Rob and I were very lucky to get to have a weekend away in Italy. My parents arrived for a visit just in time for me to be able to join Rob at a conference where he was asked to speak. The kids got to have a weekend being spoiled by ShaSha and Papa and Mom and Dad got a weekend away – win, win.

I always like traveling, but it’s extra fun to join Rob on work trips. It is always fun to see him in his element. Watching him prepare and present his talk, then sitting in on any interviews, and interacting with other presenters are all part of the fun. And if I am being honest, tagging along on the speaker dinners are pretty fun too. Eating amazing food and listening to stories told by the other presenters was pretty incredible. Stories about how things were on set “back in the day” to what was difficult about a certain aspect of a current film project.

Rob is a really smart guy. I know this, but it is always amazing to see it first hand. While doing interviews he generally didn’t know the questions ahead of time, so watching him flawlessly answer questions with ease was fun.  One of the funny moments from his interviews was when he was asked about his current project, the Han Solo film. “Can you tell us anything about the visual effects in the Han Solo movie?” His answer after a brief pause – “No.” The interviewer didn’t know what to say so he just moved on.

One afternoon we had some free time so we walked around the city. As we walked around we saw plaques in the sidewalk in front of homes. We learned that the plaques were memorials to individuals who lived in that home who had been arrested and taken to Auschwitz and ultimately killed. It was sobering to think about the people who lived their life everyday walking the streets of Torino, eating at the cafe, taking their kids to school, walking to church and then one day they were taken away. So much sadness and history in this small town.

I am so thankful for our weekend away to experience life with Rob and for the amazing opportunities to see the world.