For the past four years, the beginning of the year has been a challenge—one that I’m not used to.

The first time I felt this way, my husband suggested I start a personal project. I didn’t listen to him. Instead, I carried on with my usual tasks—basically brushing those feelings under the rug.

But that heavy, sad, and challenging feeling kept returning. And in January 2025, I felt it creeping in again. It’s called depression. I don’t like admitting it, but after four years, it was time to face it. I couldn’t keep living in denial.

This time, I took my husband’s advice seriously. I decided to start a personal project. I did some research, made phone calls, searched online, checked for local events, reached out to a few friends—and eventually, I booked a trip to Venice. (Yes, Venice—again!)

Originally, I thought traveling with a friend would be a good idea, but Gene turned out to be the perfect travel companion.

Why Venice?
While I was still brainstorming personal project ideas, Gene asked me a few simple but powerful questions: What do you enjoy doing? Where would you like to go? If there were no limitations, what would you choose? That’s how I ended up back in Venice.

This time, it coincided with Carnival—how amazing is that? I had never experienced Carnival before, and let me tell you: it’s one of those experiences you must have at least once in your life.

So here we are in Venice, walking the streets during Carnival. Below are a few pictures to give you a glimpse of what Venice is like during this magical time of year:

I was so shocked to see people in full customes at 6am ready for photos!

This project will take some time to develop and I will share more as I continue to showcase what my idea is “getting lost to find myself again, in Venice”

xo

Patty