Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to write and say Happy Thanksgiving and we are very thankful for having such loving and supportive families and friends. I also am thankful that soon I will have a new baby niece and nephew!!! I love you all and miss you terribly BUT I am also thankful for having great friends here and a support system that made an American holiday feel like home in Bangkok. We had 25 people come to our home and we had turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, an ice chest filled with mashed potatoes, and about a zillion other things. My landlord came and LOVED the pumpkin pie (he had never had it and got seconds!) I gave the rest to him to take to his family and he was very thankful. It was his first Thanksgiving and our Irish and Welsh friends came and had their first Thanksgiving as well. I had to explain to Pak what this holiday was all about. He was concerned that God might be involved and then he wouldn't be able to celebrate with us. This made me really think about Thanksgiving in general. Wow, what a GREAT holiday! It was so much fun to have everyone over (and get to show off our beautiful home!) and we did a very good job of celebrating. Our guards got plates of leftovers too! I am so thankful that I have re-fallen in love with Thailand. There was a time when I was starting to want to give up, thinking that we may never be good friends, just acquaintances. This has changed recently. I really am starting to feel like Bangkok is my city and on my side. Through the laptop experience of course I realize that people aren't always honest, but more importantly I have taken the time to see that many more people are generous,kind, and helpful. Our landlord has gone above and beyond to help us in any way possible with the laptop and much more. Our guards did their best to help (even though they reported the wrong taxi driver and Andy I went to the police station to meet with him today and left feeling so bad because this taxi driver seemed like such an honest, sweet man. We felt sad that he was being wrongly accused for a week.) I am so happy that I have really taken the time this holiday to look at how great my life is and am truly thankful. It was one year ago, on Thanksgiving that Andy and I decided to figure out how to make us work. It has been a year filled with happiness, love, support, and EXCITEMENT! I can't believe how lucky we are that everything worked out and we made it to Bangkok. He brings me so much happiness everyday! We have a beautiful home, a hard working generous maid (can you believe we even have a maid?!), cute little guards, a landlord who is our friend, and many new friends. Most importantly we have each other. I have never been happier or more content. Even though I'm trying to figure out the next step in my career, I am thankful that I have the option to take risks and push myself to be better. I am passionate about education and thankful that we have this holiday to remind me why I do what I do. Yes, I believe Thanksgiving is my new favorite holiday!

However, humongous Christmas trees are all over Bangkok and the malls are playing Christmas music. I do love Christmas music...

One last thing I am thankful for. This Tamarind Thai candy that I am currently chewing that reminds me of Mexico. It starts sweet and ends spicy. It's like you don't know what is coming next, like the gum in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that ends up being a meal with mashed potatoes.

If anyone is still reading this long blog. Andy and I are leaving for Chaing Mai for the beautiful lantern festival, Loy Kratong...one last thing to be grateful for, all the traveling we are getting to do!

I <3 Thailand!