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!)