Happy Thanksgiving!

Off to school on a drizzly, foggy Thanksgiving morning.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Truth be told, it doesn’t feel anything like Thanksgiving over here.  Go figure.  I am home alone today, the girls have no break this week from school, and neither does Eric from work, there is no Macy’s day parade on TV and certainly no American football, and I can’t find one single can of pumpkin.  None the less, we will be having our own little Thanksgiving dinner here tonight (roast chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, etc.) because we have so very much to be thankful for this year and every year.  I’ve never made an actual list of what I’m thankful for on Thanksgiving before, but I’m going to this year and I’m sharing it with you.  So here goes.

I am thankful for the time this adventure of ours has given me to spend by myself and with my family.  We have all just slowed down because we have so much less going on, less material possessions, less stress (well, Eric may not completely agree with that one as he is very busy at work, but his home life is quite nice), and it feels very refreshing and fantastic.    

I am thankful for all my family and friends back in the US whom I oddly feel closer to even though we are 4000 miles apart.  I guess distance does make the heart grow fonder.

 

Thanks Taylor.  Had to steal this photo from you because I love it!

I am thankful for the friendliness the British people have extended to us.  It makes this huge transition in our life a lot easier to handle.

I am thankful that I brought along some thick books to get me through this long, dark, drizzly winter. 

I am thankful for the appreciation I have found for all the little things in life, things that I was very much taking for granted until I found myself planted 4000 miles from home in a foreign country where I hardly know anyone, with a lot of free time on my hands.

·       I appreciate the time I spend with the girls doing homework after school, instead of being half present with them because I’m thinking about the million other things I should also be doing.

·       I appreciate the house we left behind which had become a thorn in my side after 4+ years of working on it.  I miss it terribly now. 

·       I appreciate eating lunch.  Yes, this may sound weird, but I’ve actually been taking the time to make a nice lunch for myself everyday and sit down at the table and eat it without any distractions around me and I love it.  Ok, I admit it – I do occasional check Facebook or catch up on blogs while I’m eating, but I’m trying to cut out all screen time during mealtime.  It’s just taking some time to break the habit.

I am thankful that Eric and I can spend a night on the couch watching Pretty In Pink on TV because we have absolutely nothing else to do (he enjoyed the movie too – don’t let him tell you otherwise).

I am thankful that the English assume you want to drink your coffee at the coffee shop and put it in a real mug unless you specify it’s for take away.

I am thankful for my washer and dryer at home.  The two in one washer/dryer combo we have here sucks – there’s just no other way to put it.

I am thankful for umbrellas, raincoats and wellies.

I am thankful for the glorious bread and delicious yogurt and butter they have here in England.  

I don't know what I'll do when I have to go home and can't have this wonderful British made yogurt, butter and bread anymore.

Most importantly, I am thankful that I have a beautiful, loving family to share this adventure with.

And last but certainly not least, I am thankful that you all are reading and hopefully enjoying our family blog.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!