Nostalgia

All day today I've been having flashbacks about my time in Italy. The aroma of cafe latte, cornetto di cioccolata, whinny Fiorentinas gossiping about each other and giving foreign girls evil looks. (Don't worry ladies, we won't take your men for ever, we'll just play and give'em right back.) Aaaaa I enjoyed everything when I lived in Italy. Even silly mundane things felt new.

As I mentioned before I studied and worked there for about a year. Even though it was five years ago, that time period was so highly concentrated with experiences that it took me a good two three years to digest... Ok, fine: to RECOVER! One year for complete return culture shock, one year hating everything Italian in sign of "protest", and one year to finally get enough strength to look at and organize your pictures.

Coincidentally enough "Il Piu Bello" text messaged me today. We text once in a while and call on all major holidays, birthdays etc etc. I guess for me, checking up on him is a way of remembering that I really did have this "Italy" experience. (And making sure the foolish boy didn't get married yet... well, not until he serves as my date for the wedding in Italy!!)

Seriously, I may act all tough and sarcastic like I don't care, but the truth is that this Italy thing really threw me for a loopy-loop. I made a decision 5 years ago to leave Italy and go back to the US and have a "real" life; only to find out there is no such thing as "real" life. We MAKE our life.

I thought choosing to stay in Italy... working at an internet cafe and being in love with an italian boy (not il piu bello, a different one actually) would not be grown up, would be like ESCAPING real life... NOW I realize that leaving Italy to come back to the States was in fact exactly that, an immature escape. Do I regret not staying there? I did (year 1-3). Now I know that with my "brain set" back then it would have been a total mess anyway! If I was as "smart" as I am now, I could have done great things but I definitely was not at that time, so regrets are not needed.

The good thing is that I learned my lesson...

1. Always have a GOAL!
2. Always have a PLAN of how to achieve that goal.
3. Keep that Plan FLEXIBLE!!!!! (Realize that there are more than one way to get there!)
4. Listen to your instincts, even if they tell you to do wacky things.
5. Get plenty of exercise and drink lots of water! (To keep those instincts sharp.)

I sure hope I don't mess up again...

Kids: Lots of notes today, I know. Have them memorized for tomorrow, and don't forget to bring me an apple!

PS: Talking about messing up... Nicholas is going away on a long weekend, who am I going to play with at work!

**Check out more pictures that Mr. Christopher took in Florence, they're awesome!