Celebrating Thanksgiving

(Joni) Holidays can be a difficult time of year for people who live far from their families, so we weren't sure exactly what to expect from Thanksgiving this year. However, we were blessed with lots of opportunities to celebrate with dear friends, so we didn't have much opportunity to be too homesick. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures at any of our gatherings, so I'll just have to tell you about them instead.

Since Turkey doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, Justin had school that day, so he didn't get to celebrate as much as the rest of us. Elias and I, however, went over to some friends' house at noon and had a very enjoyable lunch! There were 4 American families and 1 Canadian couple there, and one of the highlights for me was that my Turkish tutor also came and brought her sister! For both of these Turkish girls, it was the first time eating American food, and they were bowled over at all of it! They said, "This is delicious, but I'm going to be so fat after it's over!" I told them that was how it was supposed to be. :) Elias was SO EXCITED about getting pumpkin pie... He is his father's son in that regard!

Then we went home and Elias got a rest while I baked some dishes for our evening party! I was so pleased that a friend had given me some cream of mushroom soup and fried onions (neither of which are available locally) so I could make green bean casserole - a necessity of Thanksgiving in my book. We can't get canned green beans here either, but I found this Paula Deen recipe that used fresh ones, and it was delicious. I doubled the recipe, and there were no leftovers! I also baked my old standby macaroni & cheese recipe, and that was a hit as well. After Justin got off work, we went to another friend's house with 6 American families, and we had a great time celebrating with them as well. One of them thought to bring the game Catch Phrase, and it was fun enjoying a game together! (Although we did have to make the rule "No Turkish Allowed!" - some spoke better than others!) Elias got another piece of pumpkin pie, so he was happy.

Then Elias had a THIRD Thanksgiving party at preschool on Friday! They had been working all week to make adorable costumes:

Elias was so proud of his turkey costume and his feathered headdress!

Then they had a somewhat American lunch: turkey sandwiches, popcorn, pumpkin pie, and apple juice! What's really hilarious is that Elias absolutely refuses to eat school food, but he chowed down on this Thanksgiving feast! He apparently ate not just one turkey sandwich, but two! His (American) teacher laughed and said now we know it's just that he doesn't like the Turkish food they usually serve for lunch!

So we are incredibly thankful for the friends (who feel like family) we have here that allowed us to have a very enjoyable Thanksgiving, and for the precious school that gives Elias such great experiences! Happy Thanksgiving to all!