Ciao, bella!

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our final day in Florence was spent doing my absolute favorite things: shopping and relaxing! Trafalgar organized a demonstration at a leather shop - maybe you've heard of Peruzzi? After a fancy new belt for Adam, we wandered the streets checking out local and tourist shops. The early afternoon was spent in the possibly my favorite city square, Piazza San Croce. I bartered with street vendors for scarves, jewelry & trinkets. I people-watched with a glass of rosé while a local handmade me a namesake bracelet.

(Turns out, every time I took a step, my sweet hubby was muttering "stop buying stuff, stop buying stuff!" under his breath. Oh well!) Adam did get me a fun new charm for my Pandora bracelet - the fleur-de-lis, the symbol of Firenze, purchased at an outrageously priced jewelry store at the corner of the piazza.

My heart was heavy when it came time to hop on our bus and head back to Rome. It was the most magical week. But, the long bus rides were their own kind of fun!

When we arrived back in Rome, we checked in to the Executive Style Hotel Rome. This hotel has been completely remodeled since it's days of housing  Catholic priests. Super modern and fun! It was late September and about 85 degrees - no complaints here.

Our final dinner was a DELICIOUS meal at The Cabiria. 

Wine flowed and after several lazy courses, new friendships were cemented. Knowing we had to get up early to catch our flights to Heathrow and then Philly, we did the responsible thing…haha no we didn't we stayed up most of the night! Didn't make a difference, anyway…free drinks on the plane made sleeping through the flight a breeze even for my airplane-anxious husband. 

The crash after week of running on adrenaline didn't hurt. 

I could cry just reminiscing - it was the most amazing week. Every experience was that much more special because I got to share them all with my best friend, my partner, my favorite person in the world. We dream of going back, but know it's not necessarily likely. This truly was the trip of a lifetime. There is definitely more adventure to come in our life together - it's just  taking place on American soil for now ;)

Ciao, bella - fino alla prossima volta.

Lights, Camera, Action

For some moments in life, there are no words. - David Seltzer

I will openly admit I'm a social media junkie. I check in, post photos, accept friend requests from people I've met once. I #mcm my husband every single week and share #tbt pics from childhood through last week. I'm not delusional and don't consider 55 likes on my profile photo significant of anything useful in the real world, but it's fun. I'm nosy and voyeuristic. I have a blog, for Pete's sake! I play on Facebook and Instagram, both of which are private accounts. I had to delete a Twitter because it was too un-private. 

But I digress. I've been called "the most married woman on social media" by some friends/acquaintances. Hey, whatevs. I'm living a beautiful life & thrilled to share it. 

One thing I've heard is that if someone were truly happy, they wouldn't broadcast it on social media. That makes no sense to me; why would I hide that? Pretty sure those words come from bitter, jealous skeptics.

However. For every date night check-in, for every kissy-face photo, for every public declaration of love - there are hundreds of other moments. Private moments between a husband and wife, secrets shared in the dark. These are the glue in our marriage. Sure, y'all can peek in the window, but at the end of the day, the curtains are drawn and we exist in our own world. Don't ever think you are seeing all of someone's life via Instagram selfies and Buzzfeed shares. Social media is just the highlights reel - the real magic happens behind the scenes.

You don't know the half of it…

Breakfast at Tiffany's

There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless. - Simone Beauvoir

I am absolutely NOT a city girl.* Ok, I lived in a teeny city for almost 8 years. But I hardly count that, it was necessity. I know a tiny bit about Philly, because what DelCo girl doesn't, but it's not a place I want to frequent. The first time I stepped out of Grand Central Station - I thought I might faint! It was my 21st birthday and to say the city overwhelmed me is putting it mildly.

Regardless, there's a certain something about the Big Apple. And at Christmastime! (Ok, I've ONLY been there at Christmastime. Lol.) So when the opportunity for a day trip in December came up, hubby & I jumped on it.
We hit Eataly, easily my favorite place in the city (take me back!) and wandered the streets hand in hand.

We hit the big spots - we kissed under the tree at Rockefeller Center, we shopped at the NHL store (ugh, bring that to Chester County!), and snacked at Hard Rock Cafe. 

Making memories with my husband is my favorite. And I came away with the PERFECT souvenir! 

He does, too. He wants me, he chose me, and he has me. Forever. 

*Foreign cities are a different story. Take me back to Venice, Madrid, Florence, Barcelona, and beyond!

Ciao, bella! (Part 5)

Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen.

- Benjamin Disraeli 

(Told you I'd slack at this! But I'm almost through so…)

I left off in Garda. The next day, we hopped the bus to head to Florence. As much as I expected to fall head over heels in love with Venice, I was a bit surprised by how infatuated I was with Florence! It's this charming city full of art hidden on winding streets connecting open piazzas loaded with cafes…and then there's the shopping. I was in HEAVEN. Ladies, if you're a shopaholic, Firenze is your Mecca! And their specialty…leather goods. Hard to imagine buying a leather coat when it's 90* out! But I digress. One of our first stops after wandering the streets a bit was lunch. By far, the best meal I had in Italy! A teeny hole in the wall off a side street called Francesco Vini. We both had the most decadent, amazing food and, yes, wine! 

After lunch & a bit of exploring, we headed…There. What do you HAVE to see in Florence? Michaelangelo's David. 

Holy hell. Do you have any idea how HUGE that statue is? It's massive. The giant replica standing in the original location, the Palazzo della Signoria, doesn't even prepare you for the sight of the original. It's sitting on a up on a pedestal and stands, total, 17 feet tall! 

Not much else in the Galleria dell'Accademi interested us, so we hit some shops before heading back to the hotel. We were in for a huge treat that night! We checked in to the Grand Hotel Mediterraneo Florence and…

Villa Il Leccio Strada

We had dinner at a family home in the heart of Tuscany. Villa Il Leccio Strada in Chianti was absolutely breathtaking. We sipped prosecco overlooking the vineyards and toured the original facilities before settling in for an outstanding meal. Everything about that night was so absolutely perfect - except the impending end to our tour of Italy, that is!

After dinner, we stopped by the replica David once again before way too many glasses (bottles) of wine in the hotel lobby with our new friends. I could get used to this lifestyle…

La bella vita, no matter what time zone :)

Marriage > Dating

I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not […] I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. And to always know in the deepest part of my soul that no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find our way back to each other. 

- The Vow

Adam and I decided to get married soon after we started dating. We made plans before he even proposed. I'd always intended to elope - call me selfish but the thought of having a wedding without my father there depressed me. I honored him in my own way - we were married on my parents' anniversary. We spent Tuesday, August 27, 2013 parasailing, lounging by the pool, and talking about the life we would have together. I wore a dress off the David's Bridal rack and my groom wore shorts & a button-down. I had my something old (dad's lucky coin, sewn into my flowers), new (dress), borrowed (grandmother's ring), and blue (Swarovski crystal toe ring). My longtime friend, who is a minister, walked me onto the beach and I promised Adam I would love, honor, and cherish him until death do us part.

I'm not any less married than someone who spent tens of thousands of dollars and months of their life stressing over colors, seating charts, music, and what to feed the gluten-free guests. I never particularly cared about being engaged - being married to my soul mate was all I wanted. My rings, while gorgeous, are just a symbol. Marriage is more than jewelry and a party.

I see a lot of girls demanding extravagant rings and luxurious weddings. I just don't see the point. I'd have married my husband anywhere, with any ring. Your wedding day should not be the best or most important day of your life. Today is the most important day of my life. Every day spent married to this man is the best day I've ever had. August 27, 2013 was just the beginning. 

There's a reason we never got to this point with anyone else. We are meant to be.

We are soul mates.

Kickin It Old School

The family is one of nature's masterpieces. - George Santayana

Despite all the insanity in my early (ok, and mid) twenties, I've always been old-fashioned. My jokes about wishing I was "barefoot pregnant and in the kitchen" weren't actually jokes. I'm so enamored with motherhood I literally chose it for a career.
That being said, I NEVER wanted to have a child with someone I wasn't married to. Sad that at 26, people seemed surprised that I didn't have any children, despite my unmarried status. An employer (a hypocritical Christian attorney with 7 kids and a penchant for kissing his associate after too many drinks but I digress) once asked me why I didn't have any kids and my answer was, "I want a father and husband, not a baby daddy." I somehow impressed him with that answer.

It's an unpopular opinion these days. Suddenly I'm 'judging single moms' and 'pissed off I don't have kids.' Calm your britches, ladies. What's so wrong with believing in the traditional family structure? What's wrong with believing people should be adult enough to make a commitment to each other before they commit to bringing a life into this world and raising him or her together?

If we hear a 20 year old girl is having a baby, we might agree she's irresponsible but then we congratulate her, throw her a baby shower and don't think twice. Babies are blessings!
If a 20 year old girl is getting married…stop the presses. We tell her she's making a mistake. She's throwing her life away, there's no way she's ready for that kind of commitment.
Am I the only one who sees the problem here?!
No shame in believing that people should commit to each other, before committing to another person together. None here, anyway. If and when we DECIDE to have kids - it will be a purposeful decision two prospective parents come to, together.

*zero hate on, well, anyone, but definitely not single moms. Sometimes shitty shit happens, I know that.