Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years just fly by and therefore it is time to reminisce about 13,879 days ago. That is the day I married my best friend and love of my life Gian Paolo.
Looking back at this photo, we were babies. I don't know where 38 years have gone but looking at our beautiful family we couldn't be more blessed. Our kids, our grandsons, our careers, our love of family and friends and our passion for life itself has made our life amazingly wonderful. YES, there have been bumps in the road and many thorns have pricked us, but all those diversions made us stronger and provided many learning experiences that grew our love.
Now that we are both retired, it is about making more cherished memories. Life has to slow down so we can enjoy every moment of it and traveling is a way to slow it down. The past 24 hours we have travelled back to our roots. Armed with our new Italian passports we are ready for two months exploring Italy and particularly Stresa as it is our dream to find a property that will continue to bring us back to our roots on a yearly basis.
Fate is such a powerful word but many don't believe in it. So let me tell you my story.... Seven years ago Gianni and I travelled from Switzerland down to Lake Como and stayed in many bed and breakfasts along the way. Our hope was to find the perfect spot to live for six months when we retired. This part of Italy is absolutely stunning as Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como have so much history, but the lakes and mountains create the perfect landscapes to explore. We had an amazing time exploring and at the end decided that Stresa would be the town we would have our six month adventure.
Years ago when Italy and Canada had an agreement for dual citizenship, we jumped on the opportunity to have all five of us become Italian Citizens and therefore the kids, Gianni and I hold dual citizenship. Our thought was if any of the kids wanted to live there they could. Who would predict that this past October Crystal and her fiancé Chris would move to Italy for work. And as FATE would have it, Chris' work brought him to Borgomanero for work and Arona to live. A 20 minute drive to Stresa!
To put it in perspective.... Italy is 302,073 kilometers squared in area. And of all places our kids would land would be the exact place Gianni and I fell in love with. If that isn't FATE, I don't know what is! Life always has so much to offer, and now that we are both retired travel has become a big part of our dream. However instead of renting a place for six month, we have decided to jump on a new journey. Where we can have a home base in Italy and then with short flights fly to countries we want to explore. Hopefully fate will take us in the right direction and find us a place we can call home and share with our kids, grandkids, family and friends.
COVID has put such a damper on travelling and with the war in Ukraine it's scary to leave our comfort and safety of Canada. Not going to lie, it was a hard decision to travel outside of North America, but now that we are here, it truly is amazing to start our next chapter in our life.
Beautiful day to fly over the alps
Landed in Milano after a very long day. Gianni was so happy to see all our suitcases made it. Yes we have four!
Having a late anniversary dinner with vino e birrra and tomorrow we are will be ready to take Italy all in.
Today's mindful moment is about reaching for the stars and the moon and making dreams happen. With hard work, determination and passion, dreams CAN come true, as long as we live life well always.... Ciao e tanti baci🤗😘
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