Too Much Candy

You know how when you are a kid and the candy tastes so good? So good you completely overdose on it?  You eat it and eat it and it's sweet and smooth going down until the stomach ache comes along?  Well, that's pretty much how Italy works.  It's this big beautiful dream full of ancient ruins, Tuscan rolling hills, amazing food. And for the first three weeks it's all that (minus the food part, it really isn't that great at all) and then all of the sudden you wake up and everything is barf.  You're sick.  Of the dirty streets, pee on the ground of every bathroom floor and still don't know how to flush the toilets, the smell of people who don't wear deodorant, and so utterly sick of all things with a tomato base sauce you would pay a million bucks for a jalapeno or some refried beans.

So we came home early.  I had amazing time with my kids and my mom and I am so glad I got it all out of my system.  I do not feel the need to move there any more.  In fact, you couldn't pay me that million bucks I bought the jalapeno with to even consider it.  This journey was a really good one for me.  I conquered a lot of things on this trip.  Planes, trains, automobiles and speaking Italian and figuring it all out made me stronger in a way that I know will carry over into a lot of other areas of my life.

Much of my life this last 18 months has been a private journey that at times felt like I got knocked down and would never get back up.  But I think I'm ready to stand up again.  And go eat some carne asada tacos with so much hot sauce it burns my mouth off and wash it all down with a Blue Moon.  I'm home.  And I think it feels that way for the first time in a long time.

Computer Crash and Dirty Florence

As you have noticed I have not posted anything for a week.  That is because...well...to keep it clean...crap happens.  My computer crashed.  Hard disk failure or some other timely thing.  Yep.  All the hard work I put into trying to get everything ready so I could work while travelling went down the tubes.  Seems to be the theme of life these days.  What are you gonna do?  Find a little internet cafe in the middle of a 1,000 year old town in Tuscany, that's what. 

So here I am.  To catch up on Florence there is not much to say.  It was not my favorite place at all.  In fact, I really didn't like it.  It was dirty, too many people, too many cars, people weren't super friendly and I didn't find the architecture or the history very interesting at all.  The hotel and everything else nickel and dimed us to death and needless to say I was glad to leave.  The one cool thing was spending time with the kids and my mom and taking the train to the beach in Viarregio.  I will post some pics and write more later but for those who are wondering if we dropped off the earth because you haven't heard from us...we are okay.  I will write more when I get to Rome on Saturday when I have access to a free computer.  Ciao!