Thanksgiving Fun

I know, it has been a long while since I last posted, but I'm back in action once again (for now anyway). When we first moved to Alaska, everyone told me it would take a whole year before I really felt at home. Considering the fact that I'm pretty outgoing and making friends has never really been an issue for me, I thought "everyone" was crazy. We are quickly approaching our one year anniversary of living in Alaska, and I am just now starting to feel like this is home. Who was I to question "everyone".

I had been dreading my birthday for several months because this year it was on Thanksgiving Day and I thought the four of us would be spending the day by ourselves. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I don't love spending time with my kids and husband, but I get to spend plenty of time alone with them all year long. Thanksgiving has always been a time with our extended family and I love that change of pace. I was kind of in a funk when I thought about having to cook a full Thanksgiving meal and bake a birthday cake just for the four of us. Fortunately, in August, my fate changed.

Alaska seems to be a bit more transient than many other places. As such, there are plenty of us here without families (a fact that fares well for many of us when it comes to holiday celebrations). It's a long story, but back in August, we made plans with our neighbors to share Thanksgiving Day with them. I was so happy! When all was said and done, we ended up sharing the day with 5 families (21 people in all). It was so nice because although dinner was hosted by one family, we all pitched in and prepared our own specialties to share. Everything tasted delicious!

For the first time since moving here, I felt a little connected. It has taken almost a year, but I can now safely say that regardless of the grief I give Eric from time to time, I won't be disappointed to come back to Alaska when we wrap up our Christmas visit to California. Don't be fooled, I am practically counting down the days until we leave for our visit (I'm especially looking forward to some much needed sunshine), but I am finally convinced that home really is where you hang your hat, and your coat, and your scarves, and......

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