Early Birthday Present

Honestly ... Speechless. Nervous. Ecstatic. Emotional. Once in a lifetime. Unexpected.

I received an early phone call from my sister this morning, and by early, I mean 5:40 a.m. EST. I truly think she has forgotten that she is 6 (or is it now 7?) hours ahead of me. There was commotion in the background, but in her little sick voice (poor thing) she said "book your flight to Rome". We talked for a few minutes (forgetting it costs $2 a minute, sorry Dad!!!) and I quickly texted my parents to call me as soon as they woke up. Once they called, we all agreed this is the perfect opportunity to visit my sister. MY PARENTS HAVE GIVEN ME A TRIP TO ITALY FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!! (there are a few minor details that come along with the "given" part, but I will leave those out for now) Believe me, I did not hesitate or ask too many questions. I booked my flight at 7:16 a.m. this morning and will be heading into Milan (via a layover in Paris - I will not complain) and out of Rome. My sister is working on all of the logistics in Italy. I just have to show up. She mentioned taking a train to the coast of Italy to an area called Cinque Terre or possibly spending a few days in Florence. Then we will spend 5 days in Rome, where we will experience the European Cup (soccer) which takes place IN Rome. I am overwhelmed and as I said, I can not believe this is happening. At a time where so much was in limbo, I am just taking a leap of faith and treating this as a "once in a lifetime experience". I think I may have failed to mention that I leave 2 weeks ... from tomorrow!!!!!!! I will be buying my backpack tomorrow, and my sister is working on my "packing list" (I am sure she will slip a few American items that she needs on the list, which is just fine!!!) I get to see her. I get to experience a small portion of her trip with her. I get to go to Europe for the first time in my life. I truly cannot believe this is all happening.

But for now, I have to focus on my work. I have not been able to blog much this week because work has kept me under wraps. Lots to get done!!

An update from E: (in summary) She was in Amsterdam last week for her birthday. She said it was incredible, beautiful and more quaint than you can imagine. It is so green and healthy, and everyone rides bikes. She saw a lady riding her bike down the cobble stoned street with a TREE in her hand. After Amsterdam, she ventured on to Paris. She spend 5 days in Paris. She said everything is so grand and stunning. The buildings are all so old, but the language barrier caught her a bit off guard. The French would not budge on speaking English with her and they made her stumble through her French. She said the Eiffel Tower is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen and pictures do not do it justice. She is currently in Nice, France along the coast, hidden up in the mountains but overlooking the Mediterranean (she believes). The Cannes Film Festival is set to begin on the 13th, and E has seen the red carpets displayed. HOW INCREDIBLE. She is planning on traveling to Madrid, Barcelona and then make her way to Milan to MEET ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again, I cannot believe all of this is happening. It is all a bit surreal.