Tanti Auguri!!!
Last weekend we zipped down Tuscany (as fast as you can zip anywhere in four hours) to see Mum and Papa and to celebrate Papa's 88th Birthday! He's been excited about his 88th for weeks now, like a little kid reminding everyone that the day of celebration is coming.
Together, Zeno, Mum and I set up the birthday table and picked out an ice-cream, ok, ok, gelato-cake. Coming up with a good 88th Birthday present wasn't easy, but following Mum's brilliant idea, we ended up conniving together to get him some special chocolates that you can only find in Milan. Papa grew up in Milan, and whenever Zeno and I go for a visit, he always asks about the how’s and wherefores of this City, specifically the areas he was once familiar with. So, when he opened the box of chocolates and recognized the name of the Milanese chocolatier, he was absolutely pleased... and we all jumped in straight away to make sure they were just as good as Papa remembered them being. Yuuuummmyy! It seems they surely were!
We shared smiles and stories as we savored the delicious stew Mum had prepared, and then, we sang "Happy Birthday" in two languages and I had to have Papa blow the candles out twice
because I missed the photo the first time around. Papa graciously blew the candles a second time (still too quick for me to catch...) I think, only because he knew that submitting to my request meant getting his fork into the cake faster! It was a delicious selection - dark and white chocolate mousse. As you can see, Zeno decided that while everyone else could do with a p
iece of birthday cake, he was going to go ahead and down the entire thing! ...In recompense, he ended up on dish duty.
With Papa's celebration as the highlight of our time, we had a nice, even if it was too short, visit to the country side. Zeno managed to pull out both his chainsaw skills and his bonfire instincts. And I found that it's much more pleasant to study Italian under the Tuscan sun with a cup of tea.
With hugs all around, we have now come back and are again in the midst of work and studies in Milano. But it won't be too long before we'll make the trek to be together again... I think next time we'll be celebrating Easter by the sea! I don't know, it seems like a never ending time of celebrations when we get together. But that is the beauty of family - they are what we enjoy to celebrate the most! Praise the Lord for His many blessing upon our family!
Last weekend we zipped down Tuscany (as fast as you can zip anywhere in four hours) to see Mum and Papa and to celebrate Papa's 88th Birthday! He's been excited about his 88th for weeks now, like a little kid reminding everyone that the day of celebration is coming.
Together, Zeno, Mum and I set up the birthday table and picked out an ice-cream, ok, ok, gelato-cake. Coming up with a good 88th Birthday present wasn't easy, but following Mum's brilliant idea, we ended up conniving together to get him some special chocolates that you can only find in Milan. Papa grew up in Milan, and whenever Zeno and I go for a visit, he always asks about the how’s and wherefores of this City, specifically the areas he was once familiar with. So, when he opened the box of chocolates and recognized the name of the Milanese chocolatier, he was absolutely pleased... and we all jumped in straight away to make sure they were just as good as Papa remembered them being. Yuuuummmyy! It seems they surely were!
We shared smiles and stories as we savored the delicious stew Mum had prepared, and then, we sang "Happy Birthday" in two languages and I had to have Papa blow the candles out twice
because I missed the photo the first time around. Papa graciously blew the candles a second time (still too quick for me to catch...) I think, only because he knew that submitting to my request meant getting his fork into the cake faster! It was a delicious selection - dark and white chocolate mousse. As you can see, Zeno decided that while everyone else could do with a p
iece of birthday cake, he was going to go ahead and down the entire thing! ...In recompense, he ended up on dish duty.With Papa's celebration as the highlight of our time, we had a nice, even if it was too short, visit to the country side. Zeno managed to pull out both his chainsaw skills and his bonfire instincts. And I found that it's much more pleasant to study Italian under the Tuscan sun with a cup of tea.
With hugs all around, we have now come back and are again in the midst of work and studies in Milano. But it won't be too long before we'll make the trek to be together again... I think next time we'll be celebrating Easter by the sea! I don't know, it seems like a never ending time of celebrations when we get together. But that is the beauty of family - they are what we enjoy to celebrate the most! Praise the Lord for His many blessing upon our family!
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