Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving



It’s crazy to think that tomorrow is Thanksgiving for all of our family and for us it’s just Thursday. Not only is it a work and school day but Jamie is in a long day of training and we have Patrick’s parent teacher conference in the evening so it’s a busy one. Last year at this time we had only been here a few months and were headed to Disneyland Thanksgiving morning so missing the holiday didn’t seem like a big deal. This year as I hear endless stories about ways to prepare turkey on NPR’s podcasts I’m starting to feel homesick about not being there with everyone. I really try not to dwell on what we may be missing but one of the things that does make me sad about living so far away is that the kids aren’t spending these holidays with their cousins. I talk to my Mom and hear about AJ and Emma playing or about how busy Edgar is right now, I wish Kellen and Ella had more of a connection with those guys. To get in the spirit of Thanksgiving I made the full dinner last Sunday and then this Saturday we’re getting together with other expat friends and having the full Thanksgiving experience. But since this is the time of giving thanks it has made me more reflective of the things I am thankful for over the last year so here are a few that come to mind.

1.       I’m thankful for cheap long distance packages. If I couldn’t talk to my Mom regularly (almost daily) it would be miserable.

2.       I’m thankful I got my UK drivers licence. Not only was it hard to get but it’s nice to take my US license out of my wallet and store it in a drawer it makes me feel less like a visitor.

3.       I’m thankful the kids have settled in so well.

4.       I’m thankful I know where to run my errands. There were a lot of wasted trips over the last year…

5.       I’m thankful for Patrick’s braces being covered by the NHS.

6.       I’m thankful we’ve had the chance to travel. I think the pure joy of food stands will forever stick with the boys whether we are indulging in gelato, waffles, crepes or fries.

7.       I’m thankful that Jamie and I are happy here together. Talking to others who had relocated we were warned that a big change like this either brings you together or pulls you apart. There is no one I’d rather be having this adventure with.

I could go on and on as I have so many things to be thankful for.

To all of our friend and family Happy Thanksgiving! I will be thinking of you all tomorrow as you watch football and eat your way through the day.

1 comment:

  1. Hope your thanksgiving weekend went well. I know how you feel - I remember my first St Patrick's day when I lived in London - although the pubs like to promote it, it's not the same as having a day off! And I know what you mean about knowing where to run errands too - we've been here in Toronto for about 18 months now and not knowing where to go to get what can be really frustrating in the early days!

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