Please, pass the tissues.

If you're not familiar with my adventures in restoration, read the post HERE before you continue. 
See the finished product...my fully renovated house HERE.

One week from today, I'll sit at a closing table and sign my dream home over to complete strangers.

On the horizon is adventure beyond my wildest dreams.  For the next 3 months, I'll be living in Italy, traveling through Europe and finishing with 2 weeks in France. I am over-the-moon excited for this trip. When I return, I'm moving back to my home state of Michigan! After 14 years away, it'll be amazing to live near my family and friends again. Lunch with my sister! Antiquing with my mom! Activities with my nieces and nephews! I cannot wait.

I am very excited for the next chapter of my life to begin.
And I am also so sad, I can barely breathe.
                               
The sadness crept in this week as I started packing up my house. This is the end of a really big chapter in my life. I left Michigan at the age of 21, spent 3 years in Los Angeles and the last 11 years here in Atlanta. This will be my 3rd cross-country move and let me tell you...it's always hard.

In a lot of ways, I grew up in Atlanta. It's the place I've spent the majority of my adult life, where my friendships have developed, where my career has grown and where I've had 1,000 amazing experiences.

It's where I learned improv and did my first Zip!Zap!Zop!  It's where I first sang on stage, performed spoken word poetry, ran my first mile and completed my first triathlon.  It's where I have tried new things, failed, succeeded, grown and learned. It's also where I purchased, renovated and sold my first two homes, which has turned into a passion for me.  I love my life in Atlanta. This house, this neighborhood, this city feels more like home to me than any place on Earth.

I've told a few friends how I feel and the replies have been "But Michigan will be so great!" or "Just think about your trip to Italy! It's a grand adventure."  It's almost as if the wonderful events on the horizon mean I can't also be sad that this chapter of my life is coming to a close.

I'm sad. And that doesn't mean I'm making the wrong choice. It just means I'm sad. Change is hard. Leaving people you love is difficult. Moving cross country is stressful.  Selling the home you imagined spending your life in...is heartbreaking.

The last few days have consisted of mostly packing and crying. Last night, I found myself on my kitchen floor sobbing amidst boxes and bubble wrap.  Thank God for my best friend, Erin, or I might still be there on the floor.

So, for now, please don't tell me how great Michigan is (it is!). Please don't remind me that Italy will be amazing (it will!) or that I should be excited for the adventures that lay ahead of me (I am!).

Just hold my hand and try to understand.
This was an exceptional chapter in my life.
And please, pass me the tissues.

An American in Venice!

I LOVE to travel. I think many of us do. Travel offers the chance to see visit new places, experience new cultures and learn about the history of the world.

In the last year, two of my friends and their spouses have gone on Around-The-World trips. You can read about the adventures of Margaret and Ryan here and Melissa and Roger here. I've long wanted to do the same thing, but it's difficult to find the money and time to treat myself to an ATW trip.

Imagine my surprise when my mom accepted a 3 month assignment in Italy and invited ME to come along!  I'm in the middle of a relocation from Atlanta to Detroit, so I've recently quit my job and am in process of selling my house. For the first time in my adult life, I find myself completely flexible. My mom barely finished asking the question before I shouted YES!

We're talking Italy, you guys!  The land of mozzarella!  I dream of the vineyards of Tuscany, the Amalfi coast, Florence, Venice and Rome, sweet Rome!  Italy...home of countless museums, sculptures, art and ancient ruins.  The Sistene Chapel! The Vatican! The David!

I'm so excited I can hardly think of anything else.

Once my feet hit the ground again, I realized this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I'm going to make excellent use of my time abroad. I plan to use my home base of Italy to explore Europe. My ambitious plan is to travel Italy, plus take trips to France, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia. If I can manage to see all 10 countries in 3 months, I'll be thrilled!


I'll be living in a town called Vicenza, about 35 miles west of Venice.  I found a beautiful 2 story apartment with a great kitchen and private outdoor garden.

kitchen

You don't see green kitchen cabinets everyday in the U.S.!

kitchen

 our private patio

Our view 

 Pretty sweet digs, huh?

So, dear readers, for the new few months, this blog will turn into a travel blog.  I cant think of a better topic to write about than life in Italy and my adventures in Europe.

Follow along! Sign up to get my blog in your email, add it to your Bloglovin' account, or come back often!
Until next time....caio!