About a month ago my Nana was cleaning out some things in a closet when she found this Italian cookbook. She started paging through it and found a menu written and taped inside. The handwriting was that of my Papa. He had studied the cookbook created a menu to eventually have. No one knows when he wrote it, but this gave my Nana the idea of having a dinner in his honor on his birthday.
My Papa died in 2008 very suddenly. It was devastating to us all. My grandparents had just returned to Wisconsin a year earlier after having lived in Georgia for many decades. I was a freshman in college and it was a challenge for me being so far away. We were pals, number 2s as he’d call us as we were both middle children. As a kid I enjoyed their visits to visit us there were ear nibbles, Dairy Queen runs, donut runs, and so many memories. I enjoyed my visits to Georgia, mostly because it was fun with the two Anthony’s and two Emily’s. My dad is named after his dad and I’m named after my dad’s mom. That only really became complicated once they moved back to Wisconsin but we all thankfully have our own middle names!!
Birthdays are always celebrated in a big way in our family and the same went for Papa last evening, complete with singing happy birthday, with FaceTiming our family out east to join in! The food was delicious and the company was even greater. 
I found this photo from their first Christmas back in Wisconsin, and it just made me smile. Wishing you were here, but I really think you knocked that coat rack over after dinner last night 😉. 
Sprinkled Donut 
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