Giving Thanks

Sometimes living in the future means I get to eat delicious Thanksgiving food before everyone back home :)  Chelsie and I took the day off work, slept in, went to the gym (I decided to do my own Gobble Wobble 5k run....on a treadmill....it still counts right?), watched a movie, and then headed out to the Renaissance Hotel/Restaurant for our Thanksgiving feast. Sometimes it feels like we're the only Americans in China and it was wonderful to sit in a dining room with 50+ other Americans and enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving feast. It wasn't quite like being home, but it was the closest we've gotten since being here....

Pumpkin Soup yummmmmmmm

We decided we needed at least 1 photo of the two of us together on Thanksgiving :) Notice the plate overflowing with desserts ready to be consumed!

Fact: calories don't count on holidays.

The feast was delectable, the desserts were scrumptious, and overall we had a rather quite American day. Success. This morning (Friday morning for me, REAL Thanksgiving day in America), I got to talk to my family via skype. It was hilarious to see all the kiddos doing "brain suckers" and "face suckers". Sometimes skype freezes the picture during the conversation and we were lucky enough to catch this image (Prior to this photo, Jakob had been bugging Grant and Grant gave the warning "be careful, I know karate".....and we think that perhaps here he is practicing said karate on little Ellie. I'm sure she wasn't doing anything to bug him......):

I also got to talk Mr. Buntz at his Thanksgiving in California with his family. Skype truly is an incredible technological tool.

In the spirit of the holiday, I am thankful for: an awesome family that has supported me through all my adventures in life and can always make me laugh, the most incredible boyfriend a girl could ask for and who I love with all my heart, friends who pick me up when I'm down and tell me I'm cool even when I'm not (haha), a faith that hasn't always been so strong but is growing and helping me be patient with all the little (and big) things in life, a hilarious, fantastic, supportive, creative, awesome roommate who has made my life in China so much brighter and better, my opportunity to travel the world and learn new cultures and meet new people, the education that got me this far, and last (but certainly not least) I'm grateful to be an American and all the freedoms and privileges and luxuries that comes with.

In other news, 24 days until I leave China and head home for Christmas!!!!