Glad to have you back Jenna! Talk about some much needed R and R! My wife and I talk about traveling again once the kids are a little older, but I'm sure that time will be here before we even know it. In the mean time, it's nice to live vicariously through your family travels!
We had a low key Thanksgiving at my in laws that just moved to our area recently. They cooked, we feasted and enjoyed each other's company, and I cleaned. Doesn't get any better than that!
I'm thankful for your writings, your followers, my beautiful healthy family, and for being alive in a time period where people are waking up in large numbers and taking their power back! Thank you for the laughs, the tears, and the warm hearted prose that you continue to fill our lives with, Jenna. Have a great first week back in the states!
Vee! This brought me to actual tears. Thanks for sharing and for being here. Your Thanksgiving sounds wonderful and your gratitude list is delightful. :)
Oh my gosh, this was great! And the part about not cooking or planning meals....this is EXACTLY how I explain to my husband why I enjoy cruises - it’s not the nightlife, not the deliciousness of the food, not even the port visits, although all those things are great. It’s the not having to plan and manage eating for everyone. (Also, I like not having to schlep my bags around and sleep in different beds, it that’s a different point). People who don’t manage the food in their households have no idea how nice it is to have that break.
It's literally THE BEST. In the past when money was too tight for a vacation we'd do little "staycations," THE ENTIRE POINT OF WHICH was not to cook or plan meals. Pinch me. :)
My husband is out of town for a few days and he always laughs because I stock up on rotisserie chicken, raw vegetables, hummus, and shrimp cocktail. I tell him my goal is to cook nothing more complicated than toast anytime he’s out of town . 😂
The secret to our success. We each have a tv in separate rooms. Along with our own thermostats. He likes it hellish hot and I like it cool. The house has an old part and a newer part. Each with its own furnace. Weird I know. But handy. We’ve had plenty of togetherness in 57 years.
Exactly. Hubby doesn’t get the underwear folded neatly in his bureau anymore. That stopped years ago. It’s a pile on his side of the bed. Shirts draped on his closet doorknob. How long they stay there is his problem. But the cooking. Yech. I’m over it having been married 57 years in January.
Mr. Jenna, it’s absolutely the neck-smell. There’s nothing quite like it, from the moment the wee ones arrive. Somehow, it’s how we know they’re truly there. It’s your baby, no matter how old. It’s comfort, snug-ness, all the feels. It’s Mama Bear Home.
Love you, Jenna! Not creepily or stalkerishly, either. Welcome back to the You Ass of Eh, and I look forward to you kicking it regularly in your inimitable way.
In Australia we don't have Thanksgiving - and I never really got the point of it until this year - for most of my life I regarded Americans as having everything anyone could ever want, regardless of whether anyone was taking any notice or being thankful for it. Then, Year Zero happened, and the Biden regime piled on so much tribulation to the already horrendous scamdemic actions, that it seemed rather hollow to give 'Thanks' for anything much. Until this year, and suddenly, like on the 40th day when the clouds finally parted back in Noah's day, Thanksgiving seemed not only appropriate, but applicable even to us on the other side of the planet - who will doubtless also benefit from a revitalised and re-tuned America that wishes to push proudly into the future with higher moral standards and a less aggressive patronising stance towards the rest of us. Italy has always seemed to me to embody that way of being: Christian but not puritan, wealthy in love, more than in money, and firmly grounded in the spirit of Life and Liberty - living for the sake of it, while minding your own business. Glad you got to be there to feel that mode of thanksgiving, which should be a daily attitude for all of us. I highly recommend the novel 'Bread and Wine' by Ignazio Silone - which seems oddly fitting in the current era even though it is set in Fascist Italy. It is a book full of hope and humour and life-affirming belief in Humanity.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful peek into your family adventure! You have inspired me to begin plotting a similar event. (I mean with my family, not yours. Speaking of creepy and stalker-ish lol.)
Same here! We (3 kids, spread over a decade) used to eat Cocoa Krispies or, for variety, Cocoa Puffs when my husband was away. All the meals! 😝 Don’t bother calling DFACS. They now range from 33-23 and are all fairly nutrition-conscious. We still have our teeth. The kids are alright.
I may not have had kids in this lifetime, Jenna, but I totally get why the first thing you wanted to do in Italy was smell your daughter's neck. And then not shop for or prepare your meals. Sounds like the best Thanksgiving Day vacation ever!
It was good to read that. I needed it. Since my bride became ill, we had to give up travel,unfortunately. It’s difficult for her now. So the monies we saved to do such by living rather frugally were spent On a home in paradise. I’m not that much of a traveler anyhow. Did that when I was a an up and not coming rock star. Fifty years ago. But my bride wanted to see the world. All of it. We did have some great trips, spent a lot of time in Mexico ( Mayans are a wonderful people) and then it was over. No regrets. I’m glad you got to get away from this temporarily disgusting place. While you were out, Joey pardoned his baby boy, and most college females are now gay. But otherwise it’s been pretty quiet. Love what you do!
I'm sorry to hear that about your wife, Alan, but glad you have lots of travel memories to treasure (and a home in paradise, score!). Thanks for the LOL and kind words at the end, too. Appreciate you being here. :)
I can say that I ate everything in sight including things I rarely eat here like lasagna and bread and the occasional dessert and I did not gain any weight. Yes we walked between five and 10 miles a day, but the food there is so much cleaner and yes, the portions are smaller… 🤷♀️
Glad to have you back Jenna! Talk about some much needed R and R! My wife and I talk about traveling again once the kids are a little older, but I'm sure that time will be here before we even know it. In the mean time, it's nice to live vicariously through your family travels!
We had a low key Thanksgiving at my in laws that just moved to our area recently. They cooked, we feasted and enjoyed each other's company, and I cleaned. Doesn't get any better than that!
I'm thankful for your writings, your followers, my beautiful healthy family, and for being alive in a time period where people are waking up in large numbers and taking their power back! Thank you for the laughs, the tears, and the warm hearted prose that you continue to fill our lives with, Jenna. Have a great first week back in the states!
Vee! This brought me to actual tears. Thanks for sharing and for being here. Your Thanksgiving sounds wonderful and your gratitude list is delightful. :)
Awww...it is my pleasure, Jenna. You're the best! Keep being awesome!
Oh my gosh, this was great! And the part about not cooking or planning meals....this is EXACTLY how I explain to my husband why I enjoy cruises - it’s not the nightlife, not the deliciousness of the food, not even the port visits, although all those things are great. It’s the not having to plan and manage eating for everyone. (Also, I like not having to schlep my bags around and sleep in different beds, it that’s a different point). People who don’t manage the food in their households have no idea how nice it is to have that break.
It's literally THE BEST. In the past when money was too tight for a vacation we'd do little "staycations," THE ENTIRE POINT OF WHICH was not to cook or plan meals. Pinch me. :)
My husband is out of town for a few days and he always laughs because I stock up on rotisserie chicken, raw vegetables, hummus, and shrimp cocktail. I tell him my goal is to cook nothing more complicated than toast anytime he’s out of town . 😂
SAMEEEEEEEEEE. I could live on cottage cheese and almonds for a month. :)
Cottage cheese scooped up by Ruffles potato chips. It was my reliable comfort food. I use broken up baked tostadas now. Not quite the same, but close.
Yum
When my husband was gone, it was pick up at the Chinese restaurant and bags of chips. Plus ice cream all to myself.
I LOVE not sharing the ice cream, lol
The secret to our success. We each have a tv in separate rooms. Along with our own thermostats. He likes it hellish hot and I like it cool. The house has an old part and a newer part. Each with its own furnace. Weird I know. But handy. We’ve had plenty of togetherness in 57 years.
Exactly. Hubby doesn’t get the underwear folded neatly in his bureau anymore. That stopped years ago. It’s a pile on his side of the bed. Shirts draped on his closet doorknob. How long they stay there is his problem. But the cooking. Yech. I’m over it having been married 57 years in January.
37 here!
Mr. Jenna, it’s absolutely the neck-smell. There’s nothing quite like it, from the moment the wee ones arrive. Somehow, it’s how we know they’re truly there. It’s your baby, no matter how old. It’s comfort, snug-ness, all the feels. It’s Mama Bear Home.
😊💕
I want to double-like this! To live in constant concern about what might happen is to waste your life. So happy you had a wonderful time.
Love you, Jenna! Not creepily or stalkerishly, either. Welcome back to the You Ass of Eh, and I look forward to you kicking it regularly in your inimitable way.
In Australia we don't have Thanksgiving - and I never really got the point of it until this year - for most of my life I regarded Americans as having everything anyone could ever want, regardless of whether anyone was taking any notice or being thankful for it. Then, Year Zero happened, and the Biden regime piled on so much tribulation to the already horrendous scamdemic actions, that it seemed rather hollow to give 'Thanks' for anything much. Until this year, and suddenly, like on the 40th day when the clouds finally parted back in Noah's day, Thanksgiving seemed not only appropriate, but applicable even to us on the other side of the planet - who will doubtless also benefit from a revitalised and re-tuned America that wishes to push proudly into the future with higher moral standards and a less aggressive patronising stance towards the rest of us. Italy has always seemed to me to embody that way of being: Christian but not puritan, wealthy in love, more than in money, and firmly grounded in the spirit of Life and Liberty - living for the sake of it, while minding your own business. Glad you got to be there to feel that mode of thanksgiving, which should be a daily attitude for all of us. I highly recommend the novel 'Bread and Wine' by Ignazio Silone - which seems oddly fitting in the current era even though it is set in Fascist Italy. It is a book full of hope and humour and life-affirming belief in Humanity.
I love everything about this comment and I just added that book to my Amazon cart! Thank you for sharing.😊🇮🇹
Wonderful post. I love your style of writing- do relatable. I can so relate to your comment on planning meals, cooking, cleanup etc.
Glad you had this great experience and precious memories together
Thank you for sharing this beautiful peek into your family adventure! You have inspired me to begin plotting a similar event. (I mean with my family, not yours. Speaking of creepy and stalker-ish lol.)
🤣👏 Do it!!!
Same here! We (3 kids, spread over a decade) used to eat Cocoa Krispies or, for variety, Cocoa Puffs when my husband was away. All the meals! 😝 Don’t bother calling DFACS. They now range from 33-23 and are all fairly nutrition-conscious. We still have our teeth. The kids are alright.
🤣💕
The meow meows plotting ciao ciaos!?? ha ha love it. Maybe the cats should be involved in the cooking? Great post!
P.S. Your girls are beautiful. Like you.
You are far too kind (about me) but I certainly agree that my girls are gorgeous, inside and out. :)
I may not have had kids in this lifetime, Jenna, but I totally get why the first thing you wanted to do in Italy was smell your daughter's neck. And then not shop for or prepare your meals. Sounds like the best Thanksgiving Day vacation ever!
It truly was.😊
My fondest memory of Italy is that my husband and I would ask each other if it was gelato-o-clock yet. Gelato here does not compare. We love Italy!
Gelato does NOT wear a watch LOL! :)
It was good to read that. I needed it. Since my bride became ill, we had to give up travel,unfortunately. It’s difficult for her now. So the monies we saved to do such by living rather frugally were spent On a home in paradise. I’m not that much of a traveler anyhow. Did that when I was a an up and not coming rock star. Fifty years ago. But my bride wanted to see the world. All of it. We did have some great trips, spent a lot of time in Mexico ( Mayans are a wonderful people) and then it was over. No regrets. I’m glad you got to get away from this temporarily disgusting place. While you were out, Joey pardoned his baby boy, and most college females are now gay. But otherwise it’s been pretty quiet. Love what you do!
I'm sorry to hear that about your wife, Alan, but glad you have lots of travel memories to treasure (and a home in paradise, score!). Thanks for the LOL and kind words at the end, too. Appreciate you being here. :)
I'ma know why they nama it pasta. I eata too much and my belly go pasta my belt.
(From this half Italian}
Please tell us more about the food. 😁 Is it true that you can eat as much as you want and not gain weight?
I can say that I ate everything in sight including things I rarely eat here like lasagna and bread and the occasional dessert and I did not gain any weight. Yes we walked between five and 10 miles a day, but the food there is so much cleaner and yes, the portions are smaller… 🤷♀️