Surprise Visit to North Carolina + A Unique “Bucket List”
When I waved goodbye to my parents and Presley at the airport three months ago and moved to Italy, I could literally feel my heart breaking. I wasn’t sure how I could make it living so far from my family for the first time in my life. Somehow I survived those first 48 hours of emotional roller coasters (you can read about that here). Only a few people knew for all those months that I’d be making a surprise visit to see my family – one was the bride that was getting married (the main reason I was going home), and the other a best friend that I knew I could trust.
It took everything in me to keep that secret from my family and I almost spilled the beans too many times to count. When I found out that the Daytona 500, a race that my parents always go to, was on the same weekend that I was supposed to fly home, I almost had a panic attack! I started to worry that I’d come home to find that they were in Florida at the race. Now that’s a homecoming I wouldn’t want. My mom claims she still never had any inclination even after I had asked her a million times what day they were coming back from vacation.
Brittany, the bride to be, picked me up from the airport. It was such a great reunion and she even made a thoughtful little sign! Not wasting any time, she took me straight to my parent’s house where she went up to the doorbell and told them that she had something in the car for them and needed help carrying it in. When my dad rounded the corner of the car, there I was! Their raw reactions were priceless and so worth the months of keeping it a secret and the 20 hour travel day I had just endued. After their initial reactions, then came the “what’s wrong, why are you home, is Stephen ok?” questions…typical parents! No, mom & dad, everything is fine! This was a planned surprise visit!
Next up on the surprise list was my sister and sweet niece, then visit my Mamaw, and finally my best friend Salem! I couldn’t get enough of their surprised reactions. It made my heart swell! The first night home, everyone sat in the living room and I passed out all the gifts that I had been gathering for the last few months. Carnival masks, olive oil, ceramics, funny shaped pasta, pocket coffees, biscotti, Kinder candies, and of course wine (especially Fragolino…my favorite!). It was so fun giving out items that are just everyday grocery store things for us here in Italy.
My main reason for going home was to attend my best friend’s wedding. On top of that, I had a very unique “bucket list” of things that I wanted to do while I was home, and unashamedly most of them involved food. Here’s the list:
- All American Breakfast at Olympic
- Mexican + MARGARITAS
- Chick-fil-A
- Get a pedicure
- Presley
- Snuggle with the dogs
- Amazon Prime
- Attend Brittany’s Wedding!
- Hand letter wedding day items for the bride-to-be
Apparently, you cannot complete an entire bucket list without sacrificing some things…hence me missing Brittany’s wedding after coming down with the flu the second day I was home… great timing right! I haven’t had the flu or the flu shot since I was a kid. All those airplane germs. Yuck. However, I got lots of meals in bed, ordered anything I needed from Amazon Prime, snuggled with the pups TONS, caught up on my Grey’s Anatomy, Blindspot, How to Get Away with Murder, Scandal, Designated Survivor, and This Is Us. Obviously, I spent a LOT of time in bed (and my mom quarantined me like I had the plague….) and I was way behind on these shows thanks to no Hulu in Italy! I did manage to finish all of Britt’s 120+ place cards and the other hand-lettered items that she requested and since I’ve never shared any of my hand-lettering/calligraphy work before, take a look at the pics below to see the outcomes!
You bet your ass I completed all of the food parts of my bucket lists…mainly thanks in part to my parents for squeezing in breakfast early before meetings, my friends for taking me to Mexican after work, and Katie for taking a break from banging her head against nursing school books to take me to Chick-Fil-A!
Yep, I got a pedicure too, and it was marvelous. I’m still on the hunt for one as good here in Italy…if you have any suggestions let me know! Oh, and why is Presley on the bucket list? Well, you know how they say a dog is a man’s best friend? Well, in this case, a dog is a girl’s best friend! My life just isn’t the same without Presley, so Stephen & I made the ultimate decision that he will come to live in Italy with us. My heart is so happy. I came home to get him, but because of a hiccup with all of the transportation requirements, he was not ready to depart in time. But! He will be here in a few weeks and the baby puppy room will be all set up! He’s gonna hike, travel, kayak, go camping, walk, and shop with me! Prepare yourself for all the dog pics to come (I mean look at how cute he is!)
While being home and spending time with my family and longtime friends was a feeling like no other, I couldn’t wait to get back to my husband, cappuccinos, pasta, and my new friends in Italy. The life that we have built here is my favorite and we are thriving. It took being away for just a week to really make me cherish how lucky we are here.
XOXO
Summer Rae
2 Comments
Pingback:
Pingback: