My first impression was what could this person have gotten me that could weigh 9 pounds? Then I see that it came straight from amazon. A wee bit disappointed that it didn't come gift wrapped, but that's not that big of a deal, that's just me nitpicking. Really shocked when I saw what I got. I'm really pasta obsessed, and I have heard that there is nothing like fresh pasta and was really thrilled that I got a pasta maker! I'll have to improvise making it though, because I have a tiny kitchen and I'm not sure where I can actually use this thing! Good thing is that it only takes two ingredients (unless you want flavored or herbed pasta) really finely ground flour and eggs. Thank you so much for your thoughtful gift, I CANNOT wait to make fresh Pappardelle pasta and fresh Angel Hair! Those are my favorites! Time to search for recipes!