Guys. We did it. We got him off to middle school. I am so proud of this kid. Doesn't he look pretty cool? He was nervous, but ready. He usually rides in with friends but asked that we take him in this morning, and Neel and I were happy to oblige on this first day. It's a whole new routine, dropping him off in a whole new part of the school. The security guard who directs traffic recognized our car, and started to direct us to the Lower School, but his smile was wide when Neel's blinker indicated that we needed to turn right, not left. I won't deny that I got a little teary after we dropped him off, but they were mostly happy tears. Mostly.

And we had just the best weekend to finish off the summer. On Friday, Callum and I got his books at the book store (now that was daunting!) and headed off to our end-of-summer tradition. I'll leave that story for Wednesday, if it's okay with you. You might be able to guess that it involves a boat. And lunch. Lunch with the best shoestring fries EVER! Couldn't pass them up! The kids in the neighborhood are starting school in stages, with a chunk having started last week, a group today and then another batch after Labor Day. So we're all starting to gather on porches in the evening to see how everyone is faring with their fresh starts. It's an exciting time. The weather has been exciting too. I woke up Saturday morning to thunder and lightning (and a headache of course), and it's so muggy and damp that things feel decidedly tropical. Callum and Neel slowly wandered downstairs and we had a lazy morning as the rain beat down. Right up until the doorbell rang at 10. Nice. It was our bathroom guy. Yay! We were all still in our jammies. Boo. Um, yeah. That wasn't fun. Neither was the fact that Neel decided to show these guys both bathrooms without telling my so I had so dash ahead of them and make sure my bra was whisked out of the way. But the exciting news is that we have a plan, you may be able to see from one of these photos that demo might have actually started.

And then there was the tornado warning. Great. Nothing hinders your ability to get out the door like creepy dark clouds (see photo #5), swirling wind, and and EAS on the TV. Just as everything was starting to clear up, Callum and I stepped outside and saw huge bolts of lightning pierce the blue, blue sky. Crazytown. It was like that all weekend. The sun would be shining and you'd look out and suddenly it was pouring. None of us slept well last night (first day jitters, I suppose), and I'd wake up one time to lightning, one time to the moon shining in, and then to lightning again. Cities north of us had rain up to 6-8 inches in an hour. And of course as I was leaving the grocery store Sunday, it was pouring. Of course.

We dropped Callum at baseball and I got to sneak over to the lab with Neel for a bit. I never get to do this anymore. He never gets to do this anymore! Neel's rarely sitting at a lab bench these days, and weekend visits like this used to be our bread and butter. It was nice. He has a new lab space that I hadn't seen yet, and the medical school has been completely revamped and is gorgeous. I had fun going over there.

After the lab, Neel and Callum got cracking on dinner while I went to a baby shower for my dear friend Rebecca. What fun! It was at an adorable shop here in Norfolk that I hadn't tried yet. Sassi Cakes and Sweets offers amazing desserts and a full bar. Hello? A dessert bar? Can't go wrong with that. I've gone past it a gazillion times and never gone in, and on Saturday we were there late afternoon which was perfect for a baby shower. We had such fun, and the desserts are amazing. I'd love to take some photos of their stuff sometime. What do you think, should I drop by one of my business cards?

On Sunday we got Callum's room school-ready and settled in for just the best fun ever: seeing my old high school football team take the field in what has always been traditionally the biggest game of the season on ESPN2! How cool is that! My school was about four-five blocks from my house, and it was so fun to see the field and stadium where I spent so many happy Friday nights. On national TV! We had such fun watching the game, and of course our boys (they look so. young. was I ever that young?) pulled it out in the end. 42-24. Great victory for my alma mater and for high school foot ball every where.

I made two dishes from Dinner: A Love Story this weekend. Her Campfire Potatoes to go with Neel and Callum's steak, and last night, her Thai-ish Salmon. So far, can't recommend this book highly enough.

And finally, one last bike ride. Callum has decided to run cross country, so he's been getting up to run in the mornings. We mapped out a route for him to run this morning and ended up at the river. One of my favorite spots. Not a bad way to wrap things up, I'd say. Nothing but blue skies ahead.