Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Ciao Bella Italy!!

If you follow me on Twitter, then you already know, but I forgot to share this lovely bit of news of my blog...

We're going to ITALY next month!!

Yes, Italy! The place I've always dreamed of going! So when we saw an opportunity to go for work, we jumped at the chance. I mean we aren't dumb! In my husbands eyes, this is the perfect vacation- work and play. Have I mentioned that he is a workaholic? Well he is, this man works 16 hours a day and NEVER takes a day off. Even on our honeymoon he brought his lap top so he could work a few hours a day. Yes, on our honeymoon! It drives me crazy sometimes because I know everyone needs a break now and then, but I also am learning that that's the entrepreneur way. I mean, not everyone is cut out to own their own  business, it really takes a certain kind of person. I never wanted to own my own business ironically enough, actually I am the complete opposite. I like to do my job, put in my 8, then leave. When your a business owner, there is NONE of that! There is no "home life" and "work life"... it all blends together. It's always there, always on your mind, you live it, you breath it, its your life!

So back to Italy.

Because its for work we can write it off which is even better! It turns out that the the largest European expo in our field is in Northern Italy in September. We are going for 8 nights, 7 days and will only have to work 3 of those days.We are still planning our activities, researching hotels, and trying to plan out our trip to maximize our time there. It's all so exciting!

Then there is the children.

My two beautiful girls. We will miss them dearly. This will be the first time we have ever left Miss M more than one night, and only the second time we've been away from Kay for this long (longest we've been apart was on our week long honeymoon when she was 3 1/2). My mom is using her vacation days to come to our house to stay with the kids. Kay will be in school, so it works best that way. A little mommy guilt is creeping in because M will only be 8 months old, and I would have never left Kay that long at 8 months : ( But I guess that's all part of motherhood the second time around. You do things like that. I know they will be in good hands with grandma, and I am glad they will be staying at home with their comforts. We are also planning on bringing our web cam so we can video chat while we are away. As much as I will miss them (and man I will miss them a lot) there is no way I was letting this opportunity pass me by!

So if any of you have been to Italy, or have any tips or tricks of navigating through Italy, or traveling abroad- please share! This is my first time to Europe. Oh and PS- lets talk about how gangster Miss M looks in this picture...too funny! Love it!

8 comments:

Jennifer said...

Woo Hoo!!!!!! Sounds wonderful & a sweet BONUS with the write-off! Have fun :-)

Momma Wilson said...

what a wonderful opportunity for you guys! I've always wanted to go there, someday;) your girls are too beautiful, I love their new pics!

Anonymous said...

First - your kids are too cute!

What a great way to see Italy {tax write off}!

I love Italy and here are some ideas for you:

1) Cinque Terra - it is not only amazing but since you like to work out there is a five town hike that takes you along the ocean, then up in the hills and into each town.

2) Venice - it's very romantic but I only recommend one day/night there. If you are active then you will get bored very fast

3) I know alot of people love Florence, personally it was my least favorite city - although the shopping was better there than in Rome {strange!}

4) I have never been to Milan or Lake Como but they are my list of places to go next - everyone I know loves it!

andrea said...

I'm going to italy on my honeymoon in march and it's really hard trying to find hotels and stuff online. Nothing seems legit. Keep us updated on your plans? And if you love where you stay.. please tell me where it is!

Brooke said...

What a fun trip! Wow. I hope you can enjoy some adult time together and you wont miss your girls too much.

Lisa said...

Anon: Thanks for the tips!! We will actually be in northern italy, and are planning on Milan, Lake Como, and Torino (Turin)! We thought about making the trek down to Rome, but havent quit decided yet...still working out the details :)

Andrea: I will for sure give you a recap of our trip and hotel info! It is hard, so far I've been reling on trip advisor.com, and that seems to make it a little easier with deciding on where to stay...although we still havent booked any yet. Soon!

DukeCityEvents said...

Lisa - some of the best advice was from Rick Steve's Travel Books - especially for hotels and restaurants.

We used his books in France, Italy and Germany and loved his advice.

melifaif said...

Ugh. That picture is perfection. Such sweet lil babes.