Wanderlust Diaries: Adventures of an Enthusiast

We made it - to the beautiful SUNSHINE STATE ! Apparently, we made it out just in time as the winter weather showed up right after we left! Truthfully, I don't miss that AT ALL! It has been almost a month since we have arrived, and it has been wonderful.  Let's briefly chat about our journey to Florida, shall we?  Getting here was...well...challenging.  It all really began on Thursday—the day before our closing—when we loaded up the truck. It didn’t help that it rained most of the day, but somehow, we got it done. It took all day, every bit of energy we had, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our neighbor, our daughter, and her friend. Truly—thank you. That evening, sitting in an almost empty house felt surreal. This was the home we had lived in for more than five years, now stripped down to bare rooms and echoes. We had built so many good memories here, and as I sat there reflecting, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude—for the time we spent, the life ...

                                                           Knock, knock. Who’s there? Opportunity. Opportunity who? You’ll never know unless you open the door. …and that’s where the adventure begins.  Isn't that the truth?  I have always tried to be a positive, look on the bright side kind of girl. However, there has been a restlessness in me that has awakened months ago...I am going to go ahead and blame it on Italy...yea, that is a good idea. 😉 So, here is the deal. I am a Sagittarius. I am also an Enthusiast (Enneagram). This is who I am. I adapt to change. I encourage it at times. I love adventures. I love my life, and I want to live it to the fullest. Don't you?  You get this one chance at this beautiful thing called life...and I don't know about you, but I don't want to blow it.  Have you...

  Last night, we had the privilege to go to a wedding here locally. It was a beautiful Catholic ceremony that was very reminiscent of our own wedding over 30 years ago.  Throughout the service, John and I would gently nudge each other, or I would grab for his hand. One of the singers at the ceremony performed Ave Maria. John heard it first and then said, "Oh Claudine." That was my Mom's favorite song.  My eyes then gave in to the tears and they fell down my cheek. Big crocodile tears. At one point, I thought I would have to leave the building to just let it go, but I held my head high and took a deep breath and savored each lyric of the song...it was sung beautifully. I was glad to be there to hear it.  Some losses don’t scream. They whisper. I miss my mom in ways that are hard to explain. Grief doesn’t come in a tidal wave. It drips in slowly, filling up moments I didn’t expect to be so empty.  My Mom passed away 16 years ago in Ohio. She was in a nursing home ...

Good morning! Three weeks ago today, we set out on our Journey Through the Boot. It's hard to believe that we haven't been home for a week yet, and I miss Italy in ways that I don't understand... I mean, I have taken vacations and have come back wishing I was still on vacation, yeah, of course. I have come back from Florida a bunch of times and told my boss, "I am looking for homes in Florida, just thought I would let you know..." However, this hits different. I remember when I was a kid and I would go with my mom to Italy for the summer and come back to the states and it was time to go school shopping and start school, but I always felt that something was missing. I feel that now. Man do I feel it. I have always said that Italy has stolen my heart, and I have left a bit of it there. 💗 As I write this, both John and Lydia have already battled the infamous "travel crud," and now it's my turn. My voice is barely hanging on, and I’m definitely not feel...

The day started pretty early - 7am - Venice time on Saturday, June 28. We headed for breakfast and then we would take a private water taxi from the hotel to San Marco airport. This was a 40-minute ride. The waters got pretty rough, but it was a gorgeous ride and gave me time to reflect. Honestly, if I didn't have to leave, I wouldn't. I would stay in Italy forever. I LOVE it here. Italy will always have my heart...always. We said our goodbyes to Venice and to Italy, and we were off.... The day ended up being a lot longer than we had anticipated. After our flight from Venice to Philly, which was almost 9 hours, our plane from Philly to Louisville ended up stranded on the tarmac for over 2 hours, it was hot, and I was about to have an actual come apart - like seriously - we didn't get to our home until almost 1:00 in the morning. Exhausted to say the least - but our hearts were full and the feeling of joy of what we just experienced for the past two weeks. Our trip in summary...

Today is our last day of our Journey Through the Boot. I can't believe it. We head back to the states tomorrow. We have had the experience of a lifetime, and I am utterly grateful that I got to share it all with my family. I know that I will take a piece of this trip back with me and I know that even when I used to come to Italy as a kid, a part of my heart will be left here. Travel experiences change you, you know?  I did not book any tours for Venice. Although, I did try to get us into the Basilica, with no luck. I am telling you, take it from me, if you want to come to Italy and take a tour, you gotta book it WAY in advance. Some are pretty pricey, but some are really worth it. *Tip - I used Viator and Walks Tours. They were great and they had experienced tour guides. No fluff here.  We started the day with...you guessed it, a GONDOLA ride. Our gondolier didn't sing fancy Italian songs or play an instrument...he simply whistled. 😁 Although, during our ride, we did see seve...