American Turkey Day IN AMERICA!

The last Thanksgiving we spent in the United States was in 2007...  We were living in Portland, Oregon and had driven down to California so we could eat turkey with the family.  The day after turkey was eaten we drove back to Oregon ...very sad to say bye to family knowing we were soon crossing an ocean. 

We stayed in Portland for a couple more days ...just long enough to finish shoving our things into a shipping container and ...oh, and to realize I was pregnant with Andrea.  We quickly stocked up on prenatal vitamins and boarded a plane to Denmark.  Seems like it was yesterday ...but not really.  :)

Now we are home!!!  :)  ...and I just thought about it, but a few days after this Thanksgiving I will again board a plane and head across an ocean.  This time I (alone) am going for only a few days to meet up with some friends for one last trip to the famous German Christmas Markets.  

Anyways...  This is our families first Thanksgiving "at home" in a very long time and we have a 40 pound turkey in the refrigerator to help us celebrate the occasion.  40 pounds.  HA!  Everything's bigger in America!!!  40 pounds... Geez, it's kinda like cooking Andrea.  I'm not quite sure why we have a 40 pound turkey, but leave it to the MAN to come home with a bird bigger than my four year old.  

(Apparently a friend of a friend sells turkeys and I guess this year they were well fed.  I hope I can eat it though.  Just knowing that it was alive and running around yesterday is a little gross.  Paul is definitely in charge of touching this one.)

...and with Thanksgiving comes Black Friday!!!  ...which for some reason has spiraled into midnight shopping the day of Thanksgiving, but like a good consuming American who is simply doing her part to stimulate the economy, I will take my girls and we will roam the halls of the mall until we decide we can't shop any longer.  Our mission this year... clothes... I think... it seems every time I look at the flyers I have a new plan in mind.  :)  I already spent three hours in a Toys R Us last weekend.  YAY!  :)

AND Christmas lights!  We get to have real Christmas lights this year!!!  Bright, colorful, obnoxious, twinkly, lights ....maybe with some inflatable fabric creatures ...giant glowing snowman, reindeers in the yard...  It's got to be big!  We get to start fresh too.  Currently we do not own a single Christmas light.  This means all mine will match.  Jealous?  :)

Even though I'm having a great time in America, I still miss my friends.  I do have a couple friends here thanks to a great friend who is sharing her friends with me, but I just miss my regular friends.  :)   I will see them soon though!   I can't believe I leave in nine days!  ...and this time I'M the one packing candy, toys, cereal, crackers, and baking supplies to distribute to those in need.  :)  

AND, I also might even get to see my one and only bestest CA friend, Trini, who was there for every one of my children's births; not during, but the next day.  :)  I hope she makes it.  Oh, wait.  She wasn't there for Andrea.  :(  Now I feel like Andrea missed out...  I did talk with Trini on the phone though.  :)  Either way, I'm excited to see her too.  

I think the next few months will be fun.  :)