OK. So. The story I'm about to tell you happened a year ago and honestly, I never intended to post this on the interwebs. I didn't want it to scream "look at me! look at me! Attention! Attention!" HOWEVER, after much consideration, I decided it's such a fun story and if it can inspire someone out there to be fearless and live a little, why not? So, you know what? I'm doing it. The time I kissed a stranger at Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy. Here we go.

My friend Jackie and I had been traveling in Italy for about three days. We had just hopped off a train from Rome to Florence the night before, not the least bit tired from our adventures together. We pride ourselves on being the perfect travel partners. We give each other space, we're easy going and zero control freaks about what to see next or what kind of agenda should be had every day (the only priorities are espresso, wine, food, repeat). We let the wind take us and we easily meet people so it really is a match made in heaven. Anyway, I digress.

On this particular day we decided that we wanted to see the infamous Duomo and The David. We also decided that I needed to ask a local Italian man to kiss me. Yes. That is correct. It was decided that I would ask a local Italian man to kiss me. We would go about our day, enjoying all the wine, all the food and any spontaneous kisses that came my way...

We stopped for espressos and saw the Duomo in all its glory. We waited in line to see Mr. David and agreed it was worth the wait (It's amazing. Don't miss it if you're ever in Florence). We stopped for lunch, a glass of wine and talked to a group of people traveling from Dublin while we we were at it. We payed the bill and wanted to make our way to a rooftop view so the journey continued. We turned a corner and found ourselves in the middle of a piazza and realized we needed to ask for directions. Suddenly, the crowd parted (do you like the dramatic affect I'm building here?) and there he was. An Italian man straight out of Vogue magazine sitting on his ricksha looking our way. Jackie and I looked at each other and quickly mumbled, "he's the one."

We walked up to him and asked him for directions. He wasn't having any of that though and tried to convince us to pay for a tour. Jackie gave me a look and then backed away slowly, camera ready in hand because she was not about to let this go down without proof. She's good like that. Now it was just me and him. Standing in a VERY public place. This was it. I turned to him and said the following, "Listen, I have this goal, which is I need to kiss an Italian guy before the day is over." His eyebrows went straight up. "And I was wondering if you would want to be that guy?"

His eyebrows went up even more. He then lowered his sunglasses and said in a very thick Italian accent, "like...on the lips?" HAHA I'll never forget that. "Yes, is that ok?" I asked. He adjusts his sunglasses once again while blurting out, "well yeah!" He pulled me in, brought his face close to mine and all of a sudden I hear Jackie yell, "yeah Liiiizzzzz!!!!" and then this happened....

Goooood times. After what seemed 10 minutes, we came up for air and then just stood there for a minute in silence (not the awkward kind. The good kind). Jackie came back to gather my weak in the knees self so I thanked him for his delightful, sexy kisses and disappeared into the crowd of people (not before looking behind me a few times). It's hands down the coolest thing I've ever done. I'm laughing as I write this because it's also something straight out of a romantic comedy, which is ridiculous in the best way.

I guess the point of me telling you this story is a) it's my favorite story (ha) and b) to inspire you next time you're somewhere far away from home to do something outside of your comfort zone. I hope you run faster towards new experiences. I hope you say yes to things you usually say no to and I hope you walk away from that week or two weeks, or three, with a new fire inside of you. I hope you return home from your travels not just rested or rejuvenated, but different. I always look at traveling as a chance to get closer to the person I want to be, but more importantly, I look at travel as a way to KEEP my childish sense of self. I.E the story where I once kissed a stranger in the middle of Florence.

The last five photos are courtesy of my daring, hilarious, beautiful, free spirited friend, Jackie. We all need friends who encourage mischievous, wild, fun behavior, such as kissing boys in far away lands. Jax, You are my own personal little gift in life and I'll cherish you always.

The Coolest Thing I've Ever Done // Kissing at Santa Maria del Fiore