Along with the sun, the entire household rises out of their deep slumbers to start the day. My other half climbs out of bed blocking the sun and thumps out of the room to prepare breakfast before I can even open my eyes. I pull the fluffy pillow back towards my body, refusing to accept that the day has started. Only when the scents of fresh brewed coffee and pancakes reach my nose do I pull myself out of this oasis. By the time I reach the bottom of the stairs the kids have already tended to the garden and animals in the barn outside. He is already cooking the eggs the kids brought in from the barn after being given five different orders to meet the likings of everyone in the family. I already feel extremely lazy for having just started my day minutes ago, while my family has been up for hours. I quickly get over this sensitivity, as feeling bad that I am just not a morning person is a daily thing that I have accepted. I sit quietly at the kitchen counter waiting for the coffee to give me the much-needed jolt as chaos resumes around me. He tries his best to wrangle the small children into their chairs, but like everyday it just turns into a game. I think to myself how lucky I am to be in such a caring relationship and family. I still cannot believe that this is my life and that I get to spend everyday with them. Eventually, seeing them having so much fun without me is unbearable, so I hop out of my seat and join in. Our Saturday is spent with lots of laughs, hugs, and love, running around until the sun sets on this routine, on this life.

The qualities of my life are changed along with my routines and the lifestyle that I had gotten so accustomed to. Although the structure of my family is the same, we all have different potentials that have shaped our lives differently in this lifetime.

The smell of sweet honeysuckle fills the room as the sun rises over the vineyards. My eyes flutter open as I struggle to pull myself out of bed. My arms immediately reach towards the sky trying to undo all of the tension in my body. I follow my morning routine by tiptoeing to the kitchen to prepare the espresso and biscuits for breakfast, trying not to wake anyone up. The balcony waits for me as I settle into my chair and let the sun wash over my skin, warming me from the outside in, deep into my core. Eventually, one by one, everyone trudges out of bed and joins me on the balcony as the people of the village begin to stir. Italian greetings are called out reminding everyone of the events of the day. We discuss what today’s adventure will be as he almost jumps out of his chair as ideas for adventures spew of out of his mouth like he has been holding them in for years. Ever since we met he has always been able to find an adventure in every nook and cranny of everywhere we travel. When we decided to finally settle down in our small village in Italy, he could barely wait to finish unpacking and go find every possible activity that our new home held for us. After many ideas being passed around we opted for the most active voyage and are ready and out of the door in ten minutes. We begin the trek through our small town in Italy that we call home by being greeted by every doorstep with familiar faces. The sun sets on this life as I do what we love, in the place I love, with the people I love.

A once relaxing and calm lifestyle is transformed into a rushed and coveted lifestyle in the city. Everything goes from slow to fast as I am transferred to another lifetime where again my family is the same except we have now adapted to a different existence.

The blaring horns sound as if the morning traffic was right there in my bedroom as my eyes jolt open. I immediately make my rounds around the house, stirring everyone awake. Shortly after I enter the compact kitchen, I am joined by the rest of my family, each still as asleep as I am. The chaos commences as school schedules are called out and five lunches are being thrown together and into lunch bags, hoping that they land in the right one. Everyone dresses as quickly as possible and is out the door in the shortest amount of time possible since this routine is down pat. We say our goodbyes and I continue down the street holding as many hands and lunch bags as possible as the birds serenade our journey to school. The rest of our family continues in the opposite direction by himself taking the fastest route to work, as it is my day to walk them to school. Once we reach our destination, goodbyes are said again, and then my journey resumes by myself on my way to my very own escape from my normally hectic life. The wind from the air-conditioning in the World Trade Center that houses the Allure offices blows back my hair as I get a text from him telling me he made it safely to work and that it is going to be another long day at the office. A small smirk is hinted in my face and I brush a piece of hair from my face that the small gust of wind blew, and continue towards the elevators to go up my office. Right as I open the door my stomach flutters knowing that I am in my happy place. The laughter and hard work initiate as soon as I try to find a spot clear of products and magazines on my desk to set my purse down. Once the day is done I make the journey back home gathering the rest of my family on the way. I am already home when he finally opens the door and I can see his long and tiring day right in his eyes. However I can also see the joy in the kids eyes that he still manages to make it home just in time for dinner. Despite the hard work completed throughout the day we still managed to return together as a family at the dinner table. The table is set with a meal fully cooked and the food is already being passed around as stories from the day being are shared before I can even sit down. A smile spreads across my face listening to my family’s days in nonbelief that this is my life. As the night comes to an end and the sun is setting, I know that this is my true family and that this is how I am meant to live.