I'm Home!!!

I am home, and I couldn't be happier. My flight was fine, I sat next to a nice kid from the Temple Rome program and we watched comedies the whole way back. The customs line was long but moved pretty fast and my luggage came out right after I used the restroom, so I was among the first group to be reunited on "the other side". I was beaming as I saw my crazy family, right in front- first family through the doors- waving American flags. Yupp, they're mine. I bawled my eyes out from the second I heard Eric speak and had a hard time hugging him since he apparently grew a foot while I was gone. Dad was the first hug and he wore the sweatshirt that he kept from May 4 1991- he wore the same blue sweater he wore the day he held me in the hospital for the first time. My family is kind of amazing like that. Driving home was surreal but in usual Bellitto fashion I stayed awake until 11:30 US time- so 5:30am Italian time! And yes, we decorated the tree and cozied up with coffee and snacks just like I wanted!!! It was the perfect end to the perfect once in a lifetime experience.

I saw Joanna just 2 days later and we cried in the train station and got Dim Sum and Bubble Tea in Chinatown, where Elliott met up with us and we laughed like old times. From the very start it just felt like I never left.

So now I have been home several weeks and life just went right back to normal. Working at the Cheesecake Factory and William Penn Inn almost every day, constantly obsessing about my business and photographic future, planning for a wedding, etc. It kind of feels like I took a really long nap and living in Italy was all a dream. But I know will all the thousands of pictures I hjave I'll be able to look back and relive the memories when I need it most.

To answer the most frequent question: Yes, I am happier home than abroad. It was tons of fun but there is nothing in the world like being surrounded by the people you love. I never take a single day for granted. Thank you to everyone who supported me and followed this blog. Hopefully one day you will travel to Italy too!

CIAO!