Spent much of this afternoon preparing the house for Christmas and putting up the “mega-tree.” We’re starting much earlier than usual this year (I’m typically Last-Minute Larry), but my family is coming to Italy for the first time since I’ve been here to share the holidays. That’s exciting—and, given that I can already get a little unhinged this time of year, we made the responsible call to prepare early and often.
After we decorate tomorrow, the final piece will be getting all the shopping out of the way—while also chasing down my 4,000th post. I’m feeling a little like Pete “Mr. Hustle” Rose over here… just without the gambling 🙂


Looking festive. The countdown to the 4,000th post is ON!
Go mega or go home!