Ni hao, Frances!

I'd like to start this post by saying that I've been very lucky in my life to have been able to travel to (and live in) several different countries. Not only has it been fun, but I have also experienced things that have really helped expand my view of the world & of life, and shape who I am today. I am also über blessed to have met some really fantastic people along the way...many of which I have been able to maintain some form of contact with. Toward the end of this March I got an email from Frances (my boss from when I lived in Taiwan for 1/2 year as a volunteer teaching English to children). She and her family were in Utah (visiting from Taiwan) and she wanted to see if we could meet up while they were here. We'd maintained contact through holiday cards, but it had been 12 years since I had seen her in person, so I was really excited to see her, to meet her family, and to introduce her to Mark and our boys! They own a beautiful second home here for when they visit, and they invited us to join them there for dinner (real Chinese food). Here is Frances with her husband Gerald and their two adorable kids:

Frances knew how to win over the boys...with candy! Her she is with Noah.

And Frances with Lincoln.

And...since I promised Ellie several pictures (ok, and because I always love lots of pictures!) here's one of Frances, the boys & me.

We had such a wonderful evening visiting with Frances and her family...and the food was amazing! Not only was it really nostalgic for me to eat her cooking, but it really was delicious. AND...she sent us home with a bunch of food to enjoy at home later! So, although this washed out photo does no justice to this delicious dish (which happens to be one of my all-time favorites!) - I had to include a shot of it...just so I can go back and look at it and salivate upon demand.

The other thing that was really fun was how much both of the boys looooved her noodles. The smell of the broth she had them in triggered a thousand memories for me (amazing how smells can do that) - and the boys loved eating it as much as I did. I also loved that Noah enjoyed trying to eat it with chopsticks. Here he is (at home) using various techniques to get those tasty noodles to his lips:


Thank you so much for thinking of us while you were in town, Frances! We all had such a fabulous time visiting with you and enjoying your wonderful cooking! Let's be sure not to wait so long between seeing each other again next time though!