Why?

I suppose I should include a quick explanation about why we're going. I mean, partly, because it's Paris. I'm sure there are people who wouldn't go to Paris if they had the chance, but those people? Not us.

The idea formed in January, on New Year's Eve, when my sisters were still at my house for the holidays. We were chatting about various important, serious topics (Grey's Anatomy and knitting) and somehow veered off into the coming year. And we realized that, in 2007, I will turn 30 (May 30) - Sarah will turn 21 (August 11) and Mary would turn 16 (April 17). Those seemed like big, noteworthy birthdays.

The next day, my mother called to wish us a Happy New Year, and mentioned on her own that she'd realized we all had significant birthdays this year. "We should plan a trip somewhere, maybe a weekend or something," she said.

Thus the seed was planted. After some quality time between myself and priceline.com, I realized that plane tickets to Paris really weren't much more expensive than flights within the US. And my mother had always wanted to go to Paris but never quite been able to manage it. And I was working 10 hours overtime a week from January into the foreseeable future. And my sisters aren't exactly going to balk at a trip to France. So, viola!

I bought plane tickets right away, because I felt like otherwise we were in danger of having another one of those experiences where everyone gets excited but then somehow it never happens. Eventually, my mom found an apartment, I got museum passes, they all got their passports, and we've been increasingly squealy and bouncy.

So, I tell you what, I am set on birthday presents for this year! Such a relief...