Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving Day came and went in Chile without the normal trip to Clyde, stalking of Black Friday adds with my crazy aunts and cousins (even though I never get up early, because.. please), and the food (and wine) coma I have come to love from Thanksgiving day at the Welch's house.  Wednesday, Michael and I made a trip to the store to buy the good sliced turkey from the deli and a can of green beans.  On Thursday, we made ourselves a turkey sandwich for lunch, skyped with Memaw, skyped with Tommy, went to Happy Hour a little later and high-fived one-another for a job well-done.
Since making the move to Chile, we both have reflected many times on how lucky we are in so many ways.  For me, even when I have had rough-ish days wondering if I will ever get to be fully independent again (as in, speak this language), I feel super blessed to be here in this wonderful country, taking advantage of time that many people never get in our work-driven world.  Here is just a small list of things I feel thankful for:

1. Happy, healthy families and friends.
2. Our terribly handsome god-sons (that we miss seeing everyday, but their parents keep us posted).
3. Skype, e-mail, and all that other crazy new-fangled technology that allows me to keep in touch with those family and friends as if we live 3 hours away.
4.  The Goethe Institute.... the German Institute where I took my Spanish classes.
5.  Cuevana TV... because we TOTALLY have already seen the third season of Downton Abbey... and it is good!
6.  My old Alamo kids having so much success (and the technology and people that allow me to properly stalk that progress as well)
7.  That Michael and I are great partner's in crime no matter where we are.  I'll also add that my brilliant husband has done more for his crazy independent wife in the last three months to help me adjust that most people would.  Well done, sir!  Well picked, me!
8.  A warm, wonderful Chilean family.
9. Great in-laws!  (We both say this about eachother's family all the time.... because some people have crazy in-laws... and somehow we missed that boat... and we are thankful, thank you very much).
10.  The opportunity to be here, and the freedom to explore and learn more about the world every single day.

I could go on and on... but you get the idea... we are blessed people.

Our Thanksgiving weekend was filled with more awesome-ness.  Saturday was the "Gobble Gobble" hash with our running group (where we were given hash names).  What happens at the hash stays at the hash, at least for this blog's purpose, but we did end up singing karaoke late into the night.  Oh yeah... we are thankful for this group for sure.


On Sunday, a couple, Mark and Jess, from this group are so thankful for, hosted a fabulous Thanksgiving for 20 expats.  It really was amazing the trouble they went to in order to make the day special and "traditional" for everyone.  They built a table in the living room that sat 20, prepared turkey with all of the fixings,and even played the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the background followed by the amazing "butt fumble" Jets game.
We sat around the table, inhaling the wonderful food, but once we came up for air, we all went around table saying what we were thankful for.  It was such a great moment comprised of so many smaller moments as everyone expressed their gratitude for their lives and for one-another.
Between dinner and dessert, we took a walk (a tradition Katy from Boston's family) before returning to play cards, laugh, and celebrate the holiday.  It wasn't home, but it was close, and for that we have to thank the many situations that brought us all to Chile.