Our trip is completed - well for the most part.
As I write this I'm flying somewhere over Kentucky or Tennessee and we will
all be home in Arizona soon. With a tight connection in Newark, all of us made
the connecting flight but two of our travelers whose luggage were the last two
bags off the conveyor in Newark, only so we could go through customs and
get the bags rechecked, and then go back through security, and then find the
gate that seemed to change locations two or three times. It sounds like they
are on the next flight and will be home a few hours after the rest of us! 
This year I had one three-peat traveler and two
repeat travelers. It is always fun to see these travelers evolve from their
first trip to the subsequent trips. Not only in their experience and
familiarity with all of the little idiosyncrasies of the trip, but to see
how their lives have changed and evolved. Just like the trip, you keep moving
forward, despite the wrong turns, and right turns - you keep moving forward.
Next thing you know you are on a completely different path in life. I love that
about this trip and my repeat travelers. They truly are special people to me.
Next year we will finish the trip in Positano,
Capri and the Amalfi Coast. This will be my first time to these locations so I'm
sure next year's trip will be full of new adventures. We hope to put together a
great group of 14-18 travelers for another spectacular journey. Don't wait to
sign up - I already have four travelers from this year's trip ready to go!
My 11th Candelaria Design Tour is complete and
now it's back to being an architect! We are excited with the projects we have
going - with the Villages at Mountain Shadows being one of the main marquis
projects currently underway. We have some amazing homes in design and
production too including some unbelievable hillside homes, several homes in
California and a new one just getting started in Cherry Hills, Colorado! 
The Italy
trip always inspires me and so many aspects of the Italian culture and style
get infused into both my personal and professional life. From architecture to
food, to spending time with friends and family, and making our time at work and
with clients more like family - it all gets infused into my everyday way of life!
It's so easy to get caught up in the everyday hamster wheel but mixing it up
with these little infusions of the Italian culture sure does make life more
savory and beautiful.
So get ready - we will do our best to blog
regularly and we will post some of the fabulous recipes from the dishes we
enjoyed, talk more about the people and places we enjoyed, and go into more
depth on design and just living. That's what we really want to focus on is how
to all live a bit better! So here we go - stay tuned!