Andrea~ where would your take you?

dontcha know right after we had italian...pero no vino

My wife is going to visit Tuscany on her trip to Italy next week. It does look beautiful.


I hope she doesn't get the idea of staying there.

Why the next to your thread??...There should be a there instead...*smile*

Last thing: I no longer am truly afraid of the unknown (geographically, at least) because I know myself so well and what amazing things I am capable of, and I have come to realize no matter what, I'll be okay...

That one piece of knowledge, for me, was the key to opening doors in life

Julie, Colette, Carrie, everyone, thanks for sharing your desires to truly live and take the leaps that make life worth living.

I am 21 and have only lived on my own for about a year and a half, but for months, there has been a new stirring inside of me to take off and finally be on my own, completely. I've only been out of the state twice (both in the past year) and know almost nothing but the "California lifestyle" firsthand. The thought of the fresh new start makes me unable to sleep many nights... but I don't care. It's a great feeling... the one where you know a new beginning is coming closer and closer to you. Don't you love it?

I live in Sacramento, CA and grew up in the north bay and the wine country (northern CA), near the ocean.

I have several ideas...

* San Francisco - I've found affordable rentals there, and the hustle and bustle of the city life would really put things into perspective for me... that the world does not revolve around me. Also, the many times I've been there, I have met so many awesome beings. There are so many different kinds of people there- it's the most diverse city I've ever experienced. The "crowdedness" there has a certain beauty to it and it's so eclectic and educational, to say the least. Not to mention the fact that it's beautiful (plus, it's still close to "home" so it wouldn't be as drastic as moving out of state, for example). I know it's not far, but the atmosphere there is a huge change from the valley and the wine country. It's like a different world there in the bay.

* Seattle - What can I say? I love cold, rainy weather, it's cheaper to live, it's near BC, it's beautiful, it's still near the ocean, and so much more.

* Germany - I have family there, and a move like that would really do wonders for me. The change would be extreme and would benefit me in so many ways... not to mention the beauty of the land and the culture I should identify more with. It's not the same country my Opa immigrated from decades ago, that's a fact.

I've got many, many ideas, but SF sounds the most practical for now. Eventually, I'd love to live around the globe. Hopefully, I will stay single for a long time if not forever, because I'm the type of soul who needs complete freedom of choice. That's selfish to some... but it's not meant like that in any way. Just the type of person I am.

Byron said:

At the moment of creation (threadwise), I so longed to be in Tuscany. Now that longed hope... has turned into a destined goal.

I just saw the film "Under the Tuscan Sun" yesterday, excellent movie.

Diane Lane has long been a favorite actress of my mine, her character in this film was fabulous.

It's about...
An American lawyer (Lane) quits her stressful job and travels to Tuscany, Italy looking for a new life, deciding to buy a derelict villa near the village of Cortona. While rebuilding her new home and learning how to live in another country, she finds a new start on life... and love (Bova).