Leaving in the Morning!!

We will be leaving for Rome in the morning! just wanted to do a quick post... Excited!!!

Venice - Day 2

We headed into downtown Venice yesterday, once again, to explore all of the Italian sights and sounds. We had a wonderfully exciting afternoon and evening; the highlight being our first gondola ride down the Grand Canal!


After our gondola ride we strolled the city streets for hours getting lost and then finding our way back again. The city is absolutely breathtaking as I’ve mentioned before. We just keep wondering about the people of Venice; how do they live on a city built on water? Lots of the residents have to row up to their front door step to get to their homes; it’s truly amazing. We got some pictures of some of the locals leaning out of their windows watching the people below. One thing’s for sure, the Venetians are serious about two things: their flowers and outdoor drying!



We spent today lounging at camp in the pool and hot tub and we’re now about to head out to either Verona (home of Romeo and Juliet) or the beach. We leave tomorrow morning at 8 am to head to Rome for 3 days. I cannot wait to see the Sistine Chapel!

Twyford or Griswald? You decide.

To catch you up on our travels thus far will be nothing short of a major undertaking! Let’s just say I was beginning to wonder if this trip was really meant to happen….that is, until we stepped foot into Venice!

We’ll begin with Wednesday morning, the day of our departure. We awoke and finished all last minute activities as normal. We had planned a lunch for our whole family at 11 am but didn’t even make it to the restaurant until 11:45! This should have been our first sign of impending doom. After a leisurely lunch we strolled out of Cracker Barrel around 12:45 pm. Our flight was scheduled for departure at 2:26 pm. But, of course, we felt like we had plenty of time. One last minute Wal-Mart stop and we were finally on the road to the airport at 1:15 pm.

Cut to 1:45 pm and we’re strolling into the airport, family in tow. I was seriously thinking at that point, “We’ve got 45 minutes, we’re fine!” (Nicole, you will appreciate that last thought!) Little did I know. So, we bid our tearful farewells and we were off to the security checkpoint. It was at that point that disaster struck! My passport was missing!

After 10 frantic minutes (that felt like 10 hours) we asked our moms to run to the car and check for it. And, of course, it was there. It had slid out of the pack as I was adding my last minute Wal-Mart purchases. Our poor mothers (who reminded us they aren’t so young anymore!) were racing back to the security checkpoint just as we took our place in line. By this time I was sweating bullets and really unsure that I was equipped to make a trip of this proportion! However, not to worry, we made it to the plane with 1 minute to spare…they informed us that they had just been prepared to dump our seats. Thank goodness for the little trolley guy in the airport. If not for him we wouldn’t be sitting in this most beautiful, tropical land of the most perfect cheese pizza one has ever eaten! The only bummer was the fact that the plane had no more overhead storage available and we were forced to check our backpacks. We were a little hesitant but, really, what choice did we have? We just prayed that the bags would make it safely to Venice.

So, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Whew…good for them. If that’s all that happened to them they are lucky!” Well, friends, we’ve only just begun!

After a very long, overnight flight that was comfortable thanks to a good dinner served on board and a great selection of on board movies, we arrived in Amsterdam. We were not in Amsterdam long and the customs process was unusually easy. Our flight to Venice was short and uneventful save for the awesome flight view of the MOST GORGEOUS Swiss Alps! My excitement was mounting with each picture that I took from the plane.

Then, finally, we stepped of our plane and into the Marco Polo Airport in lovely Venice, Italy! We were ecstatic as we waited for our bags...

And waited, and waited, and waited. Seriously, my heartbeat was getting stronger with each bag dumped onto the carousel that was not ours. I could feel potential tears welling behind my eyes. And, sure enough, as the words, “Baggage delivery ended,” flashed on the big screen we began to panic. Worst. Feeling. Ever.

We approached the “Lost and Found” and pray that these people speak some English…selfish, huh? Thankfully, they did but, un-thankfully, the only thing they offered was the process of filing a claim and waiting for our luggage. Not good. So, I proceeded to have a meltdown of tears in this little Italian airport. Of course, Mickey tried to comfort me and I just wanted to get to the hostel and get some rest and pray that our bags at least made it to us while we’re in Venice. Because, keep in mind that we’re only here for 3 days then it’s on to Rome, then Florence, etc.

At this point we just grab a taxi and pay the 20 euro to get to the hostel/campground. All we want is a clean bed to rest awhile. Boy, were we surprised! We get to the campground and it is absolutely gorgeous. Almost beautiful enough to get my mind off my missing bag but, not quite J

After check in we take our key and proceed to #37. We’re excited to get to a bed when we’re greeted with....A TENT!

No joke, a TENT! At this point, we laugh because there is nothing else we can do. And, if you think I didn’t just jump into that little cot you’re wrong. I did! And I slept off my sadness for the next 2 hours while Mickey showered and rested. Finally, we decided to go into Venice with our sweaty old clothes and all to search for at least some clothing and necessities to last us until our bags were, hopefully, returned to us. We were walking out of the tent and I mentioned to Mickey that I am SURE I booked us at least a little cottage because even though we’re backpacking I drew the line at tent camping! I just didn’t see how it was possible that we booked a tent.

Of course we checked our itinerary and, sure enough, we did not book a tent but, rather, a little bungalow that included OUR OWN BATHROOM! We hurried quickly to the front desk to inform them of the mix up so that we could move to a more decent accommodation. Well, here comes the funny part: They looked at us like we were crazy; they had given us the right key and we were in room 37, however, we had walked into the wrong area of the park and found TENT 37. We should have been looking for BUNGALOW 37. What does this all mean? I SLEPT IN SOME RANDOM TENT FOR 2 HOURS! It wasn’t even booked to us! It had not even been cleaned since the last tenants! Ewww!!!!

We finally made it to our bungalow and it had AC and a bathroom. Wow…we were so happy!

Finally, we headed to Venice for what ended up being a night of breathtaking and unbelievable beauty! Enjoy some of our pictures below:

Sometime among our sightseeing it began to rain pretty heavily. Honestly, after the day we’d had we didn’t even care. Just let it rain! Finally, finally, finally we returned to camp and our little bungalow after what proved to be an unforgettable day. Unforgettable in so many ways!

Soaking wet and waiting for the shuttle....but all smiles because Italy is awesome!

We showered and got to bed and just gave thanks that nothing else had gone wrong. I cannot tell you how many times I prayed that our luggage would be returned to us soon. The airport had assured us that once it was located they would deliver it to our site and I just hoped that it was located while we were still in Venice. Rome is a long way from the airport!!! We met another couple that were also backpacking although they had begun their journey in South America. One of them had their backpack lost by the airline but it was returned safely about a week later. That lifted my spirits a bit.

I forgot to mention that we were unable to find any decent clothing in Venice so we just came back to the site and washed our original clothing to wear the next day. I was thankful, at least, that we were able to get our clothes cleaned and at least free of all the “travel” that was now a part of them!

We woke up this morning to bright sunshine, a perfect breeze and tropical air. For a moment we forgot all that had happened and just relished in the fact that this trip is truly a chance of a lifetime. It wasn’t long though until our next incident occurred and, again,we could do nothing but laugh. This is one of our beds right after Mickey sat down on it to put his shoes on:

You see why we had to laugh!

You’ll be glad to know that the bed is already fixed. Thank goodness he wasn’t really hurt! Mickey keeps telling me that it wouldn’t be a “Twyford Trip” without all these shenanigans. I keep telling him that I’m rethinking my decision to become a Twyford!

Now, I know you’re really asking yourselves how could things get any worse? Well, they didn’t! They got better because……OUR BACKPACKS GOT TO THE SITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You really have no idea the level of our happiness when we saw those beautiful black backpacks gleaming in the sunshine in the front office. Our happiness could not be contained! In fact, one of the nice Italian ladies working in the office commented, “Ah, such happiness!” She wasn’t kidding!

So, we are now showered, wearing great clothes (shorts, sandals, does it get any better???) and are on our way back to town to take in more sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Venice. By the way - This place is AMAZING!! Words cannot even articulate what it's like here. It's really a place you must experience to understand.

Thank you all for the continued prayers and well wishes. We will post more either tomorrow or the next day with more pictures from our Venetian adventures!　

Are You Excited??? Nervous???

So everyone that we've talked to today couldn't resist asking the "million dollar" question, "Are you excited???" They proceed then to ask us the next, we'll call it "hundred dollar" question, which is, "Are you nervous???"

Honestly, I think we could probably say that we're all of the above. Definitely excited, a little nervous, a little apprehensive, a little unsure and even a little bit afraid of the unknown. But, I have to say that excitement, at this point, trumps all other emotions.

So I ask, if you were in our shoes tonight, how would you feel? Click on the comment link and leave us your uncensored emotions!

One of the many "excited" looks of Mickey and Devon!

Last Night at Home

So we've managed to squeeze about 10 hours worth of activity into our last night at home. Leave it to us to try and do as much as possible before we leave instead of relaxing before the big departure day. So, the next time you're trying to squeeze 5 days' worth of stuff into 24 hours just tell 'em you're rollin' "Twyford Style!" :)

We made all the rounds to bid our final farewells and now we are here at home finishing a few last minute activities and debating this whole midnight movie debacle that sounded like such a good idea earlier this week. Now we're contemplating skipping the movie (and a good time with two very good friends) in lieu of sanity and quality time with our precious pups.

We've had so many well wishes and prayers sent our way today from coworkers, friends and family and it really touched me that so many people remembered our big trip and took the time to wish us well. Does anyone need me to remind them that I LOVE PEOPLE! Seriously, if you ever doubt that there is goodness in the world...don't....seriously. Deep down I think that most everyone is a good and caring person. And, if you don't agree, at least don't burst my bubble! (As idealistic as it may be!)

So, tomorrow is it folks! The day we've all been waiting for. (Well, at least we have!) Can't believe that this wild idea is about to come to fruition in less than 24 hours. Unbelievable! We will be keeping you updated via this blog as we travel, so stay tuned for our first post of disbelief and wonder as we attempt to put into words what it's like to land in Venice, Italy for the first
time.

For now I must return to a few more tasks that need to be complete before we can spend that QT with our dogs. Boy will I miss them!

Family Matters

I'm wondering if it's any coincidence that we have been spending nearly all of our free time lately with friends and family. In the back of my mind I keep thinking that I need to make sure to spend time with them before we go. But, it's not like we're going to be gone for months...it's 3 weeks for crying out loud! But, nevertheless, I feel the need to surround myself with fam and friends as much as possible before the big departure day.

Last week we began by spending time with a few people very close to us. We had two dinner dates with close friends that were fun and relaxing....just what we needed amidst the craziness of preparing for the trip. Thursday night we caught a baseball game with my baby bro and his girlfriend and then had dinner at Impellizeri's outside on the patio. A great ballgame and then a beautiful summer evening at a great restaurant in the highlands surrounded by those I love....a perfect night for sure!

Yesterday we began early with a trip to the Newport Aquarium with my little sisters and some of our best friends and their little girl. Long day, lots of fun! And, then, as if all of this activity wasn't enough to wear us out we decided to visit the local fair (which is out of character for me as I usually don't enjoy fairs) to hang with the girls a little more. Some pizza and movies capped off our day and we hit our pillows hard!

Today was a perfect Father's Day and we spent some more time with family just relaxing and enjoying the day. Tomorrow night it's dinner with another friend followed by a midnight showing of Transformers with a close friend on Tuesday night. Then it's up on Wednesday for lunch with parents before departing for the airport. Of course the moms will be there to provide the tearful farewells :)

I couldn't think of a more perfect week to prepare us to leave on our trip. I can't wait to go but, the truth is, of course we will miss our fam and friends while we're gone. However, I'm still trying to figure out how the heck I'm going to go 3 weeks without my pups...the loves of my life!

The only comfort, of course, is that I'm traveling with my best friend of almost 10 years...we've been through so much together....a cross country road trip to celebrate high school graduation, college, first jobs, first homes, marriage, dogs :) and the list goes on and, yes, mom, will one day include children! But, seriously, there is no one I'd rather be sharing this experience with than him. This is just another experience that will help to write the story of our lives!

Ciao! (Yay for my first Italian word!)

T-Minus 2 Days!

So, we depart for Europe at 2:26 pm on Wednesday! That means only two more days until this trip of a lifetime begins to unfold. Mickey and I are already questioning our productivity levels for Monday and Tuesday since we're working up until the actual day of departure. However, it's like any other time that we leave for vacation; lots to do at work to prepare to be gone, and this time, for 3 WHOLE WEEKS! So, I'm sure our productivity levels won't have a choice in the matter; we'll be busy!

If I haven't already said this: I AM SO EXCITED! I am already imagining all of the adventures that await us and all of the exciting sites, sounds, smells, etc. that will be ours for the taking. I'm sure we'll also have our share of frustrations, language barriers and others but I do not believe that there is much that could quell our enthusiasm for this experience.

So, Europe, here we come! I hope you're prepared to show us a good time and entertain us with your centuries old sites and architecture, your plethora of culture, your food, your weather and especially your endless opportunities for adventure and discovery!

ANTICIPATION!

Yes! Only 4 more days!

Traveling Pants

I am officially in love! I found these cute crop pants at NY&C tonight and they are one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing I have ever owned. And, what's more, I don't have to sacrifice style for comfort...they're really cute!

I decided on both the driftwood and blue flannel pairs. They are, unfortunately, 55% linen which means they won't travel well (wrinkles!) but they are worth it considering how comfy they are. And, perhaps the Europeans will forgive my wrinkles when they spy my huge backpack signifying I am officially living out of one bag!

These pants are so airy and light which is just what the sweltering July Mediterranean heat calls for. I never thought I'd say this, but, bring on the humidity! (I'm sure I'll look back on this statement with disbelief in about 2 weeks!)

One last week!

I'm getting nervous.....

Do we have everything packed?
Do we have all necessary items?
What about clothing? Do we have pairs of shorts, pants, tshirts, shoes, etc?
What about exchanging our cash? And how much do we carry for that matter?
Will I get homesick enough to cry at night as I think about my dogs?
How will I go three weeks without hugging or kissing them?
Can we skype them in???
What will Europe be like?
Will I want to come home?
What will home be like after this experience?
Will I be able to relax and forget about work?
No.
Is everything in order for Busabout?
Will the bus ride be everything it's advertised to be or will it be similar to our NYC mission trip bus experience?
Let's hope for the prior.
How jet lagged will we be?
How the heck will we function at work when we return that first day?
Probably not so well.
Can I really even fathom all that we are about to see and experience?

I'm guessing...no.
Picture of aforementioned bus!

In 20 Days.....

I won't have to use this cheesy, fake background!

Well, the more important question is...

After my last somber post I wanted to share something that would hopefully lift your spirits!

As anyone that knows me well can tell you, nothing thrills me more than spending quality time with my two little sisters. They are now 8 and 10 years old and they couldn't be more fun or FUNNY!

I took them swimming yesterday for the first time this season. It's our summertime tradition that on sunny weekends we hit the pool and enjoy a day of fun in the sun. I think we could live at the pool in the summer and never tire of it. But, that's wishful thinking :)

So, yesterday, we're lounging around on our chairs soaking up the sun while the lifeguards sound the whistles for the required breaks when my oldest sis, Chey Ann, asks me when I'll be leaving for my trip. The conversation proceeded as such:

Me: In about 3 weeks

Chey: How long will you be gone?

Me: 3 weeks

Sierra (youngest 'lil sis): Dev, why are you always going places like FRANCE and SAN FRANCISCO???? (She's very dramatic!)

Me (After laughing): Well, babe, we just like to.

Sierra (sighing): Well, the more important question is: WHY DON'T YOU TAKE US???? (She was completely serious)

I just love the innocence of little ones. It's so refreshing and encouraging. Just think, those little minds will grow up to become our next generation of thinkers, inventors, care givers, and world changers! I wish that we all could hold on to the optimism and hopefulness of our childhoods.

I know it was probably funnier in person but I had to post this at least for memory's sake!

The Girls circa 2005

Air France Flight 447

With the tragic news of Air France Flight 447 I cannot help but grieve for the families that had loved ones among the 228 passengers and crew. In a very selfish way this story really hit home for me today. Mickey and I will be on board an Air France jet not too long from now. And, I was reminded of my selfishness as I watched the story unfold with undivided attention that a story like this would not normally be paid.

Confession: I am not the world's best airline passenger. In fact, I can become quite frightened on board an airplane. I'm not sure why. I try to comfort myself with silly statistics such as the greater likelihood of dying in a car crash versus dying in an airplane crash, but it still frightens me very badly. I think it has something to do with the fact that my biggest fear is the fear of heights and the thought of being suspended in the atmosphere is quite terrifying!

I know that today's news of the downed flight only added fuel to our mothers' worries. And, I know if I were in their shoes I would be frightened as well. Yet, life is about taking risks and this is such a small risk to take to enjoy a, sometimes, once in a lifetime opportunity.

I just want to take a minute and send prayers to all the families who had family and loved ones aboard Air France Flight 447. I know their hearts are beyond heavy tonight and I want to be sure to ask God to comfort them and give them peace that only He can provide.

I hope that we all pay attention to stories like these and remember to appreciate each and every moment with our loved ones as life is so short. Maybe we won't have to endure losing someone in a plane crash but, odds are, we will all lose someone close to us sooner or later. Savor each moment with those you love because, as the loved ones of those aboard this flight found today, you never know which moment will be the last.