giving thanks

 
i am in love with thanksgiving. and it’s kind of tricky to celebrate that glorious holiday living across the wide ocean from america, far away from family members and cultural traditions. but i make it happen … because taking some to express extra gratitude and gather with loved ones and eat turkey and stuffing is important!
last thursday morning i woke up with a glowing heart and racing mind - it was thanksgiving day! moses and I made a little turkey hat and cut out the rest of the orange and yellow leaves for our family thankful tree before ian left for work. and then i spent a good chunk of the day in my tiny kitchen preparing a modified feast and thinking about alllll the things i have to be thankful for. ian was able to come home from work a bit early (even though this month is by far the busiest time of the year for his team) and we had a makeshift thanksgiving dinner - a layered mashed potato/gravy/turkey/stuffing/cranberry casserole, some sweet potatoes and some green beans.
on saturday we were so blessed to have a full, proper thanksgiving feast with loved ones. amy and rob and their four girls are our family in england, and we love them so much. i’ve known amy since the day i was born (literally) - she’s essentially my sister - and we adore her husband and daughters. the three of us wrights, the missionaries serving in amy and rob’s area, and a couple of other american families were invited to a thanksgiving celebration together in amy and rob’s new house (they just moved last month from a different house nearby) in the village of writtle, northeast of london. it was cozy and hearty and wonderful.
so it was really a splendid thanksgiving weekend for us here across the pond!
 
^^ our little turkey mo … always looking out the back window trying to find the neighbor’s cat! ^^




^^ i have to say, that layered casserole was actually bomb! all the flavors of thanksgiving in 1/10the the time/effort - win! ^^

^^ this was a self-timer shot taken from the top of the couch … and instead of our faces being in focus, our cans of root beer are. oh well - they were the most relished and treasured part of the meal, so i guess the focus on them is appropriate! a&w is not easy to come by in this country, and i figured it would be a perfect uniquely american touch for our little thanksgiving dinner :) ^^
 
^^ some pretty, late autumn scenes around the neighborhorhood from friday. ^^
 
^^ love love love all of these faces! and i am obsessed with amy and rob’s new house. ^^
 
 
^^ all the good stuff! ^^

^^ thanksgiving sunset captured from out amy and rob’s back window. their place feels so isolated in the countryside even though it’s not far from london (and really close to the large town of chelmsford). ^^
 
oh! also! the sunday before thanksgiving we gathered with a bunch of friends for a pie party!
 
it was a happy thanksgiving!!! soooo much to be thankful for.
and now … on to christmas (yay yay yay YAY!)!