a Lunch for Sunday

After church on Sunday we were invited to a special birthday Lunch for a wonderful lady in our ward. We are very impressed with the warm welcomes we have received here and I feel like everyone is reaching out to us, trying to help us feel more comfortable here, even with the language barrier.

We enjoyed AMAZING FOOD!!!!! I have to tell you that I was so happy to get an insider view at a true Italian family meal. You know, the one where the grandmother stands up before the prayer is said, stating that (is full Italian) "My lasagna is the best in the world!" and she is totally right. Or where the women keep asking you if you are still hungry and say, "Please, take more, there is so much food!" And where they cook for an army and you wonder where all this food is going to go but by the end of the meal there is not a trace left over.

As Tyson took his first bites of lasagna, he gave me the, "Oh my goodness I have died and gone to heaven," look. I tried my first bite and then spent the rest of the time trying to decipher what it was that made this lasagna so incredible as I tried savor each bite. Was it the proscuitto layered inbetween the perfectly al dente noodles? Was is the mashed tomatoes used sparingly instead of being drowned in tomato sauce? Or was it the secret sauce that melts in your mouth? I am determined to have her teach me what the "it" is about her recipe. I want to take it back to the states with me.

We also found out that Tyson loves grissini (bread sticks) wrapped in deli meats, particularly those famous in Bologna, such as prosciutto and mortadella. We have eaten a lot of pork here and that's mainly because in certain parts of the Emilia Romagna Region, there are more pigs than people!

Taryn played with Joshua but mainly was after all his cool toys. Sometimes she gets scared by loud noises and Joshua likes the sound of things crashing against the floor so....they are learning to peacefully and gently with one another.

There is a smile on my face. I am loving these fun experiences.