An Amazing Ending To An Amazing Trip!

Well, shocker…I fell off the blog wagon there at the end, but what else is new? I will blame it on the complete and utter relaxation mode I was in during week 3, all due to the epic beauty that is Lake Como, Italy.

We specifically stayed in Bellagio, one of the many villages on the Lake, with THE most picturesque views. It’s like you are looking at a postcard. But even better, because you aren’t. And in true Shawn fashion, we were spoiled rotten all week and went out with a bang!

We took the train from Florence to Milan last Saturday, which was an experience in and of itself! And nothing like I remember from my 2 months spent backpacking after college, but alas, that WAS 25 years ago. I can’t even believe I just typed that sentence. How the heck have I been out of college for 25 YEARS?! But I digress…

When we got off the train in Milan, it was hot, per the usual in ALL the public spaces in Europe (or all the spaces I happen to be in with my menopausal self), and It. Was. Packed. I am talking packed like Costco on West Broad St. on the Sunday before a holiday week. Bananas. Once we walked outside, it all made sense.  Just outside the station, in the middle of downtown Milan, was a huge Pride Month parade/festival, which made us immediately question our decision to rent cars, as the Hertz office was a few blocks away from the station.

That fun fact meant that we had to pull ALL our luggage, to which we had a LOT, and navigate google maps while dealing with all the closed streets. I was melting like Olaf. My eyeballs were sweating. But we made it, and then adventure #2 began….driving in Italy.

Yall, if you have never driven in Italy, well, it’s bonkers. I think this is all I need to say…today, as Macy was studying for her learner's permit test (another sentence I can’t believe I am typing!), she was asking about ‘one-way streets,’ and I was explaining them to her and she was like, “Ohhhh - like all the roads in Italy?” Hilarious. And also not correct. They were just SO small and SO curvy, and definitely didn’t seem like there was room for another vehicle to be coming from the opposite direction.

My mom and I basically raced to the fridge for a glass of cold white wine when we finally got to our villa, which also immediately melted away the stress of getting there. The place was beautiful. Simply stunning. And while the house itself was epic, I am really talking about the views. The outside spaces were everything bc Lake Como is hands down one of the most beautiful places on earth. It’s like Idaho married a little Italian village and had beautiful village babies. All while looking at both the Italian Alps AND the Swiss Alps, as we were only 30 minutes or so from Switzerland. When I backpacked, my favorite place was Cinque Terre in Italy, and this looked SO much like Cinque Terre. Again, we all just love love love Italy.

We had a few fun things lined up for the week, but most of it consisted of total relaxation by the pool. I actually read 3+ books, which felt like a lot but Macy read 6. :) The house also had a video game console with Fifa, and apparently, the boys won the world cup several times.  They also made up a super fun game in the pool where we all had to walk the internal edge of the pool, which was basically like a tiny balance beam in the water, without falling in. We cracked up when my dad just walked by Jude and shoved him in. ;) 

Although a few nights later, when Jude was sleeping with my parents, he unknowingly got his revenge. Jude is the WORST to sleep with…he yells out, kicks, tosses, and turns and basically has crazy night terrors. I think Luke is now immune to it all since they have slept together since they were toddlers. The next day, when I went up to the boy's room and found my dad in there just waking up, he said while he could deal with some of the tossing and turning, he drew the line at Jude grabbing a fist full of his silver locks and pulling with all his might. BAHAHA Jude never remembers what or why, but he told my dad he was sure he had great intentions…maybe he was saving him from a burning building. LOL

We had a boat rental lined up for the next day, which everyone loved, but sadly, I had to stay behind. Let’s just say I had been backed up worse than 95North on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so when I stopped at the Pharmacia and tried to explain to the sweet non-English-speaking ladies behind the counter what I needed, I bought what they handed me. By 2am I was up with the worst stomach pain of my life and basically laid on the bathroom floor for the next several hours praying that Shawn would find a great new wife/mom for him and the kids. Brutal.

We also lined up a chef to come to the villa for a cooking class and we all got to make homemade pasta, which none of us had ever done before, and it was definitely a highlight of the trip! And this chef yall - he was just amazing. If he had a restaurant here, it would be my favorite in Richmond. Basil pesto, bolognese, homemade breadsticks, even our first steak tartare - all the things.  And all the wine. And it was all amazingly delicious. 

With that being said, I ordered the Beachbody 3-day refresh bc I am pretty sure my liver is about to jump out of my body and smack me in the face. 

We flew home yesterday via JFK and then Dulles and finally pulled into our driveway at 9pm EST, right at the 24-hour mark of being awake. And we felt it. Aunt Heather delivered our precious baby Denver (we are beyond blessed to have the most amazing sister on the planet watch our dog - she literally loves her as much as we do), showered, and crashed. 

Oh, and not sure if I mentioned, but our house renovations started right after we left, and our whole kitchen is down to the bare bones…so we spent today organizing our makeshift kitchen upstairs. 

That was, of course, all part of our plan…try to “miss” as much of the renovation as we can, so we are only home for a few days. Shawn and the boys will head to Florida to see my in-laws, while Macy and I will head north as she is attending CSI camp in New Jersey…oddly enough, at my dad’s alma mater! We had no idea they have a famous summer camp for teenagers obsessed with Dateline. :) She is only going for 4 nights and I already dread it. She’s my BFF! I told her I could hang in her dorm and work while she is out looking at dead people and preparing cases for trial. She took a hard pass on that offer. :) 

After that, we will all head to Florida for the last month of summer, so I may just keep the blogging up because Lord knows there around bound to be some summer shenanigans in our future. And this has become our summer memory book of sorts. 

Happy 4th of July to everyone! We are truly blessed to live in such an amazing country and after going to the beaches in Normandy, I am feeling extra grateful this year. For that, and for the amazing opportunity to soak up my family. 

Speaking of…today is my mom’s 73rd birthday. Hands down, the youngest 73-year-old I know! We love you, Mom Mom - thanks for making our bellies and faces hurt with laughter the last 3 weeks, and can’t wait for our next adventure together.

Photos:

1.  Macy while shopping in the village of Bellagio on Lake Como

2. Mom & Dad during our cooking class at our villa

3. An amazing picture I didn't know Jude had taken from my phone of our house!

4. The fam overlooking the lake

5. Making our pasta!

6. Having a drink with my parents overlooking the lake at this little restaurant we found.

7. The boys...Luke being 13 and throwing up what I think is a gang sign? He'll be the death of us.

8. The kids on the final stretch last night!