The sky reflected our moods, and we could see the white-topped peaks just out of our reach, lining the ring around our valley. I convinced my husband to go for a drive "to the top of the hill" just to get a better view. It will get us out of the house. We had been stuck inside for days because of rain. The same rain was making snow just 10 miles north of us. Why not?

JD has dreams and has goals: part of those intersect with her Venice dreams and parenting goals.  It was time to check visiting Venice Italy off the bucket list, so JD set off to visit Venice Italy and experience it with her daughter.

My previous winters in Chicago always left me wishing I could be somewhere warm...