Home Again, Home Again

I miss my family and I miss home, but I’m grateful for everything that has happened thus far.
~Irina Shayk

I’ve been in Italy a little short of three months (12 weeks… 82 days) as of this writing, and I’m heading into my last full day here tomorrow. Yep. On Saturday morning, I’ll be winging my way home. If you know me at all, you know that leaving Italy usually throws me into a tailspin and makes me sad. Not this time. I am more than ready to get home this weekend.

I hope you didn’t fall off of your chair reading that, but allow me to explain.

For some reason, the taxi scam I fell for my first day in Italy (https://liveinitalymag.com/tourist-scams-in-italy-4-ways-to-avoid-getting-swindled/) foreshadowed my spring in Italy. Between canceled trains and flights (three), delayed trains and flights (God knows how many), sitting on a train in the middle of nowhere for over three hours (only one time, thank heaven), canceled excursions (I think my total was 11) which meant I had to change excursions (about nine of those 11), lost clients (only two and only for less than 10 minutes), no-show taxis (countless), tiny showers (about five), cold weather (which included one snowy day and caused me to buy a new down vest), rainy days (I gave up on counting those) and Mondays (always get me down), I am ready to flop onto my own bed and sleep for days.

I could write a book about all of the mishaps from this trip (and I probably will write more at some point once I recover). Thank God the people who were with me didn’t realize exactly *how* stressed I was. I have to admit that the last group got a good indication on Tuesday when the a gal leading their tour through Milan’s La Scala called me a half-hour before the scheduled meeting time to tell me that she had changed the meeting time to 30 minutes earlier, which just happened to be right at the time of that phone call and while the group was waiting for a no-show taxi. “System glitch,” she told me. The hotel concierge heard my heated conversation and ordered a second taxi, and I got the group to their tour a little late (but on time according to our tickets).

I then went and bought myself a dress.

A couple who chatted with me during breakfast a few weeks ago asked me if I missed anything from home while I was in Italy. I have to admit that there are a few things that I will be more than happy to have back in my life as of late Saturday.

Let’s get family out of the way as we all know that I miss Mike, Jason, and Sandra when I don’t see them. That’s a given as is Riley. (Of course, we all also know that as soon as Riley starts whining and Mike starts not listening to what I’m saying, I’ll be ready to head back to Italy.)

My Bed and My Pillows

My goodness. Who knew that there could be so many types of mattresses and pillows in the world. Anyone who travels can understand why I cannot wait to sleep on my own firm mattress and pillow. Moreover, I’ll be happy I don’t have to crouch down to get into bed. When did Europeans start making beds that are almost as low as the floor?

My Own Cooking

I cannot wait to cook something for myself using my own recipes. Honestly, I am sick of restaurant pasta, pizza, cured meats, and cheeses. Again, it will probably take until Monday for me to start complaining about having to cook in the Florida heat and humidity, but just sitting in my own house eating my own food sounds so good to me right now.

My La-Z Boy

I tend to take my La-Z Boy for granted. If I were to add in the hours I spend on it, it would probably amount to more hours than I spend in bed. Forty years ago, I was not wild about having one in the house, but Mike liked them. Now we have twins, and even though I’ve tried other brands, I keep coming back to the comfort of these honking big recliners. If you have one, you know.

If you see me in mine in the next week, please do not disturb me.

My Clothes

I’ve worn the same few outfits and shoes for three months now, and I’m sick of them. Along the way, I’ve “lost” a few of the shirts I brought, and I’ll probably “lose” a few more before I get to the airport in the morning. While I do believe in lightening up the closet, I do like to have a few more choices than I gave myself in April.

But, wait!

I’ll be home about six weeks before I start the second part of my Italian summer. While I can’t wait to get home right now, I know that in a few weeks, I’ll be counting the days until I leave again….maybe….if someone upstairs promises I won’t have to go through the same H-E-Double hockey sticks I went through this spring.