He's a TENNIS player!

Yesterday I bought Gianluca a tennis racket for his birthday. Originally I had planned on giving him snowboarding lessons but when we went to the sporting goods store I realized that he was eyeing the rackets and I asked if he would prefer the racket for his gift and his face lit up! I figured why give him a gift that he MIGHT enjoy when I can give him a gift I KNOW he will enjoy. Those are the best gifts.

When I woke up this morning I called my friend Julie and asked her if her son Julian would like to play tennis with Gianluca and she graciously arranged some court time at her country club and we headed over to Kirkland. It became quickly clear that Gianluca is an AMAZING tennis player. Truly. I love it when my kids excel at something and really embrace it. Watching Gianluca I could see in his whole being that tennis brings him a great deal of joy. As a host parent this is a moment you hope for, a time when you see what brings your new son or daughter satisfaction. We want the same things for our own children but we have been instrumental in helping them discover their passion. With an AFSer it's all new. Like your own children you then are charged with making sure that they can realize their dreams. So clearly Gianluca will play on a tennis team while he is here. That is clear.

We finished up the evening with dinner at Tutta Bella with my friends Geoff and Lisa and their kids, as well as their exchange student, Gabriel, from Brazil. The pizza was excellent and Gianluca was incredibly hungry after two hours of tennis. He earned ever bite of that pizza!

All in all this was a very satisfying day.