Arrividerchi, Baby!

After months of planning, 3 checklists, 4 large suitcases and 2 carry ons, 21 shopping trips, checking and rechecking the passports, "Italy Day" has finally arrived. At 2:30 this afternoon, the car will come pick us up and begin the adventure that we have all been waiting for since May.

Maybe I'm crazy, but the idea of taking my 6 and 12 year old to Italy for a 16 night visit is the most exciting thing in the world to me right now. Seeing Europe for the first time again through T's eyes, watching both kids see the world from a very different perspective than their own ("Mom? Why don't they have Cartoon Network in Italy?") and just generally being away from our everyday lives is over-the-top great to me. Yeah, I know. Spoken as a woman who hasn't even finished packing yet.....

So wish us luck, as we venture out into the big world. Wish us sanity as we endure an 8 hour red-eye from Boston to Rome. With MotorMan. Wish me patience when my 12 year old (who's looking 16 lately) meets her first European boy. And mostly that when we get back we're all a little more grown up, a little wiser and maybe just a tad more worldly than today.

Ciao!