Italy

I had just gone to see the movie “Sex In The City” where all the girls had just been flown to a foreign country for an exotic vacation.

The next morning I got a call from one of my clients, Krista Marie, an up and coming music artist, and she asked me if she could fly me (and my better half) to Italy for a week to photograph her wedding. I was soo excited!! Wow, Krista a celebrity and Marc, a big time music manager (Big and Rich to name a few) wanted me…..Erin McCaffrey…. to photograph the most special day of their lives! I was thrilled and honored!! So,..I started planning and packing for the up coming trip. I had been working my tail off for the past year so a trip was something I really needed!

All was going well, I'd packed all of my equipment and all of my cute new summer, strappy dresses, ( I had shopped for weeks getting the perfect outfits for the Amalfi coast.) Everything seemed perfect, except for a few mosquito bites on my arms from the last evening shoot I did. A few mosquito bites. No big deal. Or so I thought.

I was all cozied in on the plane headed for Rome, with a glass of wine and the movie “When In Rome”. I was smiling in anticipation of this wonderful adventure. Then, glancing down to check my arms where the mosquito bites were, it seemed to me that they were multiplying. No, I thought, that could not be! It must be my imagination. Then I felt some itchy spots around my jaw line …………and then…., I saw several tiny bumps crawling up to my cheeks. All of a sudden I felt my body begin to itch all over and I started freaking out. I went to the back of the plane to ask the flight attendant if she knew what could be going on. Did she have any Benadryl, did I have an allergy? To my horror the attendant informed me that she believed I had poison ivy!! What ? Poison ivy? Oh no, I'm thinking, …..I am going to a foreign country with this $%^& spreading on my body! I started to cry in front of the flight attendant and I was instantly in hell.

And the hell continued. When we arrived in Naples, I waited at the baggage claim and yes,…...more hell,….. no bags. They were left in Rome. Great! Poison ivy on my face and body, no clothes (people had been known to not get their bags for a week!)….. more tears!! I was beyond depressed and full of anxiety as I climbed into the cab that was going to take us from Naples to Amalfi. I now know first hand about Italians being crazy drivers. It was extremely dangerous and my stomach was doing flips, omg....I thought, I might “hurl”……

I tried to communicate with the cab driver to take me to a pharmacy. Unfortunately the pharmacy didn’t understand calamine lotion, but they sold me some steroid cream that did not do much good. I was really worried. What if my face got worse? I did not want to freak out the bride and all the guests. Was poison ivy contagious? Oh lord! Why me???

I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t just wait and see what the cream would do. So I got another expensive, dangerous cab ride to the hospital. I flew in the door, started talking a mile a minute to the doctor, telling him the whole story, “ Ok, I am a photographer from the US and I was doing a session in a field……..how long will this take to go away????…….The doctor looked totally confused, finally, I said……………….”poison ivy'? He got out a really big fat needle…………I closed my eyes and……… ouch! Whew! Is it over??? I left the hospital praying that my face would clear up and I would get my luggage!!!! Please God!!

Well, my face cleared up pretty well in a day, at least I could cover it with makeup. It never cleared up on my arms though ( in fact, it spread to my stomach and legs) but thank goodness it was not visible on my face!!

Oh, and my bags arrived the next day. Yeah!

Although my trip started out a little rocky, it ended up fantastic!! Ok---now can we talk about the amazing wedding. Marc Oswald and Krista Marie, were married in the garden of the Hotel Santa Caterina, a luxurious five star hotel. The bride was gorgeous in a stunning RED gown, and the groom wore flip flops and a white linen suit. Sooo Hollywood! The reception dinner consisted of five sumptuous courses and the wine poured freely! I was in culinary heaven! The reception was on a private yacht where there were Nashville musicians playing great music, great deserts, fabulous drinks and interesting people. Oh, I forgot to mention, the night before the wedding Krista and Marc hosted a party on the yacht, with again, great food, drinks, and entertainment. Also, all the women were treated to a ladies spa night, where we had mani's, pedi's, facials and massages under the moonlight on the yacht, on the Mediterranean sea. It was amazing! What a fabulous night.

The trip was truly a blessing. The wedding was incredible. Amalfi was breathtaking. For the next few days we enjoyed our room with a spectacular view, and breakfast on the terrace, ….....and romantic meals with serenading musicians while we sipped our wine in outdoor cafes,…........there were fireworks at midnight……. It was magical.

Except for the ivy.