Immersive Journey Through Italy: Tips, Tales, and Unforgettable Adventures

Hey everyone, you're listening to 5 Years Time with your host, grace Black Goodies. Welcome back to 5 Years Time podcast with your host Grace. I hope you enjoyed all the content that we had while I was away on vacation. I was so excited about those handful of episodes. I thought they were very Well. I had the grief episode, which was hard for me to record, but I have connected with so many people through that and I know that that was really wanted. It was very vulnerable for myself to be out there, but this whole podcast is about creating connection through conversation and I knew that was something that you were craving. And then we had our episode with Lauren, which was so fun and such a great catch up. And then we had my episode talking all about going on our surprise vacation. So if you haven't caught up on those, feel free to head back into podcast archives and hit those up.

But today we are recapping Italy Trip, which is just so wild that it's come and gone and that I lived that life, and it just feels so strange to be home and think about what had just happened. I don't know, I haven't been on vacation in so long and then to have gone with Trevor in Row. It just felt so dreamy and every day was a pinch me moment. I'm so, so ecstatic and grateful that I got to do that. So I'm excited to break it down today. But before we hop in, let's do our snack and drink of the week. So, in honor of Italy, our drink this week is Fizzante, which is just carbonated water, or bubbly as we like to call it in our household. But we drank Fizzante every single day. It was so cute. They always come to the table and they ask if you want. Well, if you ask for water, they say do you want still or Fizzante? And we are naturally Fizzante lovers. But if we're going to buy water then we're going to get the bubbly one. So we always said Fizzante and by the end of the trip, row would say it. And now, row, I will ask for it at home. She'll be like can I have some Fizzante please? And it's so cute. So Bon Appetit, or Cudis or Chin Chin. As I learned, mmm, this is actually my first Fizzante since coming home, I think, and it just tastes like Italy now. But anyways, that's our drink and then our snack of the week.

I feel like I should choose my Italian snack because I think that that is very fitting for this episode. So I'm going to say Olive Piccaccia. It was my favorite thing to have every morning, even row this morning. We had made pizza last night and I put olives on mine and then this morning I was eating the leftovers and rows of the olives and she was like I really miss when we used to have the olive piccaccia, and I agree with her. So I think I'm going to make some soon and I'll make a video.

Of course, I need to look up how to make it, how they make it in Genoa, because it was so delicious and airy and thin, thinner than I've made piccaccia before. So I think I either. I think, firstly, I probably need to half my recipe, use half the dough for the pan size so that it's thinner, but I'm going to look up to see if there's a difference between like the piccaccia I've made in the past and like the traditional, like Genoa, italy piccaccia. So I need to look that up. And then I also have the perfect olives for it already that I've had in my cupboard for a while, although they are Spanish, but they're the right shape and size, so I'm going to use them. I don't because I, because, why not? We use what we have. But yeah, so I'm so, so excited. We'll make some of that soon, but those are my snacks and drinks of the week, as some Byzante and some olive piccaccia Delicious.

Now let's hop into this week, I learned, which is also just going to be. Not even this week, I learned it's more going to be Italy recap, but yeah, I'm so excited to share. I have no idea where to start or where to begin, so I figure we'll just have an open conversation. I also had put a few polls on Instagram about what information you want to know. I know everyone wants to know where we stayed, or Airbnb, so I'm going to be sharing that. I'll probably post them on my story. I was trying to think how to share them, but I guess I can share them as a link on my story. So I'm going to do that and I'll make a little video, like going over the overview of our itinerary.

And then I had asked if everybody I I don't know how much or how little information people want to know, but I asked if people want to know, like if they want like an individual video breaking down each city we stayed in or like leg of our journey and I think overall, people said that instead of one big video which I think is easier for me to do, because when I was writing it out as one big video it just felt like very daunting, and so I'm gonna think I'm going to do three. Like us, we had four legs, so four videos just diving into each city area that we stayed and what we did. And then I am also going to do a rapid fire answer. I'm not sure if I'm going to do that on stories or I'm going to make a video of just like a bunch of questions that people have asked continuously and then also asked during that little poll that I took on my stories. And then I think I'm going to do a separate video on traveling with a three year old, because I've gotten lots of questions about that. So there's lots of good Italy content coming and I'm excited to share everything. But at the same time I just feel like I don't know why it's making me feel so overwhelmed.

Last week I was not ready to talk about it, like I hadn't even processed that we had come home, because I guess I didn't give you a weekly recap at all. But basically last week we came home from our trip and we were thrown into a wedding weekend. Trevor was a best man in a wedding. So we came home like Thursday night and Friday started the festivities and then that lasted like the entirety of the weekend. But then on Sunday we were helping a family friend move. So it was just like go, go, go. We were so jet lagged and like. Then finally the week came and I was like so excited to record this recap and then I was like I literally can't even process that. We're home right now. I'm not ready to talk about the trip. So I'm thankful that you gave me the week off to think things through, because now it's like okay, this weekend I started writing things down and was feeling more like okay, I'm ready to process everything and I'm feeling much more.

We're not waking up at 3am every morning Starting our day, which is good. We're closer to the 5am 6am crowd, which is like pretty much normal for us, which is sad that that's normal, just because it's so dark. Now, I am a morning person, but it's just so dark. But anyways, let's hop into our Italy vacation. So where I left you off was that we.

I was surprising Trevor with a vacation for his birthday and we were going to be going to Italy, the three of us Trevor, me and Ro. So I had told Trevor obviously I think did I talk about this, I'm not sure in the podcast, but I had told Trevor like I planned the trip. I made sure that Trevor could get time off before I booked the flights, because obviously that is the big one. So I had made sure that Trevor's like work calendar was free and that he had enough vacation time and everything like that. But then I booked everything and I told Trevor about the trip once everything was booked I want to give him time to think about it in the sense that I didn't plan any individual activities.

We're usually very go with the flow as a family and kind of just like wake up and figure out the day ahead. We're also not huge like tourist monument type people like we don't I don't know, like we're not saying that we wouldn't enjoy going to like all of the places, but like that's not usually the path that we take when we travel. We kind of just like leave our door and like walk to find whatever is out there. So, anyways, I didn't plan. I booked, like our stay and our travel, but I didn't plan any of like the day to day. I had a couple ideas of things that we could do, but I wanted to give Trevor the opportunity to look into things or book things if he wanted to, because, like this was a trip for him and I feel like a lot of people say, like you have to book things in advance when you go to Italy, or else, like you, it's really busy and whatever. So I booked everything and then I let him know that we were going Now that I'm saying this, I think that I told you guys this, but anyways. So I let him know that we were going in advance and I probably told him like a month in advance, I think. And so he actually decided he didn't want to know anything about the trip. He was like, okay, I don't want to know where we're. He was excited, but he was like I don't want to know where we're staying, I don't want to know anything specific. And I was like, okay. So he was like, yeah, let's just go and find an adventure. And I was like, sounds like a great idea to me. So that's exactly what we did. Yeah, so I was super. We were both super excited and both kind of going in, like I knew where we were staying but at the same time, I really didn't know anything. We got in looking to like what was the popular things to do in the areas that we were staying. We kind of just both went in with an open mind and an open heart and ready to explore. So, yeah, one thing when I was booking, so I knew we were gonna stay in the Italian. So, okay, we stayed in the Italian Riviera, which is like an area on the Mediterranean, on the Mediterranean in the North end of Italy that borders France, I'm pretty sure. Don't quote me on the geography. Anyways, that's where we stayed, and so I had a big debate on if we were gonna stay in like one area, stay in multiple areas. And then I chose a handful of places to stay for four to six days each pretty much, which was perfect. I think that our setup was like perfect. That way. I really liked the amount of times that we moved places. I felt like we really fully got to experience each area. There were definitely places we could have stayed longer and no places that I would have wanted to stay shorter necessarily. So, yeah, that was all good, but one of the big things that I am still so shocked about is I feel like when I was doing research, I used TikTok a lot for doing research. I love hearing people's experiences and preferences, especially in video form. I feel like they share pictures, they share videos. I feel like I get a whole picture where, when I knew, just read someone's review, I find a lot of the time, people who write reviews either love the experience or absolutely hate it. There's none of them in between. So, yeah, I found TikTok really useful. I planned the trip myself. I didn't use a travel agent. I think that's the first time I've actually planned a trip not using a travel agent. Even when I've gone to like resorts and stuff, I've always booked through a travel agent. I like the security of it. But, yeah, I just started, I booked the flights and then I found the places to stay. Like that's the way I did it and it actually worked out so fabulously and I loved it. I loved the process. So yeah, that was really fun, anyway. So I wanted to get a bit of everything. I didn't know. I knew that, like Italy had a sea and had mountains and ruler areas and city, and so I wanted to get a little bit of everything. So we stayed a bit of everywhere. But one of the big things that shocked me the most was when I was doing research. First, I, where Trevor wanted to go the most, like return to. He had been there before it was, I'm gonna say everything wrong. That's in Italian, just FYI, chincrete, I think that's what it's called. I'm gonna say it all wrong. But the five, they're like these five little villages, or yeah, five little villages that are like all right on the Mediterranean, that are like absolutely beautiful Anyway. So I knew he wanted to go there. So I started by just looking up what airports were closest to there. And that's kind of where the Italian Riviera started. So it was between Pisa and Genoa, which is? They call it Geneva there, or Genova. I'm gonna call it Genoa just because that's how you spell it. But anyways, that was what was in between. And I didn't even piece together Pisa. When I was looking at the airports, I didn't even piece together. Like Pisa, leaning Tower of Pisa, I assume that's kind of close to that. I didn't, we didn't go over there. So I don't know, I'm not learned, I didn't learn. Anyways, I didn't even piece that together, but for some reason I was just pulled to Genoa, I was like okay, like let's stay at Genoa, and so I booked the round trip through Genoa and then booked within that. So we went at the end of the last week of September and then into October, and so I'll say that booking for the last week of September was really difficult, like booking an Airbnb. It was clearly still like a busy time, but booking in October was really easy. There was lots of availability in October, and so I was finding it difficult to book an Airbnb for September. And then when I first saw something it was the first Airbnb, I remember I saw it and then I was like, oh, my gosh, that's so cute, it looks so like fun and artsy, and it was in Genoa City Center and like, so there's like piazzas, I believe they're called, which is like different little like shopping areas in city centers, and so I didn't know anything about the different piazzas or anything like that, but I knew that it was in a city center and that the reviews were like, oh, they love staying there, and people said that it was like close to things or whatever. And so I didn't even I didn't know anything about Italy. I've never been there before. I didn't know what a city center looked like in Italy. I didn't know anything like that, but I did grow up in Toronto. I do know what cities are like. I've been to other main cities so like I do know that like what a city is like, I feel like maybe people who like don't go to cities, like major cities often, or haven't been there, might think that they're like dirty or smelly or whatever, because, like every city has a big population, there is dirty and smelly parts, but like there's also great things that are in cities. So I had read a lot of reviews not on Airbnb, just like maybe on TikTok or like on Google where people were like oh, like Genoa is so stinky and smelly and like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, like the city centers, and I was like kind of deterred. I was like at first I was like okay, like people say that, but like then I was like I don't know, like I've never been here before, I don't wanna we're perishing in a row Like I don't wanna put us in like a weird area or anything, but this Airbnb looks so beautiful and I didn't really I didn't even think to like look at like Google Maps and like where the area was and the streets or anything. But I was like, whatever, we're just gonna do it, we're gonna be there, for I think we were there for September, like we, I think we flew on on the 26th or 7th and then we were there until October 1st. And, oh my gosh, I tell you, when we got into the airport, we basically just take a bus from the airport that takes you to like the main piazzas, and so I told the bus driver like, oh, we're going to. It was at Ferrari, piazza de Ferrari or something. I knew it was Ferrari. But so we get on there Like, okay, awesome, we'll take you there. So we get off the bus like breath, literally breath taking, like oh my gosh. First of all, like it was in like a very popular shopping area. Obviously, there was like all the standard stores we know, like you know, h&m, adidas, all of that stuff, and then also the Italian shops, and it was beautiful like oh my gosh, like absolutely beautiful. And there was this huge fountain and the buildings and just like the ground was so beautiful, there was cobblestone, but then there was like this beautiful, like laid rock, smooth ground, and the seal, the ceilings on the outdoor plaza is like oh my gosh, like literally breath taking. Okay. So I don't know who these people are that are leaving these reviews, but they are incorrect. It was beautiful. So then our Airbnb host had said like, okay, you're gonna walk down this way. And then we're like a cross room, makeup store and above whatever, and we're like, okay, so let's find it. So you go down, so there's like the road area, like the main roads, and then you go down these little streets that cars can go on, but they're like cars that service those businesses or that like live in those homes. Like there's not very many cars, they're pedestrian streets, essentially like yes, every so often there will be a car, or like a little their garbage trucks. They're so cute, they're tiny, because the streets are tiny, and they come like multiple times a day to empty the garbages, which are literally everywhere, these cute little garbages. It is there's not stinky, it's not smelly, and the garbages are picked up like all the time. And they're like these beautiful garbage cans on the side of a building, like I don't know what people are talking about, but like, oh, it was beautiful. So, anyways, we're walking down these cobblestone roads. They're all hilly, they're so cute, they're all pedestrian based. There's. All the restaurants are like, they all have set up outdoor eating and cafes and everything. Everyone is out and about and walking and it is just beautiful. Like everywhere you look beautiful. And so we get to our Airbnb and I was like I'm like literally just kept saying to Trevor I was like Trevor, I like wasn't gonna tell you this, but I like people were saying like, oh, like it can be so, like they were talking negatively about this area, and I'm like, excuse me, like who are these people? This area is, where did these people come from? Because this area is fabulous. And so, anyways, we get to our Airbnb. We walk up the stairs. We're on the second floor, so not too, not too high. We walk up the stairs. Oh my gosh, this Airbnb was massive. Like I, in the pictures I couldn't tell if it was like open concept or separate rooms. Like I knew there were bedrooms, but like the living spaces but they were it was huge. Like I kept getting lost in it because it had like two turns, like it was so big and I had two bedrooms, a big open kitchen and then it had a whole another living room space. That was giant, with these amazing windows, these huge windows. You were just above this beautiful street. You're in the hustle and bustle Like and by that I mean it wasn't very hustling and bustling in the sense that, like tourists like we did not we did not see tourists Like maybe we did, but like they were like us, it was not touristy. You felt like you were really living the day to day life of the people who live in Piazza di Ferrari. Yeah, it was amazing, and so, and these huge windows that just opened up and you could hear everything, and then when you close them, obviously you didn't hear things in a big bathroom and it was a fantastic place. So that was like our introduction to Italy and I was just like, wow, this is taking, liz is blowing me out of the water, like I don't even know what's to come. And so we spent the first leg of our journey, the first I think it was like five days there and we really dove into the life of living that city Italian life, I guess, which is they have late dinners and very chill afternoons, so we would wake up in the morning and we would head out on whatever our adventure was for the day, like literally just like, decide what we were gonna do that day Our Airbnb host had said that we should try the elevators. She was like you should try the elevators, they're free. And we were like, okay, like you know, in our mind we're like elevators, like yeah, elevators usually are free, but we figured out there like these lifts that go up the hills or up the mountains, that go to the communities that are like above, because it's very hilly, until it's like a form of transportation, like a train that goes up a hill. So we did that on our like first official day. Oh my gosh, we went all the way to the top. You get off and it's just like, but we're taking. And then we saw these forts like they were like essentially castles, and we were like we got to go there. So we just like hiked and when, and it was so fun and amazing and so, off the beaten path, like there were a handful of people there in the castle, like every so often we'd get out at one side and we'd see like one person on the other side of the land and we'd be like, okay, we're not like in a, there's other people here. Like we don't feel like we're in danger because, like it kind of felt like maybe you were trespassing, but like it was also open to go to like in the sense that you could just walk in. So anyways, it was so amazing. And then we had it down and had our first lunch and you just like walk into whatever cafe you want or into any restaurant and then Basically in the afternoon everything kind of closes for a period of time and then dinner starts back up around seven or eight. So we really embrace that life. We would have big, long, relaxing afternoons, get back around one and then just like Veg out, have nap time and then head out and then we have a little dinner. But you can just go and have that. You'll have drinks and a pretty vote, or it's a pretty vote or a pretty bad, and even though, anyways, and the restaurant will give you whatever their like snack plate is and the way that they're like priced out is basically like it's per person, so like you would order and then you could add on, like for a couple dollars, this apricot, which is just like this snack plate. Oh, it was amazing. And everywhere you go Like basically everywhere, they have them. In this one night we saw this one and I was like we have to go there and it was like bustling so there was no space. So we walked around and we went to somewhere else and got some slices of pizza and a drink and then we came back and then we had a nice day and I was so excited and it was lived up to how beautiful it looked. But yeah, so we just really embrace that lifestyle and so every day we would wake up, we would head out in the morning to do whatever we wanted to do and then have a really relaxing afternoon and then a late night, and row is really adaptive to that. And then we had a really cool day and we had a really cool day and it was like really cool to go really well. And then we had late mornings, which was amazing. We never have late mornings with row. I'm sure it helped that it was the beginning leg of our trip, so like we were still kind of on home time, but yeah, so she wouldn't wake up until like seven or eight, which is just like what's so dreamy and it was just like you know, good, slow living, but like equal parts fun and just like exploring. It was so fun. And then we had it out into our mountain life. We went to Santa Margarita, which was going to be our hub for going to chinkertay or whatever you call it. Honestly, like I already told you, I'm going to pronounce things wrong. I apologize, but yeah, so that was going to be our hub for definitely that trip. And then I chose Santa Margarita because it's like right at the top of like all these beautiful beach villages and towns, and it was a really good hub, oh my cutie. So we took the train there and I have to tell you this was the best Airbnb in the sense of like stay. Like I loved her, I loved all our babies, but this one was just like an incredible, complete experience, like it itself was breathtaking. It was so bright. It was one half looked in out onto the sea, the other half looked up into the mountains, or you're like in the mountains, you're in this little village. It was so beautiful. Oh my gosh, the ceilings. I stared at the ceilings for hours every day, like before. Anytime I was sitting, I was just staring at the ceilings, like how can I do this in my house? And I finally asked our host like oh my gosh, those ceilings are amazing. You have to tell me more about them. They're from like the 1800s. They're like original, like I'm like, ah, like a dream. They were beautiful. Even whoever had painted them even painted like paintings on them, like they were painted, which was beautiful. But then they painted like a beautiful frame and painted a painting inside of it. Oh my gosh, like if I had that, if that was my talent, I would be painting my ceilings. But the hosts themselves were so incredible. They picked us up from the train station. It was a Sunday, so they were. They were saying that the grocery stores and stuff are closed. Most things are closed on Sunday but they knew where a grocery store that was open. So they were like let me take you to the grocery store. So they took us to the grocery store before we even got to the Airbnb so we could pick up food to have at the home. And the Airbnb itself was in this adorable little village that had a school just a couple of a couple doors down, and then there was this beautiful park that overlooked the, the view and the sea. And I booked it because I one saw the place and thought it looked incredible. I knew we had to stay there when I was booking it, like it was like in my favorite it forever, and I was like we're staying here, we have to, and I'd like I had a big debate on if I want our longest time there or not, and I did choose. I think we did do our longest time there, but it was incredible and I knew it had a part close by. So I was like, oh row, would love that, but the pictures did not even do it justice. Like it is was outstanding, and everywhere you looked was orange trees and olive trees and it was just so, so, so beautiful. And so in the village that you stayed in, there was a little cafe and a little grocer, and then you could take the bus, which was just like right there, to go down the hill or over to Kamigoli, which was like the city next door, which had which we didn't end up going to. We went there one day to go to the train station, go to chinkertay, but like that was one place that we had wanted to go and apparently it was the most breathtaking sunsets, but we just ran out of time, like we couldn't prioritize that, so we have to go back. And so there's this other one place that we really wanted to go that our Airbnb host was telling us about and you could only get there by foot, which was about a two and two and a half hour hike, so we wouldn't have done that with row. But you could get there by boat. And she said, like she grew up in this village, she grew up in this place, which was, I tell you, the most beautiful ever. And she says that even this other place that she goes to, that she was telling us about, that you can only get there by foot or boat is the most like outstanding place that she has ever seen. Even to her who who lives here, and such beauty all the time, like she said, it was just like absolutely amazing. So that was one place we really wanted to go as well, but anyways, on a return trip, I guess. But then you could take the bus down the mountain to get back to Santa Margarita, the main hub, the train station. The Santa Margarita itself is beautiful, has lots of shops and restaurants and cafes. It's on the water and you can take a boat that you can take from there to get to all the different places. Like, as I said, there's so many different beach towns around there. So you can take a boat to get there, you're the bus or the train or you could walk down and you could walk back up if you want it, but we never did that. We always took the bus up because it would be quite a walk to get up, but it's just a half an hour walk down and it's so beautiful and it's a very relaxing walk. It's not like super, super steep, it's actually quite spread out. We always walk down and take the bus up, but, yeah, we had so much fun here and we definitely had a really great time like enjoying, just like the Airbnb and the village and the park and just staying very local to where we were. But the first day, I think, we went down and got food and hit up the water and went for swimming. And then we went to Chincote one day, which was absolutely beautiful. We decided to go to Rio Jamari I don't know how to pronounce it, but it's the last of the five and Trevor had been there once before to go down to Rosa, which I think is like the one that most people go to. It's got like the sandy beach orange green umbrellas, like it's big, but clearly this is like the tourist place. This is the first place where we experienced like tourism, like you could tell you were in a touristy place. It was just overwhelming. There were so many people, everyone was like getting going and whatever and like nothing bad with it, but I'm glad that we had very limited like touristy moments. There was one other place we went was Nervy. This was when we were staying in Genoa that we took the train to which, like, honestly, was not touristy at all and so breathtaking. So if, like, I don't want to say you don't have to go to Chincote, but if you had to choose one, I would have chosen Nervy because you, it was so beautiful and there was so many different swimming spots and it was there was a little villages, it was so beautiful and it also had a beautiful park on the other side and you can stay there, like it's like a beachy town. You can stay there too. It was so lovely. So if you had to choose one, like and you didn't want it to avoid touristy crowds I would have chosen that. But Chincote, honestly, where we I'm so glad we chose that one it had this rocky beach that was, the water was so beautiful and we were swimming and we had a picnic. It was really lovely. It was just really really busy Like the beach itself wasn't too busy. It did get busier as the day went on, but like when you were in the actual town, like walking around and stuff, like it was really really busy and it's also like on a very steep hill, like just an FYI, like a lot of the towns like are hilly, obviously, but this one was like a steep, steep hill. But yeah, that was really lovely. And then one day we went to Portofino, which everyone I feel like says you have to go to Portofino. It's so funny. I almost like had to stay in Portofino. I'm so glad I didn't, I'm so glad that I avoid it. Like I almost had to stay in Chikurete and I almost had to stay in Portofino and I'm so glad that I chose not to do. Like the popular places kind of go off the beaten path because they're so busy, they're more expensive, like Portofino itself is so expensive. I think we paid for our most expensive meal there, which we got a lunch. We shared dishes, two dishes, and I got one drink and it was like our most expensive meal. Whereas our last night in Genoa we like went all out. We got like bottles to share. We got all so many different meals, desserts, starters, we did it all and that meal was less expensive than that lunch. So just so you know, like the more popular touristy destinations they really really like put up those prices. But Portofino is really expensive. It's also like an expensive place in general, like it's all it's got, like all the Louis Vuitton's and Chanel's. Honestly, I'm not a designer person. I don't know what designers were there, but definitely Louis Vuitton, but it's all designer stores and you could tell the people who were like staying there. They had like 8,000 luggage bags that were all like some sort of designer luggage and they were like getting driven from one place to the next, like they weren't carrying their bags. I'm not saying anything against this, I'm just saying you could tell the the vibe, right. But it was beautiful, definitely worth the day's visit. We did this hike randomly up to. We had seen him. I think it was a museum that we were like, oh, maybe we'll go up and just see if there's a view. But then we ended up continuing past and it takes you all the way to a cafe and so we had a cappuccino, literally on a cliff, looking over the Mediterranean. That it was like. It was very grease vibes. That cafe like it had like the, the white, the white walls and the blue. I don't know how to explain it, but it was beautiful and we took the boat over there, which was so fun. Ro was so excited for that. She really wanted to go on a boat, so I would definitely recommend doing the boat. We would have done the boat to Chinkertay too. You can take one from Santa Margarita, but it only I think it stops running. I don't. I don't know if you could have done it in October or if you could. It was like there's only two and it's like either, and it's kind of like a long day. It wasn't like a. It's not very convenient, they don't run very often. So we did the train, which was totally fine, but the boat was wonderful to go to Portofino and it's a short one, it's just like a 15 minute boat ride. So, yeah, that was lovely and it was definitely quite a vibe there. But, like I'm so glad we didn't stay there, I would have been so upset if we had stayed there. It would have. It would have just like it would have, just I don't know, it would have been a different vibe, not the vibe we were looking for. I'm so happy we stayed in Santa Margarita. Seriously, it was so beautiful and I'm so happy. We stayed at the Airbnb. We did oh my gosh, and they did a cooking class for us. She had her mother come in and do a cooking class. I told her it was Trevor's birthday and that was something I would love to do and she had said that, oh, her and her mom used to run them when her mom lived close by, but maybe she can get her mom to come and it kind of like seemed like it wasn't gonna happen, which was totally fine. And then the second last day she was like, oh, my mom's coming down, let's do it. And I was like amazing, and we had so much fun and, honestly, they were the sweetest people, like the sweetest people. It was just such a meaningful trip and that was it. That part was the like, so meaningful, like I felt our connection to the host very, very like. It felt like we made a friend. You know what I mean. So, yeah, that was really lovely. Then we had it on to a cruise. So I had a big debate when I was booking. I was not even thinking about booking a cruise when I was doing this and then all of a sudden, I think during my research, like there was a few cruises. A Genoa actually happens to be like a very popular cruise port, so I didn't know that and so then I think I was seeing that a lot. So I was like, oh, I could look into a cruise because like kind of, when you're on the Mediterranean there's lots of cruise destinations and you can do very short cruises. I was like, oh, that could be a nice little break. I've only ever been on one cruise before. It was from Alaska to Vancouver and I went with my mom. It was on a small boat and it was so much fun. But I remember like there's a kids club and, like you, you really get to relax because you just like unpack all your stuff and then, like you get taken to your port and whatever. So I was like a cruise might be nice. Trevor and Roe have never been on one. It might be a nice little break up to like to the hustle and bustle of moving from places and getting up every day and going on trips and having to move our stuff and lugging things and all of that. So I was like, oh, it might be a nice little break. And then I know Roe might be craving, like some, some kid time. We might be craving some alone time, so that would be nice to have the kids club. So I was like, oh, this could be interesting. And I'm so happy that I did that because I feel like at this point in the trip I was definitely ready to just like have a little bit of a break. And I think Trevor was feeling it too. Roe, we had told her like there was a kids club and she honestly could. Every day she was like are we going to the kids club today? I'm like, soon we'll be on the cruise. So I'm so happy I did that. I found a five day cruise, four nights that left from Genoa and went to Sardinia, which is like where all the Italians vacation it's. We stayed specifically or we ported specifically at Olbia and it has like the beautiful, like white sand beaches, like very Maldivesque, like oh my gosh, breathtaking. And then it went down to the south of France into Nice, and then just back then one day at sea and back to Genoa. So I was like, oh, I think that'll be perfect. And it was. That was the perfect little breather and it was nice to just like have that relaxingness but also be able to get off the boat on those days and we had our beach day in Sardinia, which was absolutely amazing. And then we had a food heavy beach day in Nice, which was lovely. We got lots of seafood, we hit up the water and this water was beautiful. All the water of the Mediterranean is beautiful, but this water was wavy and row loves wavy water like big, not like, not like scary waves, like big rolling waves. You know when I'm talking about where you just get to like body surf and jump over them and like it feels like a wave pool. Yeah, it was a really, really lovely and yeah, so that was the cruise. And then we had a day at sea row into this. So basically every night, row would go to like kids club for dinner. They did like a kids dinner and she really enjoyed that. I mean, trevor went and had our dinner and then the day at sea she went to kids club for the morning and then we all just had a chill nappy afternoon and then had dinner together as a family. But the last night of our cruise, trevor was kind of off that day and we couldn't tell if it was just like. You know, sometimes like you're just off, like every month, we all have an off day or week or time, and so we couldn't tell, like if that was that Trevor was trying to figure it out, and I was like maybe you're just really tired, like we've been go, go, go, like why don't you just chill and I'll take row, like out to the entertainment for the night. The shows were actually so fun we were on an MSC cruise, just FYI and I was like I'll take a row to the show, you just go back to the room, rest, go to bed early, whatever you want to do. And he was like, yeah, maybe that's what I'll do. So then he did that. Me and Ro went to the show, we hung out, we had fun. Then we came back to the room a couple hours later and we all went to bed. Next thing, you know Trevor's waking me up and I'm like so out of it I was. I was like fully like I am so funny, anyway. So I was so out of it. Trevor woke me up. He was like oh, do you have the gravel? I had packed gravel for us because I didn't know if, when we got on the cruise, we might feel a little seasick or if any of the travel may make us feel seasick or road sick or anything like that. There's nothing worse than car sick, feeling like I hate that and like every so often. I got it the first day we went on the Alaskan cruise, but only for a day, and so I was a little worried. And then, when I was growing up, we used to spend so much time in Ireland and their roads are so windy and I used to get it on those like really windy roads so I wasn't sure like what Italy would be like. So I was like I'm bringing gravel just in case, and ended up not getting any seasickness or road sickness. But Trevor woke me up and was like do you know where the gravel is? And so when a cruise, you like pack all your suitcases the night before you get off and you leave them outside of your door for the employees to pick them up, and they like take them off the cruise for you for when you like get off in the morning. So I had already packed everything up and I didn't think to leave out the medicine and I was like, oh, it's in the suitcase. And so I guess Trevor had found it out in there. But anyways, I said it's in the suitcase why? And he was like I threw up and I was like, why did you do that? That was my response. I was like so out of it, I was not awake. But I said, why did you do that? And he's like I couldn't help it. Obviously, who can help it? Anyways, they hadn't taken the suitcases left, so he was able to get it, but then he put it back in the suitcase, which I'll tell you why. That's funny. But then he put it back in the suitcase. But he ended up spending that whole night just not feeling well and throwing up all night long, which is so rough. Like, first of all, to be sick. Second of all, the day before is like a travel day because we're going to get off the boat and move on to our next location, so you're going to be exhausted. If you're still sick, you're going to have to be moving. We'll throwing up, like that's not fun. So I just in my mind, was like how are we going to do this? And then I was getting like stressed about it. Like I wasn't letting him know that I was stressed. Obviously he wasn't feeling well, but like I did not sleep well because I was like, oh no, like how are we going to get from point A to point B, like we have to get off the boat. When you dock on a cruise, you get off like first thing, like you're off that boat by like 9am, like you're gone. And so our Airbnb wasn't until like three or four, and we weren't, we didn't have to go too far. Like we were, it was in Genoa, but like at a seaside town just off of the main city. So that was like a plus, but not a plus because we had a whole day to get there and and it was only going to take us a little bit to get there. So, anyways, in the morning Trevor was like just looked so absolutely wrecked. Ro was like happy, ready to go, and I all of a sudden was like am I not feeling well? And it was just because I didn't sleep, is it just because we're docking? So the boat's like a little more rocky? I couldn't tell. Then I brushed my teeth and I like gagged, so hardcore, which never happens, and I was like oh no, but I was like trying to stay positive. So, anyways, we got off the boat and we were like what are we doing? And Trevor was like okay, let's just take a cab to where we're going. We'd like avoid it cabs and everything at this point, because we liked living on like the public transit. That worked out really well. We didn't rent a car, we just took the trains, the buses, the boats, but yeah, so we took a cab to the little village that we were going to be staying in and I messaged my Airbnb host like first thing in the morning just to ask like hey, is there any way we can check in early? But there was a turn over that day which meant that the cleaning person had to come whatever. So he was like you might be able to come a little bit early, but probably not. And I was like no worries, like we'll be there at whatever time we're supposed to be there. And then we were just like sitting literally on the side of the road because like we got dropped off on a main road because where we were staying was kind of like you can't really drive into that area. It's like a walking. It's again like those streets where you like just walk on, like people who live there can drive, but not really. So we're like literally sitting on the side of the road first thing in the morning, outside of a cafe, trevor went in to get water. Rowe's like so confused she can't comprehend why we're, why we're just sitting on the side of the road. Trevor is like in the worst mood ever, totally fairly right. So I'm like in my mind like I'm not feeling well, but I'm trying to be positive for the group. And then I was like you know what we're staying in, like a beach town area, like I'm sure there's so many hotels around here. So we just like look up close by hotels and I went to go walk for a look to look for one and I like couldn't find it anywhere. I was like I feel like I'm in a residential area. So then Trevor went and he found one. He was like hey, do you have any rooms? And the guy was like yeah, so we ended up just going to a hotel for the day. We just like got into this room we all, and then I, trevor, had thrown up so many times on the street by the time we got there, which is just so horrible, like in, like random, like bushes, and like I'm trying to think of what it's called like sewer things, drain areas. Anyways, I was able to make it till the hotel and then literally I was like I just really don't feel well. Finally, we had our suitcases, so I took out the gravel and the thing about me is I get the quick dissolve gravel because something about gravel, the second it hits my belly it makes me throw up. Like if I am going to throw up, which is good, like it's good to throw up, I feel like when you need to throw up. But I was trying to like put off taking the gravel because I was like even if it's the quick dissolve and I am really going to throw up, like it's probably going to make me throw up. So, anyways, at that moment I was like feeling so bad, but it wasn't like I'm going to throw up right now, it was just like I just feel so bad. So I took the gravel. One second later, there you go. Mom's turn to be sick. So Trevor's like passed out this whole time row. Oh my gosh, we're literally living like Lala Coo-Coo Land. We're like row. Here's her iPad Fen for yourself, cutie. Like we cannot deal. Wish she had I got her washi tape, which was amazing, fyi, because it's kind of like painter's tape in the sense that it doesn't really stick to surfaces so you can put it anywhere and just peel it off and it doesn't like take off anything. So I had also got her a journal. So she mainly just washi taped her journal. But in this moment she was washi taming everything like Trevor woke up. He was covered in tape. We she, she had these markers and she was like can I draw on you? And we're like sure, like we're so out of it. We're like please, just like stick to ruining us and nothing else in the room, which she was good at. But like watch shows, please, just like entertain yourself, take a nap Like we do. Just like entertain yourself, take a nap, like we just need a moment to catch our life back together. So Trevor was able to sleep that entire time. Once I started throwing up, I could not sleep. I just felt so bad. I was like contemplating my entire existence in the sense of like how long this is never going to end, like tomorrow will never come, we're never going to feel better. We're still here for like three more days and then we have to get on a plane. Lala, lala, lala, like, just like being so drama, which is how you do it. You're in the moment when you're in the when, the depths of it. But then I reminded myself tomorrow will come. Most times, anytime I get sick like this, it's 24 hour thing, at least like the worst of it, tomorrow will come, we will feel better, we will be in our Airbnb, which at this time that would feel like home, like this hotel, just like felt so icky because we just felt so horrible. It was like I just want to get to our Airbnb so I can like put on my pajamas, take a shower and just like feel like I'm at home. You know what I mean. And so then came the time when we needed to get to the Airbnb, which was literally a seven minute downhill walk, but it was really like a four hour walk, but it was just felt like it was going to be so hard because we first of all had to get our suitcases up so many stairs. Is this like this, like spiraling stair set? Because that's the thing about Italy, there's like four hours. In the first thing, which is about three minutes, we first of all had to get our suitcases up so many stairs. There's like this, like spiraling stair set, cause that's the thing about Italy there's like no elevators. So we got them up there, and then the fact that we'd have to get them back down. But now I was out for the count yeah, it was. It just felt really, really intimidating. But we got our suitcases down and we asked to check out and the guy was so confused. It was a different person at the desk now, but he was so confused. He was like when did you check in? We're like literally six hours ago. He was like, oh, and we're like, we're just in between places and we're feeling well, we needed a place to rest. And they actually gave us a discount on our room, which was like so nice. We were not expecting that. We were. We were like please take all our money, just so we can lay down, but that was so nice. And then they were kept offering it to make us coffees and breakfast and row took everything, not everything. But I mean like she was like oh yeah, I'll have some juice and some food. Me and Trevor were like no, we can't, we can't. Trevor did have some juice, but at this moment in time I was in the depths of it. So we finally got outside and we start walking down the hill and there was this beautiful breeze, which was the one thing that I was like thank goodness, I feel like I can be alive now, and the breeze was the only thing that was holding me together. But we we walked down and we had tried to stick row on the suitcase, which was one of the best things that we didn't bring a stroller or anything, but you could like put her on the suitcase when we were traveling with suitcases and if the road was smooth enough or wherever you were walking, like, you could pull her on. That, which was like amazing. So we were able to do that pretty much most of the way, which was just easy peasy, like stick with us, girl, we're getting there. And then we got to the cafe that we had to get to, to get to the keys or whatever. And then finally we got to Airbnb. But oh my gosh, we were like, okay, we're camping out for the rest of the night here. Everybody, let's just get into bed and feel better. And so that was that day and it was quite the nightmare. But then we woke up the next day and everyone was feeling so much better. Trevor was already kind of at this point, feeling better like the night before, like he had us 24 hours. He was starting to feel better. The next morning I was still a little woozy, but definitely hungry, so hungry, but I was like scared to eat. You know, when you're like after you've had like a throwing up moment, you're just like I don't want to tap it again and so you want to start with something easy, like some ginger ale and some soup and stuff, but like that wasn't really readily available. There was just like, and the only thing that was like and crackers weren't readily available either. We're in this very small town. There was lots of cute little restaurants and a few cute cafes, but like the lightest thing was focaccia, which still I was worried was a little heavy because it's got lots of olive oil in it and I was like, oh, that might be heavy on my tummy. Anyways, I had a reviving cappuccino and focaccia, just like a couple bites, and that really helped. And I was ready to take on the day and realized that we were in the most beautiful Airbnb again, right on the seaside, like literally, we had this little porch balcony that I wish we were. So I we didn't get to take a lot of, or I didn't get to take a lot of content and photos at this point because, honestly, I was just like so tired and I'm so happy that we did book a few days at the end of the cruise to just really be in this small little village and just totally just chillax, and all you have to do is walk a couple steps to get your dinner or your cappuccino, and the beach was right there. Like it was a really chill and I'm so happy that we booked that and I would recommend that for, like any trip, especially if you're going with kids. But especially the fact that we got sick it just made it so much better so we could really recoup for the journey home. But yeah, so anyways, it was beautiful. It was two floors, which was a little inconvenient in the sense of having a kid, but me and Ro slept together upstairs and Trevor slept on the pullout couch that was like in the kitchen downstairs, which is on the same area as, like the balcony that overlooked the beach and yeah, because Ro didn't want to be all the way downstairs. And also the bathroom was upstairs and we were on the same floor as the bathroom. As you know, a toddler or I guess she's not a toddler anymore, or preschool, but like, just close to the bathroom is always good. Yeah, and the beds are smaller there, so there was definitely not room for like all three of us who had been on comfy, so that's how we did sleeping wise. But, like other than that, like it was an amazing Airbnb as well, and the host was so lovely. Everyone spoke, like Italian, italian. They're like really not very many English speakers. Even our hosts, like he, did not speak lots of English. But yeah, it was so nice and there was this amazing restaurant next to us. I wish if we had felt better, we would have gone there, or if we had stayed one more night. That was like in a cave, like you entered through close to where our door was, but then it went out up into this cave, like over top of the sea. It looked outstanding. I think it was like a Michelin star restaurant. I would have loved to have gone there, but we ended up actually getting burgers because everyone told us it was like such an amazing place to go, and so we were like, okay, like at this point, comfort food was what we were in the mood for, and so we got burgers and fries and I mean chips in Europe are just the best because they're like made in real fat, but they were delicious burgers and we sat out on the beach and had a picnic and had gelato and there were these rocks that you could overlook the whole village. So it was so lovely and we just really embraced that slow living life and it was so, so lovely. But then that night, our night before the flight, ro got sick. She woke up. I had laid with her in bed and tell about like 830 and she fell asleep. And then I put on my show on my iPad and tell about 930 or so and I had just texted my mom. She was like how's everyone feeling? I was like I think we're all feeling so much better. And then, literally the second, I put my iPad away and my phone away. Ro threw up and I texted my mom and I was like I take it back and I was like so panicked. I was like be cool, be chill. Like she's the smallest of us all. She will get through this the fastest. She's small, she's mighty and she was actually super adaptable because, like, she's only thrown up once or twice before, once when she was just a little baby. She was never a huge like spitter upper or anything like that. So she threw up once when she was a baby and I remember that was like so shocking for her. And then she threw up once when she was like it would have been like last winter I think, and that was super shocking for her because that one she really like was like what just happened. But yeah, this one she was like fully asleep for pretty much the first one and then I was able to teach her like I took her to the, I like ran her to the bathroom and then she was really good at learning how to do it over the toilet. Then I found a bowl and then she was really good at learning how to do it and do a bowl. So it all worked out. She was very adaptable. But yeah, and there were so many we found like the stash of like bedding and they also had a washing machine there so I was able to wash anything that had got throw up on it, cause you know that stuff just smells gross if you let it sit. So that was good. But yeah, I did not sleep pretty much the whole night because she spent the first like half of the night, probably till midnight or 1am, just being sick like every 45 minutes, and then she slept perfectly fine and was totally unfazed in the morning, felt fabulous. So that was amazing. But I did not sleep all night because I was like on vomit watch, like I was like, okay, I got to be here for my girl and yeah. So then we had to head to the airport and head on our travel day and that was long but good, like it was actually such a breezy day. We got to the airport. Geneva or Genoa airport is so small we definitely didn't have to be there as early as we were. I think we got there like three hours early. They say to be there too if it's like in a not international airport and technically we're going to Amsterdam. So it wasn't. We could have been there two hours, but we at this point we were like let's just go, like we're good to go, we've packed up, like let's just get on our road. So we got there like three hours. Security took literally like 10 minutes. It's very small. There's only one little security area. All the gates are in one space. And we got on our plane to Amsterdam, which is like an hour and a half, and then we only had a two hour, two hour layover, which was like the perfect layover because it wasn't stressful. We had time to get food, we had time to go to the bathroom. We had time to walk to our gate and get there with time to get on the plane, like it was perfect. And then our flight home was easy, breezy. We got in around like seven, 30 or eight and we had only packed in carry on, so we didn't check any bags or anything, which was amazing. I will talk about that in one of my videos. But packing carry ons, we were gone for three weeks and I was a little stressed I wouldn't be able to get it and somehow on the way home I feel like I packed even better than I did on the way there and I put so much thought on the way there. So, yeah, that was more than enough clothes. There were definitely things we didn't wear, mainly because I had packed, for I wasn't sure if it was going to be fall weather, sometimes cooler evenings, but it ended up being like so hot and sunny I could have packed more summer clothes, but I wasn't sure. So, anyways, we didn't have to go to baggage claim or anything like that. So we were literally out of the airport in like less than 30 minutes and that was great. And then it was just having to get through jet lag and the busy weekend and everything and we've made it. But honestly, even though we got sick, we had such an amazing time. Now that we're home, it just feels like, oh my gosh, like I can't believe that we lived that life, like it was so amazing. I loved just embracing like the Italian culture in each area that we were in and the schedules and just like being so Like I don't know, just go with the flow. I feel like we had a really chillax Vibe about us for the trip, which is usually how we are, but like having row with us too, she was so go with the flow. I was so proud of her like she just really had an amazing time. I knew she would like that is who she is in her core. When it came down to planning the trip, my mom was like I can take row if you don't want to take her, and I had a debate, but then I was like I want row to come, like I think she's gonna love it. I know that she's such an excitable kid. She loves new experiences. It'll make it even more fun for us, I think, to experience Italy through our her eyes as well, and I'm so glad we brought her. She had so much fun, and I mean there were definitely times where, like we skipped naps and we pushed her probably past her limit, but never too hard, like we never tried, we weren't doing it on purpose, but there were definitely moments where they were long days and or we did lots of like Switching up of routines or whatever, where it was hard for her to process in the moment, but then like we would sit with her and help her through it and like there were definitely moments where it was like we wanted to get somewhere and we had to remember slow down and let row, let row take her time and whatever. And so, yeah, it was. It is definitely like Hard traveling with kids. Like it's not, it's not relaxing at all moments of time, but then it's so worth it. Like even just now, I feel like our family has grown so much together. Like, even though we spend so much time together at home, we all do our own things. Like Rose at school, I'm doing this stuff, trevor's working, we weren't. There's never an opportunity. Like really I thought about it. I was like when's the last time we've had three weeks just us together, like even me and Trevor, when's the last time that's happened? Yeah, we're like none of us are working and we just get to be with each other. Like, really, I I'm just so grateful that that we got that opportunity and I feel so much more like connected as a family Not that I thought we were disconnected, it's. It's just wild how, how it just feels so good. Now I feel like, yes, we are inventors. And Now, being home, like we've been thrown back into like the fall depths of it, like it's so cold but it's and it's so beautiful. All the leaves have changed. I already feel like I really feel like now, being home, I'm like, okay, is it Christmas? Like I feel like I could put it my Christmas tree. I'm usually such a slow burner when it comes to those things like, especially since we've moved and I've had row I've, I've been like, oh, it just feels overwhelming to like put things out in the house and it's gonna be so like cluttery and like I don't know. Like I've just had such a different like feeling for Christmas the past few years and so I put it off until like very last minute. But now I just feel like I'm so ready to be home and just like embrace all the cozy season and and the season ahead of us and just like, it just feels really good. So I all, overall it was an amazing trip and I am just so, so blown away by like everything that we got to do. It was so, so fun. So I am gonna make all those videos saying, and I will tag the specific Airbnb we stayed at and I'll break down more of what we did in each city in those videos I'm gonna do, but that is the recap. We had such a fun time. Also. As for us getting sick, at first Me, trevor, was like I wonder if it was food poisoning, because there was like one thing he had eaten that me and Roe hadn't. And then when I got sick, it was like, oh, maybe it's not. And then when Roe got sick, like 20, 48 hours after Trevor, I got sick where we figure it must be. I think it's called norwalk or something which just like goes through you like that. So, anyways, just to put that out there, because I I don't think it was food poisoning, but yeah, we had such an amazing time. So, ah, thank you so much, qds, for supporting us and being here and allowing me to Take my family on such an amazing trip, because I couldn't do that with any without any of your support. Truly. So I love you all so much. Let's get into Our roses, buds and thorns. Okay, my rose for the week. Hmm, so many, so little, just kidding, not so little. I Think, after-dinner walks They've been so fun and I feel like this is the time of the year where, like after-dinner walks feels so good, Like I feel like spring and fall. There's something magical about an after-dinner walk because it feels like you're like on the cusp of something that either is leaving or it's just beginning. Like in the fall, it's like, oh my gosh, soon we won't be able to do that, because it's gonna be like pitch black after dinner or even at dinner time. And In the spring it's like, oh, it's just late enough, like it just started getting light enough we can go on this walk. Like they just feel magical. So I've been really enjoying our after-dinner walks. I feel like our neighborhood feels very lively too. I think everyone's embracing them. Last night we played around in a big leaf pile. All the neighborhood kids came out. It was just really nice and the sun was shining and it just felt really, really good. So I think that's my roses, after-dinner walks, my thorn, hmm, you know what? I don't even know. You know what I'm gonna say. It is just the sheer amount of laundry I have, like I talked to you guys about this way too often but like I did all our Italy laundry like right away, like I dumped all our suitcases in and did it all right away. But I think it's because I've been having to switch over our summer, spring or summer fall wardrobes right now, so it just felt like I've had doubled the clothes out, because I've been bringing out the fall stuff and putting away all the summer stuff that I'm washing and slash that was Still in my closet, because when we left it was still summer, yeah, so I think that's that, and then also just like the bedding and stuff. But, like I, just Before we left, I was doing laundry every day, which, like I used to never do, but it actually feels really good, like to just do it alone every day and fold it watching a show At some point during the day or in the evening, like I forgot, and so, like last week, I was like not doing it, I was like waiting till the weekend, and then I was just overwhelmed and I'm like, oh yes, I remember I had switched to doing it every day, so I feel caught up now and now. I'll just remember to put a load in every day. But I did put on my pajama shirt yesterday after washing Like all our clothes from the week, and it was like my first time putting on like a fresh Pair of pajamas last night I guess that I had washed and they were kind of still warm from when I'd folded earlier in the day and it just smelled like you know how you get used to your smell, but it I guess I was Unused to it because we were away in Italy using other detergents and it just smelled like a home and it was still a little warm and I was like, so appreciative of that moment. I was like, oh, it just smells so good. So, yeah, that was nice. So thorn into bud and then my bud. What am I looking forward to? Well, you know, halloween is coming up. We do our Halloween in our neighborhood on the weekends, like before Halloween, so I'm really looking forward to that. I need to get Rose costume, which she has changed her mind every single day for the past month, and so I told her today that she had to have it decided, because I need at least a few days to like go to Valley Village and find the pieces and everything. So I think she's landed on something. I told her she has to let me know by the end of the day and I'm gonna spend the rest of the week like trying to figure out and put that together. And I need to get paper bags to put all our treats, in which we actually bought our Halloween treats, like so long ago, which I'm so grateful for because they we bought them when they first came out and they happened to have been on sale and Ro was like, oh, Halloween treats, we should buy those and we've kept them in our cupboard since then have not broken into them. So that's awesome. So I need to put those treat packages together. But, yeah, I'm really looking forward to that. That's one of my favorite times, especially in the neighborhood, because everyone gets together, we have a Halloween parade. It's so fun. It's fun to have everyone out, it's fun to see all the kids and yeah, so that's my rosebud and thorns and let's get into entertainment Recap Entertainment recap. Okay, cuties, I've been watching so much stuff. First of all, I watched the Beckham documentary on the way home on the plane. So good, I watched the whole thing on the plane. I thought it was so interesting. It's like I want it more even so, like in their relationship and everything. But no, I really enjoyed it. So that's a Netflix rec. I finished love island yesterday, which was amazing. I Loved this season. It wasn't like my favorite of all the seasons in the world, but I really didn't enjoy it. So love island and now I can look everyone up on Instagram. I haven't done that yet. I started below deck Mediterranean while we were in the Mediterranean, which was amazing because they're literally Filming out of the Genoa port, which is like, first of all, where we were staying and then also where we left on our cruise. So it just feels like, oh my gosh, like. So I was just there. So it's so fun to see all that stuff. I want to start watching beef on Netflix. I've heard good things about it. Now it's on Netflix and I think it's a show that me and Trevor like. I don't actually remember what it's about, but I remember someone saying that if you like this, you should watch this, and whatever the comparison was, I did like, so I think I'm gonna try watching beef soon. I'm totally gonna be entering my reading area area era. I just found my e-reader again, trevor. I borrowed it and then we couldn't find where it went and Anyways, I found it. So please give me your bookrex. I love like, Um, what is it called? You know, young, young, young readers, young adult novels, what is it called young adult? Yeah, something like that. Anyways, I Like light reads, like. There's other reads that I like, but right now I'm in a light read mood. So any like light read, romance, like, and give me a Rex. And I'm trying to think. I feel like this, other things oh, we did go see the Paw Patrol movie. Rosie loved it. And I did go see the Taylor Swift one, which I wasn't gonna go see because I really want to see her concert when she comes to Toronto next year. But we didn't get tickets, which is very sad. But I was leaving into the universe that I'm still gonna go. Well, get last-minute tickets, something will happen, it'll work out. So I thought like, oh, maybe, if I go to the concert movie, then that's like me giving up. But then I saw my friend Navina go and she has tickets to go to the concert and I was like, well, she's going, I want to go. And then I was like maybe, maybe not. And then my sister-in-law texted me, was like, hey, do you want to go see the Taylor Swift movie? And I was like, yes. So we went last week and it was so much fun I would go see it again. I kind of want to take row, I think she would like it, but yeah, it was really fun and I kind of love the concert movie in a movie theater definitely. I think Beyonce's doing that too soon, so I'm excited to go see Beyonce's. It's like I want more of those. I'm trying to think was there anything else that I was watching? I think that's really it. So, yeah, I've been watching a lot of good stuff and I'm ready for my reading. I really need to take a break from like scrolling. I'm kind of doom scrolling right now Is that what you call it? When you just like every time you pick up your phone, you just scroll. I hate when I get in those moods, yeah, and so I'd really feel like I'd like to switch out my phone for my e-router. I just feel like it'll make me feel better. So please give me your recommendations and Go follow me over on tiktok and Instagram. At five years time podcast for all the exciting Italian Italian I guess, but Italy content and Specific Airbnbs and stuff we stayed at. Love you all so much. Wishing you a beautiful end to your October Hugs and kisses. I guess is when is the last day of October? Next week? I don't remember. Anyways, Love you all, hugs and kisses you.