April 10, 2018 - Hannah's Birthday


Several weeks ago we were in the grocery store when an American-looking (Yes, we Americans stand out like sore thumbs here in Italy!) woman and her daughter passed by us several times.  After passing us for the fourth or fifth time she asked if we were Americans too.  In talking, we found out that her husband is a law professor in Pittsburgh, PA who is here on a Fulbright Scholarship for almost the exact period we are.  

The Dimino's are a blended family, and they have four children with them (two 18-year-olds [son and daughter], a 16-year-old son, and a 12-year-old daughter).  We decided it might be fun for Hannah and their 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte, to get together some time, so we exchanged numbers.  Hannah and Charlotte hit it off smashingly from the start, and they have been doing things together ever since.  

We found out that the Dimino's not only live nearby but right outside our back window!  The picture below shows the view out of Hannah's bedroom.  Charlotte's apartment is the one with the air conditioning unit.  There is a small courtyard that separates the two buildings. Charlotte's mom, Jennifer, had the fun idea to string a cord between windows so that the girls could send notes back and forth! Finding a good friend so close-by may have been the best birthday present Hannah got.

 

Hannah has since been on several excursions with the Diminos.  Below are some pictures of a trip to the zoo.  Hannah has really appreciated having some time with someone her age, away from her parents!




The picture above is Charlotte's sister, Teagan, Charlotte, and Hannah.


The picture below is of Teagan, Charlotte, and Hannah on the subway going to the mall.  Hannah asked to go shopping at the mall for her birthday.  We literally never go to the mall in Utah, but it seems to feel like home to Hannah because it looks just like an American mall.  The picture below that is Jennifer Dimino, Teagan, and Charlotte.




Of course, we needed decorations and presents for Hannah's birthday!


Hannah's awesome Young Women leaders at home in Utah made sure to send us to Italy with all of the booklets and gifts that the girls get when they turn 12. Hannah was so surprised that they had thought of her! They also took a video of all of our homeward Young Women wishing her a Happy Birthday and welcoming her to YW. That was pretty cool. She is excited to get back and join them.


Presents! Of course, Hannah helped Mom pick most of the presents out at the mall, but we thought that they needed to wrapped anyway, and there were a few surprised among them :). It was really fun.




Shopping with a friend allows you to be twinners together.  They had fun talking, primping, and performing their own version of the Great British Bake-off.






They really are "birds of a feather" and both of them love sushi! So we took Charlotte out to dinner with us. We all tried some crazy dishes we had not had before. They had lots of fun picking things out of the huge menu. It was quite a switch from all of the Italian food we have been living on.






Italian pastry shops make a pretty yummy "cake"! This was some sort of orange cream confection, with orange glaze on top. Sooooooo good.



Hannah and Charlotte both got a balloon tying kit (we thought we better have a party favor!), and they had a blast making balloon animals. Hannah has taped them on her bedroom walls. They got pretty good at making them. Charlotte's family said that they all got in on it when she brought hers home.


Having Charlotte around really made the birthday fun for Hannah.  It can be rough being around two old farts all the time. They have done lots of fun things together, even though their family and our family are often leaving town or having visitors, they still manage to get some fun time squeezed in. Heather also really likes Jennifer, Charlotte's mom, and her sister Teagan, too. They are such a nice and fun family. They have a few ties in Provo and we hope that they will come out to Utah and visit us some time in the future. 

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