And the big reveal is: Tacos!
I’ve been pretty vague about my plans for the rest of the year, mostly because up until a couple of weeks ago, I really didn’t know what we would do after this little wedding we’ve been planning in September.
We’re ready to move on from Washington DC- it will always be my hometown but it’s really not the place for us right now. Only, we didn’t know where to go next. We have some long range plans and goals, but we were a little perplexed over the next step.
Italy on my Mind
You already know this if you read his blog, but Michael is currently in the process of obtaining his Italian citizenship. For the last two years he has been tracking down paperwork across the span of several countries to prove the citizenship link between him and his Italian-born grandmother.
If all goes well, hopefully by this time next year we’ll be making a real home in the gorgeous city of Bologna. I’m so excited to dive deep into Italian cuisine and culture, and maybe even take a real crack at mastering Italian. We’re both looking forward to having a real home base of our own, a launch pad for exploring Europe and a wall or two to hang up some of our travel souvenirs.
Having an EU passport is like gold to us. Because we’ll be married I’ll be able to travel and live in Europe with him (and actually become a citizen myself in a couple of years)!
It’s been a lot of work to gather all of the paperwork though, a very slow ongoing process. Even in a best case scenario there is no way that it will all be wrapped up by September. More likely we’re looking at sometime next year. Only… we don’t want to wait around in the US for that long.
The Six-Month Honeymoon
Mexico was my idea. For some reason I’ve seriously neglected Mexico in my travels. Aside from one measly weekend press trip to Mazatlan a couple of years ago, I’ve really never been there. Which is kind of stupid.
I’ve been floating the idea to Mike for awhile now: 6 months in Mexico. We could wait out our paperwork woes, live by the ocean and skip winter this year! I am seriously over winter. Mike can start surfing again, I can write, and eat tacos. So so many tacos.
We’ve batted around some other options: Asia, house-sitting gigs, getting an apartment here in the US, but none of those things really make as much sense, or sound as much fun as going south.
So the first week of October we’re headed to Puerto Vallarta. Or most likely one of the small beach-side towns near Puerto Vallarta. Assuming we like it, we’ll stay and use the area as a base for relaxing, exploring Mexico and maybe even jumping down to Central America. We’re keeping it casual. Our 6 month Mexican honeymoon.
We’ll return around mid-spring to prepare for our real move: the one to Italy.
The Even Shorter Term Plan
For the next couple of months we’ll still be based in DC. The wedding is in September and we’re focusing all of our energy into pulling that off (stay tuned for a post on why planning a trip is WAY more fun than planning a wedding). I’ve got a handful of domestic trips coming up this summer: San Diego with Michael, Indianapolis and Silicon Valley on my own.
People keep asking me if I’m excited about the wedding, but really, I’m just excited to get married! And to get on with our lives abroad, the way we both live best. I’m excited to explore the world with my husband (wow that sounds crazy) and I’m excited to have you guys along for the ride.
