Saturday couldn't come fast enough. We had our bags packed, re-packed, fine tuned weighed and ready to go by Tuesday. We've challenged ourselves to pack light, each with a backpack and a carry-on.  We have meticulously packed accordingly. Needless to say we've been mentally packing for the past 2 months. Weighing in at 36 pounds each, we are ready!  

One minor hiccup:  Friday, the day before departure I realize that I've lost part of a filling in a tooth which is nothing short of fantastic when you're preparing to be in a foreign country for 3 weeks. After discussing it with a dentist friend, it quickly became apparent that I needed to go get this tooth fixed, stat. So, Friday at noon the day before departure, I'm scrambling but this is better than the alternative of trying to find an Italian dentist.  I made a quick trip to the dental office and got that little inconvenience knocked out.  Now we are ready, teeth and all!