Venice is Booked

Today, I booked our hotel for our overnight stay in Venice. Although it's not one of my favorite cities in Italy, I know my mom will love it. Just like the first time I saw Paris, I thought how much my mother would love seeing this city. We're staying at the Hotel Antica Locanda al Gambero, where my friend David and I booked a room back in 2004. Back then, he and I searched and searched the confusing streets of the city for what seemed like hours, only to discover the hotel was literally right next to Piazza San Marco.

My pre-trip to Boston is at the end of next month, and for sure, this is a lesson in patience for me. Something everyone knows I don't possess.

8 Short Weeks

Today is not only the Royal Wedding, but the two month mark until I leave to see my family. It's also the day that Kylie Minogue is performing in Boston. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the eight week time frame between now and when I leave for the east coast. I've looked at my calendar so often, I almost expect the days to shout back at me to be patient.

There's still some train tickets to buy and I have yet to book our overnight stay in Venice. In addition to our day in Rome, I have to decide when we'll go see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. That's one city I haven't been to, so it will be fun to experience it with my mom. And when it comes to Rosemarie, she's no doubt already getting nervous for the upcoming trip. I have to admit, half the fun of going away with my mother is wondering what's going on in that mind of hers.

How Fast Time Flies

The older I get, the more it seems that time flies faster than Superman on his very best day. One year ago this week, my mom and I left for Paris - and three months from today, we will be leaving for Florence. Last year's trip was the fulfillment of a dream come true for me and this year, it's just icing on the cake. A place in the world that I love with the woman I love more than anything else.

Ninety days out and she's more prepared than last year. My brother took her shopping and she has luggage. At least this year, we won't be scrambling to find her a set.

When I get to Boston, I think I may even be in for a food treat (remember, we're Italian - food is what we do). When I was a kid, my mom would always make stuffed artichokes and they were the most delicious things you have ever tasted. Steamed on top of the stove and overflowing with breadcrumbs, I would look forward to dinner more than when she made her chicken cutlets. And when we had both at the same meal, it was just heaven. Shopping yesterday, I saw the huge vegetables in the produce aisle. They made me instantly hungry and, right there in the supermarket, I was transported back to my childhood. When I mentioned them, my mom said she'd make them the night I arrive home.

It's funny how the smallest of things can remind you of your childhood - and this trip is, in a way, my mother's reward for all those meals, all those times she soothed my fears and for everything else that's just too numerous to mention. I don't mean to rush the seasons, but is it summer yet?

Three Months from Today

A short three months from today, I board my flight for Boston to spend a few days with my family before we leave for Florence. Even though she is by now a seasoned traveler, Rosemarie will still be a bundle of nerves, which I will have to either make fun of or calm down while I am there. I've already told her to shop for a new suitcase so we avoid a repeat of the luggage debacle of Paris.

In the next few weeks, I'll book our overnight stay in Venice and get the train tickets for our day trips to Rome and Pisa. For the heck of it, I should quiz her on the history of the Renaissance. For every right answer, I'll buy her another glass of wine. Oh wait, she doesn't drink more than one glass of wine, so I'd have to drink it for her. I think that's a fair trade off, no?

A Virgin Again

Today, I bit the bullet and purchased my plane ticket to Boston prior to our trip to Italy. The airlines are certainly making the most of the price of fuel and I'm afraid that if I wait any longer, even with any potential last minute sales, the bi-coastal trip would be almost as much as the flight to Italy. Although it was tempting to see my mother's reaction if I told her she'd have to meet me in Europe, I thought it best to be a good son and play by the rules.

Have You Seen the Price of Airline Tickets?

For years, everyone has made light of both my mother and me being incredibly early for everything. Appointments, family gatherings, work, school  - you name it and we were never late. Needless to say, some found it amusing that I was planning this second trip to Europe with my mom so soon. I started looking for airline tickets before the horrid Boston winter and the depressing California rains - securing our flights in November. Today, just for the hell of it, I priced the same itineary and discovered that each ticket was $674 more per person. Though I would have paid it for this trip with her, it would have put a serious dent in the amount of gelato we could afford to eat and worst of all, it would have seriously affected my wine consumption.

Everyone wants to Join

Today, my entire dental office was envious of my mother's trip to Italy with me. The receptionist, whom I adore and never fails to make me laugh, told me I need to find a man and that we could meet some great ones in Italy.

"You have a husband," I reminded her.

"That's no problem, honey, we'll be in Italy," she shot back.

I told her that I think my mom would be a tad disappointed if I didn't take her as planned and she reluctantly said that she'd settle for the pictures.

There was a time when no one in my family visited the dentist and despite my grandmother's pleas for me to become one, I opted to not look into people's mouths (at least professionally) and instead wandered aimlessly for years looking for a career. My mother, and the whole family by default because of one crazy doctor who never used novocain, had taken a long hiatus from the dental office. The day Rosemarie lost a tooth when she was in her 40's began a long and painful process to recoup the dental health that was let to slide for so many years.

Today, I've straightened and whitened my teeth and made a lot of dentists very rich and happy. I've often wondered what would have happened if I followed my grandmother's advice. I do know that watching my mom marvel at all the sights I'm going to show, though, is even better knowing that unlike my grandfather, my mother's smile won't be coming back at me through a glass of water.