Currently: September 2023

Well, I’m currently on the upswing after a rollercoaster of a September. We *did* take our 10th anniversary trip to Florence and Tuscany. Tom picked up a cold during the second half of the trip, and it hit me full force the day after we returned. I was down with that for over a week, but I had to rally to host one of our biggest events of the year that Saturday.

After that, my mom got sick. I canceled a work trip to Baltimore this past week because I still wasn’t feeling 100%. On Thursday, I got the new vaccine booster to complement my flu shot that I got at the end of August. And, at the end of this coming week, I will head to Houston for our second big event of the year and close out September. Whew, it’s that time of the year.

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links for tours and products I love at no additional cost to you.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Travel Planning:

Long Weekend in Piedmont

Last year, we planned an anniversary trip to Piedmont that we ended up canceling at the last minute. Due to the upcoming expiration of some credits and vouchers, we’ll take a quick trip to La Morra over fall break. We’re really excited about this because we’ve canceled this trip three or four times. (Even I’ve lost count now.) I’m hoping it will satiate my current need to see new places, too. (Update: we canceled this trip… and finally made the trip to Piedmont in 2024, lol.)

Thanksgiving in Northern Italy

My sister is on sabbatical this year and has a fellowship in Lake Como. (What a dream, right?) Accordingly, my mom, Tom, and I are going to travel to northern Italy over Thanksgiving and meet up with her for the holidays. I need to work on the itinerary for that trip. I have booked a tour for the Last Supper and a stay at Villa Cordevigo so far. We’ve been thinking about making it a trip to the Veneto region since my mom has mostly visited central Italy, but we’ll see where we end up. (Our last family trip included Florence, Rome, and Bologna.)

Learning:

Somewhat related to travel planning, I have signed up to be a travel advisor with Fora. I’ve been looking to foster my creativity for awhile, and I have noticed that I am getting more questions about how I book travel. I want people to have the same positive experiences we do. So, I’m dipping my toes into that work, and I’m happy to help book travel for you. Currently, I’m spending my time on courses related to the destinations that I already cover on my blog, as well as some travel experiences I’ve been wanting to try for a while.

I had been curating a list of 101 travel experiences so that I always have a go-to list, and I think this is just going to feed my wanderlust even more.

Awaiting:

Photos from our 10th anniversary photo sessions! We booked photo sessions in Florence and Tuscany with Cristiano during our anniversary trip. We met Cristano in 2016, and it was so lovely to see him again. We were all a little emotional when we said goodbye in Tuscany, saying we wouldn’t wait 7 years to see each other again. Cristiano is THE REASON we went to Budapest, and he could not have been more spot-on with his recommendation. He is a kind soul with a beautiful eye.

We took photos throughout the city center of Florence in the early morning hours. I wore a dress that I purchased for our 9th anniversary. Fittingly, it is the same color as my bridesmaids dresses.

We headed to Tuscany for golden hour and sunset photos. I wore this AMAZING gown that I found on clearance at Last Call 3 days before we left. I took it to Neiman Marcus at NorthPark for tailoring, and they did an exceptional job on it. I had the St. Regis Florence spa do my make up, and at the last minute, and I DIYed an updo because of the wind.

I have no idea how these photos are going to turn out, but I’m excited to see them anyway. I’m really proud of us for doing them, and Tom said he wants to get more into the habit of capturing photos of us, too.

Thinking About:

One of the things that was percolating during our anniversary trip was the benefit of the beaten path. For the most part, we went back to places that we’ve been so many times and love. Just as our reunion with Cristiano was emotional, so too were some of our other experiences. The restauranteurs and hotel staff who celebrated with us. Winemakers who welcomed us as friends. The familiar faces who pressed gifts into our hands as we left yet another amazing experience. It was such a lovely reminder that travel is as much about the people you connect with as it is about going somewhere. There’s a lot of beauty in returning that we overlook when we talk about travel. I’m still sorting through all my thoughts on this.

And, we’ve decided to purchase another piece of art for our home from one of our favorite artists, Giovanni Pulze, and our favorite gallery in Venice. We’re still trying to decide on which piece we want to add, but the anticipation of it is exciting. These pieces have added so much joy to our lives. (Venice is my husband’s favorite city.)

Photo Editing:

I wrapped up writing about our trip to Normandy with posts about our trip to Honfleur and our stay at Chateau d’Audrieu. I also updated my post about some of the best restaurants in Florence after our anniversary trip and a mouth-watering truffle experience. I’ll be writing about our Eiffel tower view room soon. (With views like these how could I not?!) I also want to prioritize writing about my birthday trip to Florence last year.. preferably before my birthday this year, lol.

I haven’t even downloaded the photos from our anniversary trip yet, but I’ll be updating my posts about some of our new favorite restaurants in Cortona and a new wine tasting experience in Tuscany. I’ll also be adding our 10th room at the St. Regis Florence (for our 10th anniversary – how fitting)!