Believe it or not, but by some miracle all of the clutter you see above (and more) was able to fit into 2 suitcases, 1 carry-on, & a personal item.  All I can say is thank goodness for 'space saver' bags... they are a life-saver!

Today was my last day at home for 4 months & I honestly think it was the longest day ever! My mom & I started the day at the spa... massage + sauna + steam room = the perfect way to spend the morning of an extremely hectic day. After that, we made a final trip to Target & of course, had to stop at Yogurtland (all of you who know my eating habits probably aren't surprised by this at all).  Then, we were home & it was time to get cracking, but there were many, many bumps on the road to packing success  - from ONE missing shoe to boarding passes that STILL won't print to luggage straps that don't fit around my massive suitcase... today was crazy! Nothing made my day more special than having my wonderful friend, Brittany Conway, stop by in the middle of my packing nightmare - Thanks, B Con!  It was crazy to have a family dinner for the "last time" - we talked all about skyping me in for Thanksgiving dinner - too bad it will be appromximately 3:00 AM in Florence when my family sits down for dinner.

Now, I'm going to enjoy a good (4 hour) night's rest, before it's time to get ready & head to the airport - I didn't even sleep on my bed the last two night's because of the mess sitting on top of it. But that's all packed up now & I absolutely can not wait until my next good night's sleep in ROME!!!