Thoughts.

It feels so nice to be in this space again. I did not blog once in 2020 or 2021. I shall call them the lost pandemic years. But they were more than that, too. My Dad passed away in March of 2021. Loosing him was somewhat sudden. He was 65. We were able to have a wake and funeral at the Catholic Church we grew up in and I know it meant a lot to him. He was loved by so many. There is a lot that comes with the death of a parent. It's not easy anyway it comes at you. I miss him a lot and think of him often. 

That same month I found out I was pregnant! Ryder William Luiso was born on 12.17.21 and time has been both incredibly amazing and incredibly fleeting since his birth. He is now one and a half! Camden had just turned one when the pandemic catapulted. (He is now four and a half.) My second pregnancy and Ryder's birth didn't have space here as much as Camden's did but I want to acknowledge how joyful it all was. My labor and delivery was legitimately blissful. Shout-out Dr. Jeremy Jin's acupuncture / my NWH OBGYN Dr. Jessica Rosenstock (delivered both boys) and Newton Wellesley Hospital L&D Nurses. A newborn baby around the holidays. BROTHERS. Boy mom! I am mushy but for real. It is fulfilling. 

There was a tremendous effort on our house hunt. Our story is not unique but for a year and half we searched. We loved Newton/Brighton (we lived very close to Oak Square) so much and it was certainly sad to leave but also time to move on. 

That house hunting year spanned my pregnancy and Ryders birth. In May of 2022 it finally happened for us. The house that was meant to be! In June our kitchen and master bath renovation kicked off. Shout-out Niko at Boston Kitchen Designs. Your contractor has got to be on their game and lucky us, we found one of the best. In August we officially sold our condo in Newton and became North Andover residents. Renovating a home, listing a home and moving with a toddler and a baby, well, we did it! We are very happy with our new house, neighborhood and town. 

In 2019 my last post was San Gimignano, Tuscany from our trip in September of that year. It feels like a lifetime ago. In 2022 I posted for the first time again with Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. COVID cancelled Bermuda, Prague and St. John. The lost trips. 

The blog has morphed into a travel journal because that is what time allows and that's what inspires me to share. Here is where I want space to remember my travels. Covid cancelled trips once and cancelled them again and again, then the travelling part was back but I was in my pregnant or newborn and nursing stage. This Moms trip is actually what fully weaned Ryder at 16 months. I was ready and upon my return he realized he was, too! All that to say, leaving my two kids behind and Bob to be super Dad for six days was a big and new step for our fam! I am beyond grateful for the experience to travel again. It invigorated me. To the newly discovered Moroccan way and that ever so familiar European one. To seeing how others do life. And to girlfriend time. 

I've been backdating posts to more closely align with the timeline of when I took the trip. My goal is to finish blogging about a big trip before the next one happens. The final leg of Euro Moms in Granada is up next. Then the countdown is on for our family trip to Portugal!!