Pumpkin Patch Express in Durham NC

We are sitting on the Pumpkin Patch Express, children all around us "choo-choo-ing" and chattering excitedly. I lean my head on Matt's shoulder and close my eyes as Anna wraps her little hand around my fingers.

Speeding through the wooded terrain of the Museum of Life and Science, I feel whole and at home with my little family, all squished in this tiny train car, quiet and observant and at peace with one another.

Before I was a mother, I remember thinking things like this were more for the children than the adults. I didn't realize how strong the feeling of joy would be in seeing my own child delight in something.

And Anna will find a way to delight in anything. We call her the Joy Bringer for her smiles are like little secret treasures that make you feel like you're her most favorite person in the world.

I repeat the words, "My little family," in my mind over and over, relishing this moment. I squeeze Matt's arm and he presses in closer. We both sneak little kisses on Anna's cheeks, and she pats our hands and happily babbles in response.

As long as these two are beside me, I am always at home.

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12 Days in Italy: An Itinerary

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It was the end of twelve glorious days in Italy with my husband, and we were sitting outside a tiny cafe on one of the oldest highways in the world: the Appian way, eating croissants with the rest of our Walks of Italy tour group. A young couple was mid-way through their one-week blitz through the country, and I was dizzy from the sound of their itinerary.

"You're going to visit how many cities in six days?" I nearly choked on my cappuccino. I felt like we barely saw the country in two weeks of travel, so I couldn't comprehend how this couple was going to visit twice as many places in half the time.

I made eye contact with Matt and smiled. I knew he was thinking about that day in Positano he wanted us to do too much and how, after we left that beautiful town, he would have been just as content sitting on our hotel balcony the whole time, soaking in the beautiful Mediterranean view. There were definite moments during our 12 days in Italy where we wasted more time trying to figure out how to "see everything" than actually seeing everything.

But the key to travel is always less is more. This isn't your how-to-see-ALL-of-Italy-in-12-days guide. This also isn't the perfect guide to Italy either. We made a lot of mistakes, and some of those mistakes turned out to be our favorite memories from the trip. Here's how we explored Italy along with a few recommendations and highlights.

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Civita di Bagnoregio: The City that Must Live

We were climbing a bridge to a city floating in the mist. A quiet mystery swirled around Civita di Bagnoregio. Our lungs fought to expand through our anticipation of what we would see beyond the gates.

A man asked if we would take his family's photo. In exchange, he would take ours. As the man raised our camera in front of his face, he asked if we were on our honeymoon.

"We've been married for five years," my husband said. His arm was wrapped around my shoulder, and I could feel it tighten in acknowledgement. In pride. We still looked like honeymooners.

It is in this dying city that I look at my husband, at the drops of mist gathered on his glasses, at his silent wonder over scenic views, and I am awakening to all the things I forgot I already knew.

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