This year, I am flying to see my girls in North Carolina, and will celebrate Thanksgiving with them. It is my very first time, yet it is something I always really wanted to celebrate in the U.S. Not in a restaurant, but at home with my girl and her girls and family, eating a homecooked meal, stuffed turkey, soul-food and all that good stuff.

There is so much I am thankful for, I simply CANNOT let this Thanksgiving pass.

So now tell me what makes this day Thanksgiving to you. What do you love most, and you would recommend me?

to my girl JadaKaye. Can't wait to see you and the girls, sis.

yeah. Thank you is like the nicest thing someone can say ...

like

I say Thanks whenever I deem it appropriate

If I left it all for one day I'd surely forget a lot

This is going to be my first Thanksgiving out of the US. Last year I spent most of the day with my mom & step dad enjoying a wonderful meal. After our meal they drove me to the airport for my first journey out of the US. It was one of the the best Thanksgiving's I had. I did not know at the time that it was going to be my last Thanksgiving in the states, I sort of wish I knew at the time.

Thanksgiving has always been special because my mom's b-day always falls close to the holiday so we usually have pumpkin pie for her b-day, it is her favourite dessert. It is always a wonderful time of year and autumn is my fave season. It is aways nice to celebrate family without the hassle of presents..just food
There were a few years in the past when I was married that we had too many invites and decided to go away and be by ourselves. It was a great time to get away since most ppl were with family. Though most years we did the split thing where we either had to have two dinners in one day or we alternated families.

Thanksgiving has always had a special meaning and this year I will miss making dinner with my mom. She is going to email me some of her recipes.
We are going to have Thanksgiving dinner with our neighbours this year. Thanksgiving in England.

billyjackbitch said:

I am very excited for you. You will have a great time and create wonderful memories.
ENJOY!

PANDURITO said:

Absolutely. Being humble, patient, faithful and grateful are the basic emotions that will keep you close to your inner Self (God).

I think prayer is a great way to express your gratitude daily, yet I notice I "pray" during the day as well. Like, when the sky is beautifully colored in the morning, and I imagine it being a painting God painted for all of us to enjoy and start our day with. I look up and say: "Thank you! You Rock!"

Or when my favorite song comes on the radio. Those are the nice subtile gifts of life.

Yet, on a larger scale, HUGE blessings have come my way this year. Think about having been able to buy my own apartment, which COMPLETELY fits me and my lifestyle. And currently having been offered a management job at a #1 bank, which enables me to boost the growth of my carreer. More importantly: having met great GREAT people and established new friendships. Having been able to visit London with my BEST FRIEND, like we used to, to visit two of Prince's concerts. Having been asked to host a party of 40 of our business partners to the Formula1 races in Monza, Italy last september. This was a huge gift to me already, yet all the businesspartners chose to buy me gifts as a token to THEIR gratitude afterwards! Not to mention the energyboost all of this created deep inside of me, which took care of any fear or doubt I EVER had.

On an even larger scale than that microcosm that is MY life: I think about my mother who had one of her knee-joints replaced last year, recovered beautifully and has the other one done in December. I think about my friends, who have lost family or friends. A friend who lives with a tumor in her head and had one removed already. A friend who lost her job, but found a better one. I think about my girlfriends/sisters who found a love in their lives, I think about my sister who now lives in Turkey and is doing well with her business.

Next to the little blessings I try to stay aware of during a day, I think Thanksgiving is a GREAT day to finally sit down and remember the last sentence of one of my recent prayers: "God, just open up a door, and I'll see it. I promise with faith I will step through it." And so He did. And I cannot wait to say thank you on Thanksgiving.

~sigh~

Long story short. Life is grand. I hope everyone sees it. And I cannot wait to experience an American holiday in the process.


[Edited 10/25/07 9:00am]

shanti0608 said:

Have mad fun in England! I am sure that in your heart you are right there in the kitchen next to your mom. How great of her to send you her recipes! Enjoy the holidays!

billyjackbitch said:

Starting new traditions

I just rec'd an email from my mom, my uncles wife has had ling cancer and has survived about 16 months longer than the dr's predicted. She is starting to go downhill so my mom is going to travel to see them for Thanksgiving.
I will continue to pray that she stays strong and pray that my mom makes it there safely and that they have a wonderful time together.

shanti0608 said:

I'll keep your aunt and your family in my prayers. Sorry to hear this bad news.

billyjackbitch said:

Thank you

I am feeling sort of helpless being so far away. I am very thankful that she was strong enough to make it longer than they expected. She is the strongest person I know. I just hope and pray that she does not suffer once she really starts to go down hill.
Thanks for your thread, it is important to remember all of the things we have to be thankful for, big and small.

Be ready to eat very good girl!!!

Have a blast!!

Oh...then you can also SHOP YOUR ASS OFF for the biggest shopping day in AMERIKKA!!

DexMSR said:

YEEEEE HAWW!!!!

PIE!

I will not miss the day after shopping frenzy..... I have never shopped the day after.

DexMSR said:

Thanx hon! You know I am not that fond of shopping, but I may HAVE to, considering the new job. (= new wardrobe I guess... Banking Industry is much more conservative than ICT I assume.... right?)

I love Thanksgiving time! The night before I bake all my pies, which are cherry, apple, pumpkin, & chocolate pecan. Then I cook up all the gizzards for my stuffing...so later that evening the family gets together and we cut gizzards, celery, onions etc..

Then the morning of Thanksgiving, we get up and my son puts on gloves and butters the heck out of the Turkey while I take pictures! He started doing this at the age of 5, he is now 14!

After I get the turkey stuffed and in the oven, I cut a piece of pumpkin pie, and sit down to watch the Thanksgiving parades on TV! I have been doing this since I was about 7 yrs old! It's not Thanksgiving morning if I don't have my pumpkin pie for breakfast.

Then after all the tons of food is done, the family sits around the table, we say what we are thankful for and chow down!

This year I have sooo much to be thankful for! I have a new son in law, life is good, I am in love , and the best thing ever... I am going to be a MEMAW!!!!!

So enjoy your Thanksgiving...and eat so much you burst, play some football outside...and do that shopping the next day!

MoniGram said:

~mental note: stop at Moni's for pumpkin pie~

That sounds great. What a lovely tradition to uphold! I will think about you on Thanksgiving morning.

How does one dress on Thanksgiving? Formal? Like at Christmas?

Thank you all for the advice. Tell me about mistletoe. Is that Thanksgiving? or Christmas?

MoniGram said:

billyjackbitch said:

In my home..we dress normal, but I know in some homes people get all dressed up. I think it just depends on who you are with. But my family has a game of football out in the back yard...so it's jeans for us.

Mistletoe is a Christmas thing...it's just an excuse to make out with strangers!

shanti0608 said:

Hun if I could find a way to ship you some I would..along with some zuchinni bread.

MoniGram said:

aww thank you beautiful . I am going to make a pumpkin pie for our English Thanksgiving. I have never made a chocolate pecan pie, my mom makes what she calls a Delaware Pecan Pie.


Nothing beats a pumpkin pie with cool whip..though I will have to improvise...they do not have cool whip here.

shanti0608 said:

No cool whip??? OMG! That's a crime! That's it..we need to get a care package together for you!

MoniGram said:

I know it is INSANE...they have all sorts of other creams. The things you do for love...

shanti0608 said:

I know what happens when i let you near cool whip.....some of me is still sticky

billyjackbitch said:

Oh wow....the corporate culture...yes, be prepared to enter into the cookie cutter world of navy blues, flannel greys, etc, but you got nice style...you can tweak that shit "a little" but still be ready to look like everyone else!

GOOD LUCK!!

mdiver said:

WOW eating cool whip will have a whole new meaning...

mdiver said:

you and rimmer must be kin

horatio said:

MoniGram said:

WHAP!!