The last week of May 2010 not one or two or even three moving trucks pulled up on our tree lined street but five. As they approached the house I burst into tears. Tears of joy, excitement, sadness and terror. My hubby (we shall call him Gman, in the white t-shirt in the photo) and I had planned this move to Tuscany years ago and we had decided on the Summer of 2010 for many reasons, reasons which shall be revealed over time some of which include not wanting to raise our children in Los Angeles (otherwise known as Lala Land). As a child I had spent many summers in Italy and somehow always felt I would spend a significant part of my life living “la dolce vita.” But I will be honest I was scared to make the move, to move out of my comfort zone, to in essence, start over. I had two healthy and happy children, two Wholefoods near by (important), lots of friends, I loved my work, and my career was going wonderfully, I was settling into my life. And yet, there was something missing. Years before I had had my astrological chart read and was told that I was meant to live in Tuscany. That creatively my life would come alive in Tuscany. I fought it, I did but after all this was the same astrologer (Gahl Sasson) who told me 9 years ago when I was an actress that I should write and now I am practically a full fledged author with two books under my belt, the eco-editor of Pregnancy Magazine and syndicated blogs in the blogosphere. Check him out if you ever feel like you need some guidance in your life.

I digress, so, here we are in Italy, 20 miles outside of Siena in the Tuscan Hills in a 900-year-old house that needs some fixing. I do not wish to be a Frances Mayes repeat but this blog will encompass my life here from the food including recipes, to raising children here, the reconstruction of the house and farm to creating a business or two and of course the trials and tribulations in between.  We have been here for a few months now and a lot has happened. I’ll fill you in soon.

Any other expats out there? Please share your stories.