Living Like an Italian {La Dolce Vita}

Excuse my long absence from the blog! If you are still out there, I have amazing photos to share from our holiday trip to Italy. The family packed up and spent two weeks near Venice, Italy to see Mike's parents and extended family. We are so fortunate to be able to take the kids to Europe and show them such rich history. We do miss being closer to his family, but definitely appreciate visiting such a beautiful country!

The Amazing Sites of Venice

Can this be more beautiful and magical?? Venice is a city I will never tire of and was decorated so wonderfully for Christmas. The more and more I visit Italy, the more I am in awe of their laid back, focus on family lifestyle. To this day, small restaurants and businesses close for a few hours each day, so the staff and owners can come home to their families, eat together, rest and just spend time. It was a constant reminder over the break, that I should also learn to slow down a bit and appreciate the small, important moments of the day that I probably take for granted. Italy was a great vacation spot to relax and just enjoy time with family, since it is always a daily occurrence there to do just that. You can't visit Venice without bringing home some treasures, so we have continued to add to our mask collection and I even bought another city sketch to add to my art collection! This new one is pretty large and is just waiting to get framed and hung somewhere special! (That reveal will come soon!)

Our stop in Verona

Verona was quite an amazing site at night. It was also beautifully decorated for Christmas, with lights everywhere, a magical carousel and nativity scenes shown throughout the coliseum. The window shopping in Verona is pretty amazing, too!

As always, the vacation came to an end so fast. It's now back to the hustle and bustle of work and school. I will, however, try to bring that sense of calm and togetherness back to our own home. I know it's easier said than done to not get caught up in rushing around, trying to get to sports practice and the bus on time. But, if Italians can do it for centuries and still make it work, I am determined to bring some of that back here, too!