Livin' in America

We are already approaching our 3 month mark of being back in the United States! I cannot believe how fast time is going - which is a really good thing for me since I am over 6 months pregnant! We are still adjusting to the American life, but everything is going better than expected. I really don't have any major culture shock happening except for the food here, but I will leave that for another blog post. 

We spent this month traveling again, this time up to New York City to visit with my father in law & brother in law from Italy. I know my husband really enjoyed being able to have fun with them, speak Italian and see each other face to face. There is only so much Skyping one can do - so time spent with family when living abroad is priceless. 

We just bought a car, a big one. All my friends are making fun of me since we got an SUV, because 5 years ago I would of sworn to you I would never own one of these. It is still an adjustment driving everywhere, on 8 lane interstates, where everyone is driving way too fast. I miss my bike Pepe', I miss long walks along the Arno River, I miss hopping on a train to be at the Cinque Terre in 2 hours.

They have now been replaced with nice, long walks at Piedmont Park and 2 hour plane rides to another city. This is just as lovely......but it's different. America is so big. We have to make the best of our location now and what makes sense for our little family. We have to protect our baby soon, so buying a bigger car makes sense. We have to save money - so going to Costco (dread!!) for diapers and toilet paper makes sense. (I cannot believe I have already written SUV & Costco in the same article! :) )

We are thankful for our family & friends across the globe, our jobs and good health. At the end of the day these are the only things that matter. 

In the interim, I will continue to day dream of our life in Italy and be happy we can experience both cultures no matter where our physical location is. 

Week in the Mountains

One of the biggest concerns we had about moving back to the United States was the accessibility to traveling. Living in Italy, I was spoiled rotten with how convenient & affordable it is to be at a beautiful coastal town, or hillside town of Tuscany, or in downtown Rome & Milano within hours. 

We are a couple that likes to stay busy, we like to experience new places, we like to eat & drink. Naturally, because of the size of the United States, it's not as easy to do these things on the flip of a dime. You have to plan, mark the calendar and prepare for it. I do recognize this could be vastly different for others, depending on where you are living. I imagine that in California, it might be a bit easier to hit the beach, mountains and countryside much faster than it is from Atlanta, Georgia. 

With that being said, we here in the south are blessed to have the Smoky mountains at our fingertips. We can hop in the car and be at my families, mountain cabin of serenity in about 4 hours driving. (about the same time it takes from Milano - Roma by train). I have never been a "nature" person, I like cafe's, museums, shopping, lots of activity, people watching way too much! BUT, I do love taking a break from chaos every once & awhile. In Italy, we went to the beach or to Tuscany. Here, we head to the Smoky mountains and soon to the beaches of Florida. Taking in some fresh air & sounds of the river helps to put me back into the mindset of taking it easy and not trying to do so much. 

I am thankful we are able to go here whenever we want, eat good food, see family and get some R&R. Hopefully my husband will continue his good luck streak and catch a fish every time we visit. 

Transitions

We have been back in the United States for exactly one month now and it hadn't really hit us what we were actually doing until this week. Our lives have been so busy with the move, seeing family & friends in both countries, traveling and being pregnant that it didn't set in until now once things calmed down. Obviously my husband and I are having different feelings about being in the United States because he is Italian and never lived abroad - so it's all so exciting, new and really motivating. For me being an American, returning back to my "old normal" is a different kind of feeling. I didn't realize how much I adapted to so many Italian characteristics until I came back the US. With that being said, I am VERY happy to be back here where things do seem a bit easier to manage for us and what we need for the time being. I firmly believe in the timing of things, and think that us being here is the best decision we have made.

The things we are already missing about living in Florence are:

-Walking everywhere you need to go

-Fresh foods! 

-the Aperitivo lifestyle

-long dinners without "Smart phones" & TV's

-commitment of friends

I feel like so many people in the United States claim to be "so busy" to get together, make plans, stick with them and happily follow through with showing up. People seem to be on their own agenda, packing so much into one day with no time to breathe. In Florence, we would get together with friends ALL the time - some casual nights, some festive nights, some afternoons for a walk, sometimes just for a coffee. Friends make time for you and you for them - and it was normal. Everyone is just as busy in Italy,  working their tails off too!, you just learn how to stop and cherish the good times. Here, it's not like that - at least not so far, and it really makes me sad and makes me miss my carefree lifestyle of Italy. 

The things we love about the United States:

-TARGET (sorry y'all but Target is the best thing since sliced bread)

-doctors appointments are comfortable, fast & informative (no more long lines at the ospedale!)

-24/7 drug stores
-MANI / PEDI in the awesome massage chairs for 30 usd (20 euro!)

 -The area we live in Atlanta is diverse: you have black people, white people, gay people, asian people, mexican people - acceptance of diversity is SO refreshing. 

-our perfectly clean, fresh & new apartment where everything works perfectly.
-balcony and city views

-A DRYER - doing laundry in on hour is nothing short of amazing

-home furnishing stores galore (Crate & barrel, Z Gallerie, West Elm!!!) it's so much fun decorating again!

We feel like if we could combine both lifestyles we would have utopia. But I suppose that is what all of this journey is about - finding the balance & good things about both places and concentrating on that. We hope to bring as much of our Italian lifestyle to the United States with our friends & family. Walk more, eat fresh, always remember to slow down and cherish the good things with the people you love - the rest of the "stuff" works itself out. 

Here are some new photos of our family, new neighborhood & new apartment! 

Midtown photo credit : Karolina Morsillo

Farewell to Florence

I have been going back & forth for weeks trying to decide how I should write about leaving Florence.  One day I am overwhelmed with sadness that I left there, then the next day I am so motivated and excited to begin our next adventure of life in the United States. My husband and I both agree that this is the true definition of feeling something bittersweet.

When I look back through old blog posts, look at photos of my life in Florence I feel so happy yet so sad to be leaving somewhere so incredibly beautiful. I will never get tired of watching the sunset over the city, over the Arno River and watching the way the light hits the buildings throughout the city.  I told a friend once that the magic of Florence is all about the light in the sky. The way the sun hits the colors of the buildings, the way the cloudy overcast sky makes them dark but somehow equally as beautiful.

I will also never forget the people and friendships I made while living abroad. There is no doubt that the friends I made shaped my experience in ways I could never express on paper. Friendships that I know I will have the rest of my life. Friends that are so different from me but we became so close from the unifying bond of being expats. For this alone, I will infinitely grateful to all of them, their support, their laughter, and for one too many glasses of wine :)

I moved to Florence in 2009 because I was searching for something inside myself that made me happy. Getting out of my comfort zone and being put into situations where I did not know the language or understand the culture of the people certainly helped with looking deep inside myself. If I didn't face fear I would of never understand myself better now. Obviously I still have so much to learn and experience but this was a major start and shift for me. Now I am not scared of anything - I face it.... and either succeed or fail - and both are just as glorious. 

Having said all of this, I have to be honest with myself. Florence and I are not in rhythm. I love so many things about it, but I never felt completely happy there. I love Italy, I love by husband, I love traveling, I love Italian food, I love many many things about the culture & passion of Italians, but something was off between myself and Florence. I honestly could not tell you what it is- if it was me not being open minded enough, or if it was the Florentine mentality that didn't sync with me - maybe a combination of both. I might have a better grasp on this after moving away for awhile and being able to reflect on the experience of Florence more. Regardless, it is okay. 

The bigger picture is that I fell in love with my husband in Florence, I have the greatest friends in the world from living in Florence, and I have a fantastic job with a Florentine company. What more does anyone need ? If I had never moved abroad I might of never have learned how to be truly grateful for my family & loved ones back in the United States. 

Advice to anyone that is pondering the idea of moving abroad - DO IT. 

Your mind, body, soul will be grateful for it in ways you never imagined. 

..........Farewell my beloved Firenze........

Our last night in Italy....for now.....

We are spending the last few hours in Italy with family watching old, beautiful videos of my in-laws wedding & my husbands baptism here in Terracina. 

La bella vita, la perfetta serata ♥

Moving.....with patience :)

I haven't decided if I think moving is theraputic or frustrating, or a little bit of both. It is truly amazing how much "stuff' one can collect in the matter of 3 1/2 years. Antonio and I had so much stuff crammed into our closets that it took us weeks to sort through it all. 6 big bags were donated to local charities (6 bags y'all! Do you know how many H&M shirts, tank tops and jeans that is??? ALOT!)

Since we will be spending our final days in Terracina (for now!), we really had to be patient and selective in what we were keeping. At Christmas we brought 8 full bags from Firenze by train to Terracina, and learned our lesson quickly that this was not the best option for transportation - especially seeing I am not allowed to lift a thing at the moment....Poor hubby!!

Then our second trip down south we brought another 6 bags + kitty cat by car. This proved to be a lot easier and less stressful, but again - it is absolutely pazzo (crazy) how much stuff we have! Thankfully, we have narrowed down our things to 4 suitcases, plus two carry ons, plus one cat for the flight from Rome to Atlanta. 

The greatest lesson learned these last years is : patience and making fun of yourself as much as possible. Yee haw y'all !

35+ preggo in Florence

So we took the home pregnancy tests and saw my private obgyn here in Florence who gave us the information to get setup on the National Healthcare for my pregnancy. The first step was to go to the Ladies "clinic" only open certain days from 1:30-4:30pm. You arrive, take a number and WAIT. We were number 12 and waited about 2 hours before seeing the doctor who was nothing more than administrative personnel who gave us a libretto (Booklet) that explained what to do step by step, week by week of my pregnancy. She was a bitter, unhappy and probably IS qualified to be a doctor helping people, but somehow ended up shoveling paperwork to pregnant ladies all day. Thankfully Antonio was with me, so helped me handle her bad attitude with laughter. 

The first procedure was a general blood exam at one of the area hospitals in centro storico. To my amazement, when I checked in with the secretary to get blood taken, they let me skip line!! WAHOOO! I felt bad because there were eldery ladies standing around and I told Antonio that they should go first. His response was "Are you crazy? Take advantage of skipping line because those old ladies don't give a bleep! about you, they are the most furbette (clever) of all". Literally, 10 minutes later I had seen the assistant that took my blood and was out the door. This takes the record for the fastest appointment I have had while living in Italy. A total of 40 minutes, 60 minutes with the nice walk there & back. Points for the Italian system!

3 weeks later, my next appointment was to receive my first sonogram. The instructions did tell us to be there promptly at 8am and to expect to be there for 2 hours. Okay fine, at least they communicated it. However, we arrived and realize we are NOT there for a sonogram appointment, but for a SEMINAR for 35+ pregnant ladies. Wow, I wish I had somehow managed to take a photo, because Antonio and I were absolutely besides ourselves with laughter. There were about 60 of us there, with our men folk, 8am pregnant ladies in their first trimester - you know what means? Lots of painful faces and running to the bathroom that was thankfully RIGHT outside the door. Women nibbling on crackers & chips and drinking fruit juices while the men either looked like they were overly interested panting like dogs, or practically falling asleep.

We sat in this cold, pre-war building for 2 hours listening to a nice nurse explain to us all the risks with having children over 35. Then the Q&A session began afterwards, and as you can imagine, there is always some crazy person who just doesn't get it and asks all the same questions the nurse has just explained AND are in the pamphlets they give you when you checked in……further waiting…….

After our "scare the crap out of you" session, you took a number and waited to sit down with the same nurse to discuss your schedule. You meet with her in the front of the room, so everyone can hear what you are talking about, absolutely zero privacy. You should of seen all the shocked faces when a young Albanian woman said she had had 2 abortions, I felt bad for her since everyone had to hear her life story.

An hour later (we've been there now 3 hours) we spoke with our nurse who said we should be able to get additional bloodwork done that day (Hoooray!) and get the sonogram on the schedule. After visiting her, we went downstairs, took ANOTHER number and waited to pay (15 euro) and get blood work. 4 1/2 hours in total later I had one vile of blood taken + made an appointment for a sonogram.

Needless to say, after this I was utterly shattered so slept the rest of the day……..so, it's not all bad, some of the people are nice - it's just different and I am sure will all be worth it in the months to come!!!!!

and hey! It's almost FREE (kind of).

 

Happy to announce......

We are expecting our first baby in August!!! 

Along with our families, we are over the moon with joy & happiness of the news!

Mini honeymoon at Lago Maggiore

We just returned back to Florence from a lovely, short holiday to celebrate our marriage. We had never been to the area of Northern Italy on Lake Maggiore, so decided to take a winter break there. Like last year this time, when we went to the Portofino area, the majority of restaurants, hotels, cafe's and ferries were not open. We did manage to find a nice boutique hotel called Hotel Ancora in Verbania that sat along the water and catered to us having breakfast in bed each morning. That is one of the perks of going places during the off season, because the price is 1/2 the cost and the service was really good (because you are the only people there!). 

While we were in the area, we took a ride to Como to visit with one of my dear friends who moved there from Florence last year. As nasty as the weather was, rainy and VERY cold, it was so great to be there and spend time with her. We had a yummy lunch at a cute place called Pane & Tulipani sitting next to the fireplace chatting our hearts away for the afternoon. Thankfully my husband could tell the weather was only going to get worse, so we had to cut the day trip short to drive back to Verbania. Good thing we left when we did because we got caught in a snowstorm outside of Como about an hour later, which made our drive back to Lake Maggiore a bit longer, albeit beautiful! 

Located very close to Verbania is an adorable town called Stresa. It was also completely shut down but the hotels were absolutely gorgeous. I could imagine how delightful this area would be when the weather was better. There was a beautiful tree lined street along the lake with passeggiata on one side, while on the other side were massive french inspired hotels. I would love to go back here and just take tours of the lobbies of each of these grande buildings one day, a definite must see for all you Italy lovers.

We feel fortunate to have these places at our fingertips during our last days in Italy. To be able to hop on a train to go somewhere completely different, but in the same country is something we will definitely miss. It was a nice holiday, but probably too short, especially for a honeymoon.  

However, we are in the midst of a big move so had to get back to Firenze to say our goodbyes.........more to come.......! Ciao!

View of Verbania from Stresa

Stresa, Lago Maggiore

Who wouldn't love Pitti Uomo?

This time every year, Men's Fashion week arrives to Florence. I mean really? What girl doesn't go crazy for a sharp dressed man? I LOVE that men here take care of themselves & care about how they look. Fortunately we get to sit back and stroll the streets of the historic centre checking it all out. 

 These photos courtesy of Te la do io Firenze

My favorite. The Modern Man, decked to the nines with the stroller. Bravissimo!!!

Buon Anno & 2012 Wrap up!

Wow, another year has passed and when I look back on ALL the happy & sad moments of 2012 , my heart starts to putter. In many ways it feels like 2012 took forever, and in many others it felt like it flew by. In between all the major events of 2012 there were many evenings with friends visiting from other countries, day trips throughout Italy, lots of yoga and probably one too many glasses of vino!

Here is the wrap up, written the only way I know how! 

January kicked off with a vacation in Portofino

February we were in Poland for Valentines the same week that my dear Aunt passed away in Tennessee

March my kindred spirit grandmother, whom I am named after, passed away, so naturally I went back to the United States to be with my family. 

April we filmed for the House Hunters International Show in Atlanta & Florence

May was the major Art Exhibition in Florence showcasing women in the arts

June I had my first wedding ceremony at Palazzo Vecchio

July my mother suffered from a major infection in her intestines, so again I went back to the United States, this time for 5 weeks to be with family. 

August was my first Ferragosto holiday in Italy + Positano Yoga Retreat

September was my 2nd wedding ceremony in Florence, with ALL my friends & healthy family (yahooo!) from the US & beyond. 

October, my new husband and I went to the United States and traveled to 5 states in 2 weeks, had 2 more wedding celebrations, then dedicated photos from the Womens Art event in Florence to a hospital in Tennessee for my loved ones whom we had lost

 November we returned to Florence and attempted to do nothing but talk frankly about moving to the United States *more to come on this later!

December I spent my first Christmas without my parents and with my new family in Terracina, which was tons of fun, sad, emotional and delightful all wrapped up into one. 

2012 was a year that was FILLED with so many emotional experiences, so many sad moments for my family, but so many happy moments as well. I think I am truly blessed to have so many incredible people in my life, especially my new family with Antonio, and the never-ending support from my family back home. 

2013 is going to be the YEAR of tiny miracles and happy healing.

Merry Christmas from Italy

I would like to thank all my readers for their support throughout 2012, it has been one incredible year! I hope that today all of you are spending quality time with your family & loved ones, wherever you may be. 

May 2013 bring all the blessings you desire. 

Buon Natale, Merry Christmas!