me a break.

Well. My husband and my son could not have enjoyed that tidbit more. Guffaw, guffaw. Make fun of Mama, naming the boat the SS Mary Jane. And I still don't see what exactly is so funny, but anyway.

Fast forward a year or two, and here were are at the harbor in Hyannis. Lookee what do we have here, hmmmm? A boat named after another wonderful mother: the Lauren. Complete with a faithful hound. How do you like that boys?

I whipped Big Daddy out as fast as I could! Also drawn toward the boat was a tall young man. He turned to me as I was snapping a few shots, and we commented on the sweet dog in the prow of the boat. The young man's voice as lightly accented, and he laughed when I told him that I liked the boat because it was named after me (he knew I was kidding). Turned out, he was from Norway, but had been studying in the US, in New York City, for the past four years. Was he planning to stay, I asked him. Ummmm...maybe. His parents, here visiting, were meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time that weekend. That's a lot of pressure for Thanksgiving, don't you think? It seemed (are Norwegians subtle?) that his decision to stay depended a bit on that meeting. Once the boat had left the dock and we were well on our way, he saw me on deck and asked me to take a picture of him and his mom (and yes, I had a moment of freak out when he called me by name...how did he know my name?!). So what do you think happened? Our weekend was wonderful, but how was his?