Ok, I know I’ll soon be gobbling loads of pizza in Italy…but how about a couple of slices to get me started?! 
There was no time to cook tonight, between errands, needing to pack and what not, so I picked up a piping-hot, pizza pie on my way home from work. 
Black olives for her, beef & mushroom for him. Hot & cheesy, pleasy.
In other news, I’ve got my reading materials for the plane ride all ready to go:
Water for Elephants, recommended by several of you, and Playing for Pizza which my Dad told me I HAD to read since it’s set in Italy and has got some great descriptions of Italian food.
Plus my Rick Steves’ Rome 2010 guide and Access Rome book.
I was hoping to pick up some more good reads at the library last night, but every single book on my “must read” list had a waiting list 100 people long! Think I’ll pick something up at the book store in the airport tomorrow…
My clothes are folded and ready to be packed into my pack. Yep, Ben talked me into going the hardcore back packer route!
All important documents have been printed and copied. Checklists for the morning have been made. Flights have been confirmed.
Yep, I think I’m ready! 
Before I go, I want to encourage you all to visit my friend Mara’s blog, I Made Dinner. She’s donating all of her blog proceeds in the month of September to the A to Z Literacy Project which sends thousands of books annually to needy children in Zambia. Click, click, click!!!
Well, my friends, I hope you all have a fabulous Labor Day weekend, I hope you enjoy the guest posts detailing out your “Best Vacations Ever” over the next week and I hope to talk to you soon from the great city of Rome!
Arrivederci!
Have a GREAT time – how can you not? I cannot wait to read and see photos from your trip!
I just realized we didn’t have pizza once while we were in Italy – there was so much different, incredible food (and wine, and coffee and gelato) to try! Have an incredible time!!
LUCKY girl! Have an amazing trip!!!
I loved Water for Elephants…what a great book! Have an awesome trip!
that pizza looks DAAAAANG tasty!
Water for Elephants is an awesome book… one of my favorites.
Have a great trip!
Rome is beautiful…. you will encounter a gazillion places called “trattoria pizzeria”, in which they will have the most glorious pizza unlike any you have ever/could ever experience in the US. Ohhh so good!
A friend just recommended “Water for Elephants”… she said it was a fantastic book. Can’t wait to read it.
have a great trip!!!! can’t wait to hear/see all about it!
You are all set!
Have an the time of your life and be sure to come back and share it all! 
Wow, have a good time. I’ve read Playing for Pizza, and it really did have some good food talk in there
have fun! when i was in the airport earlier in the summer i found a bookstore that had 1/2 price used books… you could buy those or you could buy a new one, read it, and then sell it back to another bookstore of that chain. cool, huh?
Godfather’s Pizza reminds me of Minnesota! Oh how I miss the Midwest! I love your backpack! What is the make/model of it? Have a GREAT time on your trip!!
Have a great trip!! So jealous! (And that pizza is making me have a serious craving for Godfather’s)
Water For Elephants is fantastic. And I love Rick Steves! He was my reference during my Portugal trip two years ago.
Have a great trip!
AHHH!! Have so much fun! I cannot wait to hear all about it.
I’m so sad that we don’t have Godfather’s anymore.
Enjoy your trip- totally jelly!
You’ll have such a fantastic time in Rome! I’m jealous and eager to see lots of pictures!
P.S. I read “Water for Elephants” a couple years back and LOVED it. One of my all-time-favs!
So jealous of your adventures. I love traveling and haven’t been somewhere since my honeymoon 3 years ago! But my brother just got a really cool internship in Hong Kong next year and my mom said she would take me. Seeing you in the backpack picture just reminds me of going to Europe and loving every second of it!
Have a great trip!!
Safe travels and have lots of fun!! Can’t wait to see pictures and hear all about it. I know it’s going to make me want to go there even more…
Ahh! Have so much fun! I plan on living vicariously through you and your posts from Italy
I love that backpack, so Europe-like! Have a great time!
Have so much fun! The pack looks great on you.
Water for Elephants was a fantastic book! Have a great trip
have an amazing trip kristin!!!
Pizza is the only thing I can disagree with you on — I have never enjoyed Godfathers!? I do, however, like another locally owned pizza… CASEY’S (yes, as in the “General Store”) Taco Pizza — Only kind I’ll eat from there!
have a fabulous time in Italy, can’t wait to ‘hear’ about your adventures
Great choice on “Water for Elephants”! I read it this summer and really liked it…plus, Reese Witherspoon’s going to be in the movie! I hope you and IBE have a great time in Italy, I can’t wait to see all the pictures!
You are going to have such a blast!! I can’t wait to drool over the pictures of all the amazing food you will eat! I haven’t yet made it to Europe, but can’t wait to hear all about your trip, Enjoy
I really miss Godfather’s pizza. I was born and raised in Omaha Nebraska and we used to get Godfather’s all the time!
You look so cute, the backpack is bigger’n you are!
Have fun, soak it up and enjoy every smell, taste and sight!
Sorry I never got a vaca post to you, but I am sure you got tons!
Be safe, have fun and I cannot wait to hear and see it thru your eyes!
Shoes, did you get shoes????
Wishing you and IBE safe travels. Enjoy! Can’t wait for all the details!
SO exciting!!! Have a blast and eat your weight in pizza and gelato!
Eeeek! You’re going to have an amazing time! And the pizza in Italy (that you’ll eat for just about every meal) won’t even compare to anything you’ve eaten here. Can’t wait to hear your foodie stories!
and Water for Elephants? SO GOOD! I read it in like 2 days. Can’t wait for the movie to come out.
You are going to LOVE the hardcore backpacking way. And it looks good on you. Plus, you’ll be working off those pizza cals by carrying your stuff on your back.
Have a blast!
have a GREAT trip! I did a semester program in Siena back in 2006 and took weekend trips to Rome and the Amalfi Coast (and all over Italy!) so I am excited to re-visit these places through your blog! Yippee! Oh, I esp. liked Positano-just the view of it from afar as it clings to the cliffs above the ocean is stunning!
Saw this article on cnn today & thought of you. The Inside Scoop on Rome’s Gelato. Enjoy your trip!
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/09/01/budget.rome.gelato/index.html
Oooh, chiming in on the Water for Elephants choice. That book blew me away; hope you like it, too!
Have to admit, I can’t share the Godfather’s love. My town doesn’t have one, but we went to one recently (on our way home from seeing the fam at Easter) to indulge Teh Husband’s childhood nostalgia. I felt a little ill after that meal. Pizza is one of those things that I can tolerate only in small doses, and only carefully done. I usually stick to one local pizza place and get a special that includes turkey, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper, and I get that on wheat crust with “light” (half the regular amount of) cheese.
Have a BLAST in Italy! Can’t wait to get the updates and see the pics!
Get a Kindle girl — a million times easier to take on trips in a flat little package. Weighs next to nothing.
Oh, I am so excited for you! Have a wonderful time! Umm, is that everything in that tiny backpack? No more luggage? Seriously….bowing down to you now as I am super impressed! I don’t think I could get my shoes in that little backpack, lol!
Can’t wait to hear all about the trip. I’ll pray you have safe flights.
Rick Steve’s Italy book is great!!! Have a great trip!
i hope you have an amazing time, i’m going to miss you!
awhhh crap!! i forgot to send in a post about my best vacation ever! ok i’ll quickly tell it here! i was studying abroad in south africa for a semester (that was a best vacation in and of itself!) and we took a 10 day trip through botswana, zambia, and zimbabwe. i rode wild elephants, bungee jumped, went on a whole bunch of safaris, climbed the namibian sand dunes, and saw some of the mose amazing sights ever. it was hands down the best 10 days of my life. have a WONDERFUL trip to italy, and i cant wait to hear everything when you get back!!!
Have a wonderful time…can’t wait to read all about it when you’re back!!!
You’re killing me with the Godfathers! It’s the best pizza out there in my opinion! I dated a guy for a while that thought Godfathers was disgusting…it was nearly grounds for breakup.
Have a great trip! I’m jealous!
I can’t wait to hear all about your trip as you’re experiencing it! Have a fabulous vacation!!