We Love to Eat!

 Dear Family,

It's been a blessedly quiet week, no real big events, nothing that caused undo stress or excitement. Dad and I have worked hard, slowly making progress on the many assignments that each day brings. I had pretty even work in my three major assignments spending equal time writing Primary training, editing an article for the Asia Liahona and sending it off to translation, and managing missionary temple groups. I also have a new assignment to help put together a 21Day reading challenge for the  Book Of Mormon to be presented to the entire Asia Area next year. At the initial meeting with the Asia Area President where this idea first came up it was presented as an additional Book of Mormon reading experience, on top of Come Follow Me. As they talked, all I could think about is all our Sunday conversations about how hard it is just to keep up with the regular Come Follow Me. I listened for a minute or two and then finally weighed in with the conundrum of adding more pressure to members study challenges. I admit I used you all as good examples of people trying to make CFM work, but expressed what a struggle it is just to keep up. The Area President immediately caught on to the problem, and the whole discussion switched to how to use this to support Come Follow Me, instead of competing. Good thing we've had all those conversations, we just saved the entire Area from a crushing extra assignment!!

Another fun detail from the week. A little over a month ago as I was wrestling with my Primary Training assignment I started to wonder if there was any helpful information in Salt Lake at the Primary Office. I got online to see if there was a way to contact anyone and before I really knew what had happened I was talking to the secretary in the Presidency's office. After a little bit of back and forth I received an email this week that my questions will be presented to the entire Presidency at their meeting and they will get back to me with some help! I wasn't exactly envisioning being an agenda item for the General Primary, but then again, the Asia Area is half of the worlds population so I guess we'll see what happens.

Dad continues to have a two page, single spaced list of issues that have been given to him. We dedicated our fast this weekend to seek for help to make sure that we-especially Dad-be able to know which things are most important. So many things to choose from. 

And with so many things to do, as I went through our pictures this week, it would appear that all we do is eat!!

Starting Monday morning for Dad's birthday,  Polly and Jennifer know about Dad's obsession with egg tarts and they brought an entire box of them to share at our Monday morning meeting. And of course Dad got about 4 of them!

I made an reservation for us at Morton's to celebrate Dad's birthday at night and while they give you amazing service with personalized menu's....

....and an amazing view.....

....and a delicious lemon souffle, we came away feeling like Mark makes a better steak on the backyard BBQ. Next time we won't spend so much money!

This is Dad's current favorite afternoon break, it's mango with whipped coconut milk!! Kind of a smoothie, kind of just mango puree wrapped in the whipped concoction! 

This is my current favorite afternoon walk. This woman is making me a delicious lemon flavored bubble waffle. Maybe next week I'll get a picture of the waffle itself, but I just love her little shop. This picture doesn't accurately show you the size of her store but I can literally touch both walls at the same time when I'm standing at her counter.

As if we hadn't eaten enough treats, Friday night was a big Mexican Fiesta Dinner Theater with all the Senior Couples. Can you tell what movie we were watching??
PS. This sister at the table, Sister Diane Hansen, is one of my great blessings here. Her husband John also works in the OGC and they leave in two weeks. She looks very serious as she checks out the food here, but she is a bright, funny, positive person who has helped me find my way here. Dad and I will sorely miss them when they go.

We went to the Jade Market yesterday with the Smiths and the nice Chinese gentlemen who took our picture here insisted we do the finger hearts!

And of course, after traipsing all over the city we had to eat again. This time we were at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant with chicken kabobs with peanut sauce and a prawn pomelo salad! Yum!!

Then tonight for Sunday dinner Cindy brought us 2 100 Year eggs, a Chinese delicacy . Yes, that's the black food she is slicing. They are pitch black but don't taste that bad if you dip them in spicy vinegar.

We had a full house tonight. Eason, who you might remember as a newly baptized convert from a month or two ago, showed up for dinner with two of his friends. I had made our family favorite curry and they licked the pot clean saying they loved it. I figure that's high praise from real asians! 

It was fun to have a crowd in the house. I haven't really cooked a true Sunday Dinner for a crowd in a long time and it was fun. The tall woman taking pictures is Sister Snell, the mental health specialist, so all in all we had 9 people in our little apartment.

But don't worry, you are all still my favorite people to cook for and eat with,

Have a great week,

Love you all,

Grandma and Grandpa!