My mom is a caretaker.
Shes still workingvery hard, in factand is the sweetest and happiest woman I know.
My husband and I spent the year saving and conspiring to surprise her with a trip.
But first, where to go?
Her answer was simple: I want to go to Europe, specifically to Barcelona.
Maybe even a cruise.
I put the planning wheels in motion.
Mom would be able to check a total of four countries off her passport.
And then I waited…
When I got around to telling her about the trip, we both cried.
For the next eight months, my mom and I planned our first-ever mother-daughter trip together.
We dreamed about restaurants, hotels,must-see sights, and of course, what wed wear.
We took naps and selfies, and watched movies that wed not seen in the theater.
Im on long-haul flights often, but it was way more fun with my mom.
Plus, it was great to see her in the passenger seat instead of pushing the drink cart.
And this was just the beginning.
By the time we boarded our cruise, wed overcome our jet lag and nailed the whole Euro-trip thing.
My moms job is in the air and she can pack a carry-on at lightning speed.
But weve never had the privilege to travel together.
Naturally, we have our differences when it comes to traveling.
The same went for walking long distances.
The very best part of getting totally out of her comfort zone?
But it turns out, were a lot more alike than not.
We eased into a travel routine like wed been gallivanting the globe together for years.
My one regret was that we hadnt.
Since weve come home I have a newfound appreciation for my mom.
Timewith our parentsisnt infinite and I realized this even more on my trip.
In our 10 days abroad together, I saw her display each of these teachings in full.
On one of the last days of our adventure, we threw coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
I snapped my moms photo as she tossed a penny back and made her wish.
