Italy!

Normally I wouldn't write this now. I have all of April and May to post, and I've posted nary a word. But sometimes it's better to just get things down, and this, this I don't want to miss.

Today is the first day of my trip to Italy. Not really, since I'm in Chicago until my flight tomorrow afternoon. But I'm here alone, and it's odd really, being here without Aaron, without my kids. I had a cookie from a gas station and a V-8 from a vending machine for dinner. It was oddly liberating to be able to make slightly irrational food choices. I'm still in the final stages of a ridiculous cold, snorting and sniffling my lungs out. Not fun, really. I eventually turned on the television on for company, leaving it on without watching. Most of my evening was spent sifting through information on the internet, trying to make this trip successful, Aaron-style. But one thing I really want to embrace this time around is the freedom of not having to follow anyone else's schedule (except my dad's, but he says he would rather follow me around than plan things, so there you are). I don't want to get caught up in doing so much as being. I will get to see some of man's greatest creations. I want to absorb them, not only see them. It would be helpful to lose this cold, so I really ought to take this opportunity to sleeeeeeeep. Goodnight!