Extra Expenses...

Alright, I'm not even going to try to hide my excitement now!  One week exactly until we are boarding a plane in Houston, getting ready to fly to Italy!  We had a really productive week, and a lot of the loose ends are all tied up now.  Got all the little last-minute gifts for friends, last little things Ava will need, and figured out the car seat situation.  The main objective this week is to take all the things I have packed in the suitcases, empty them out, and re-pack everything!  This is the "cut-throat packing job"...need to make sure all the suitcases are under 50lbs, and cut out any unnecessary objects that might put us over the limit.  But I figure, if one suitcase is over the 50lb limit, I'll pay the extra fee since it's probably cheaper than having any items shipped over to Italy!  It will be a very strategic packing job, for sure.


Another important job was getting all my finances in line.  This is one of the unpleasant realities I hadn't really considered of having to live between 2 countries for a little while.   Our move is not permanent at this point, and most of our things will remain in the States.  So, I will have to be making payments on things I won't even be using for 3 months!  Like my cell (can't get out of my contract till March) and my car (need to keep it in storage, along with everything I own that is not traveling to Italy).  It's kind of annoying, paying for things you won't be using, but I guess it's just a small price to pay for living in Italy for 3 months.


Besides all these things, we're ready to go.  Just kind of counting down the last few days of easy living in our familiar city, where I know the language, know the highways, and all my favorite stores.  I think these kinds of things will be the biggest daily challenges.  Familiarity will not really be easy to come by in many ways.  Thankfully Ava and I have each other to speak English to when I get tired of trying to remember the most simple phrases for getting around in the city.  Thankfully we will have some of our favorite movies to watch when we just want to hunker down at home and leave Italy outside for a little while.  I'm fully prepared for those days when nothing feels familiar, and I feel like a complete outsider who knows nothing about this foreign country!  But on those days, I hope to remember that we're going to Italy for an adventure and most of the time that means flying by the seat of your pants...and yelling into the wind "Carpe Diem!"...and paying for those extra expenses that prove that you're doing something spontaneous and exciting!  And that's really living...