When a door closes....

So back in February I was invited to go on a study abroad trip to... VIENNA, AUSTRIA!!! How unbelievably cool is that?! And to be personally invited by the professor in charge was just the icing on the cake.
Well, that cake got a little stale! I could not raise enough funds on my own for the trip, so I had to decline my spot. It is not a trip sponsored through JMU so I couldn't get any grant/scholarship/loan money to help with the cost. I was heartbroken, but not enough to really be a problem. 
While nursing my wound, my mom and sister-in-law kept reminding me that when one door closes, another one opens, and in most cases that other door winds up being so much better.... cue the new door opening please!

In April I had received an email from the director of the Adult Degree Program, which I am a part of, that said: 
     The Adult Degree Program, Outreach and Engagement, and Dr. Robert Bersson... have collaborated to make a study abroad opportunity available to ADP students. If you always wanted to study abroad but a full semester isn't possible, here is your chance to spend 10 days in Florence, Italy.

FLORENCE!!!! Ever since I took my art history courses at Southern Virginia University I have wanted to go to Italy. Now, here is my chance, waiting for me to pluck it up and do whatever I could to make this trip a reality.
I told my mom (let's face it, she will be watching my kids, so she had to give her approval) and she was all for it. Mostly because this trip would only be for ten days, whereas the Austria trip was for six weeks. Thanks to a generous uncle I already had my passport (had to be prepared fore Vienna), so all I had to do was to become best buddies with Sallie Mae to get the needed funding, since this trip was sponsored by JMU I had that option. Tuition, airfare, food (staying at a hotel), entertainment, and all that other touristy stuff taken into account, I sold my soul filled out my application and sent it off for approval.
Fast forward through the "endless" waiting for school verification, for the actual deposit into my account, and I can say with utter glee that I am fully paid up for the trip, flight has been purchased, and I am now at the stage of making a list of things that I will need to remember to bring, which shouldn't be too long.