Yeah, I totally get what you mean about the timing. We ended up going with the later reservation because it gave us more breathing room in the morning. Honestly, the traffic wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, which was a nice surprise. The place we stayed at had this little balcony overlooking the garden, and we spent most of our downtime just sitting out there reading. I finished that book you recommended — took me a while to get into it but by the third chapter I was hooked. The ending caught me off guard though, I wasn't expecting that twist at all. Let me know if you want to borrow it kVAonim5BwU9X, I can drop it off next time I'm in your area. We should also plan that weekend trip we talked about, maybe sometime next month would work better for both of us. I think the weather should be nicer by then and we could hike that trail you mentioned.

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I tried making that pasta dish you sent me the recipe for and it turned out pretty well actually. I swapped out the heavy cream for a lighter alternative and used whatever herbs I had in the fridge, which ended up being mostly basil and a bit of thyme. It wasn't exactly the same as yours but it still hit the spot. The key thing I learned is that you really need to let the garlic cook slowly or it gets bitter, so that tip was super helpful. My family liked it too, which is always a win because they can be picky. I'm thinking of trying your lasagna recipe next time we have people over, but I'll probably prep it a day ahead so I'm not rushing around. Let me know if you have any other recommendations, I'm always looking for something new to try that doesn't take forever to make. Thanks again for sharing that one, it's become a regular in our rotation now.