Stephen and I took the trip of a lifetime this month.
To Rome. With no children. For a week. Will you stop reading if I also tell you that Stephen’s work paid for parts of it because he was there for a conference? And what about the part where we were upgraded to a suite, a corner suite with four windows, two on each wall—the kind of windows you throw open like you’re in a Disney movie?
But before I bombard the internet with the best pictures telling the best parts of this amazing trip, let me also tell you this. The lead-up to this trip was enormous for me, and not in the fun way where the anticipation and planning of a vacation is half the fun. It was more in the are-you-sure-we-should-do-this-I-might-back-out-and-just-let-you-go kind of way.
Let’s be clear that Stephen planned this entire trip—every reservation, every tour, every Covid requirement. There was one night I foolishly asked if I should be helping, and he put me in charge of public transportation. Public transportation?! This is the worst responsibility known to human kind, particularly in a foreign country. Stephen does this thing where he tries to boost my ego by telling me I’m so good at maps and schedules and buses, but I’m no fool. Public transportation is the shortest of all the straws, and I was stuck with it. But did we make it from the airport to our hotel on the correct train? We did.
My other responsibility was packing myself and four children to be away for ten days. One could easily argue this is worse than public transportation. Ten days is a long time. You can be sure this post will not include any pictures of me packing because who really wants to remember all those post-it notes, all those laundry baskets, and all those death stares I gave any child who dare touch my piles.
“I need to order more underwear for the kids. They don’t even have enough underwear to be gone this long! And I need Elderberry syrup. They should be taking lots of Elderberry right now. I don’t want them to get sick at your parents.”
Stephen reminded me that his mom was capable of doing laundry or, the more likely scenario, the kids could go a couple days without underwear. He didn’t comment on the Elderberry syrup. I added some to the Amazon cart.
As I should have expected, each day leading up to the trip brought a new ailment. Children were coughing and spiking middle-of-the-night fevers. I was in the ER getting x-rays of my ankle because I fell walking down the street. That’s all. Just walking down the street. None of these moments were captured on camera either.
There was also an emotional tension that hung around our house as we packed suitcases, and I could tell everyone was nervous in their own way. I pulled up a map of Europe to remember how close Italy is to Ukraine, and I laid in bed imagining worst-case scenarios. My anxiety peaked when a dear friends chimed in with, “I hate to ask this, but I feel like it’s my job. You guys have a will, right?” It was a necessary question but an awful one, too. I don’t have pictures of any of that.
On all accounts this was a perfect trip: the food, the wine, the sites, the weather, and especially the company. We have no horror stories of lost luggage, stolen purses, or debilitating illnesses. Instead, we have a stories about late night scooter rides past the Colosseum and closing down the Vatican Museums with a secruity guard. We witnessed a marriage proposal in the Sistine Chapel, and we laughed our way through an Italian tour of the Colosseum because all the English tours were sold out. We took a crazy amount of food pictures and every time we squeezed our heads together for another selfie, there was a bright blue sky behind us.
But when those marriage experts tell you to get away with your spouse, they don’t mention that the weeks leading up to that getaway will knock you out. Lesson learned: plow through it. Carbonara awaits.
And now, let the bombarding of the best pictures begin.
Our hotel overlooking the ruins of Julius Caesar’s childhood home. Can you find Stephen in the corner window?
And just so there’s evidence that Stephen did indeed have to work while we were there…
The monthly round up will be minimal this month because, well, Rome.
Reading
This has been on the to-read list for years, so I snagged a paperback copy from the library to read on the plane. It's hard to not adore Eleanor. Her quirkiness is endearing, but as I got to know her pain and the depth of her character, I just loved her. I certainly enjoyed this book, but I will admit, I was expecting to love it even more after all the hype this one got. 4/5 stars
This book started out very slow for me. I had neutral feelings toward all the characters and so many unanswered questions in regards to their motives and decisions. The second half picked up, and I enjoyed that much more; however, the ending was tied up with such a perfect little bow that it felt artificial and kind of ruined it for me. 2/5 stars
I really enjoy Jenny's writing and recipes! Her first book, Dinner: A Love Story, is by far the most used cookbook in our home, so I've had this book on my to-read list for a long time. I am totally on board for all things involving food rituals for special occasions and the day-to-day. I enjoyed reading about Jenny's traditions and the way it sparked my own thinking about the many simple food rituals we have in our family. I haven't actually tried any of these recipes yet, but I have three on the menu for next month. (I will report back.) My only complaint with this book (and Dinner: A Love Story) is that there is no recipe index which leaves me flipping and flipping to find what I want or even just browse. 5/5 stars
Reading with the Darlings
We just discovered the Narwhal and Jelly series. The witty banter reminds me of the Piggy and Elephant books, and I found them to be just delightful.
Bravery has been a long-standing favorite magazine in our home. We are heartbroken that this Misty Copeland issue will be their last. Months ago, Charlotte submitted art work for this issue. We never heard back and assumed she wasn’t chosen. Our whole family was screaming with glee when the magazine arrived at our house, and we saw Charlotte’s art had indeed been chosen!
Eating
It was difficult to transition from Italian food—although also necessary. It’s almost as if our bodies are not made to be eating pastries, pasta, cheese, and wine for every meal. Bummer.
But I always like getting back to cooking after a vacation, and I went right for some classics. Pork Ragu (wait, more pasta?!) and Chicken Orzo Soup (we used egg noodles) are both from Dinner: A Love Story (mentioned above). We have made dozens of different versions of these veggie subs using whatever veggies we have around, and the secret is to buy day-old Jimmy John’s bread for $0.50 a loaf! And the dressing and slaw on these Hawaiian Chicken Tacos is top-notch.
Til next time.