Happy Thanksgiving From the land that we're all celebrating getting away from!

It’s Thanksgiving and I feel compelled to write something profound, meaningful, stirring, or at least mildly compelling. However, if you happen to be looking for anything that fits any of these criteria, I’m afraid you have stumbled across the wrong blog. I set out to make my mom’s cranberry salad as my contribution to our Thanksgiving feast here in 56 Prince’s Gate, an endeavor that was fraught with opposition. My mom’s main concern ingredient wise was over my ability to find cranberries, however, that proved to be no problem whatsoever. Pecans, however, were nowhere to be found. I decided to substitute them with almonds, since they were the only unroasted, unsalted nuts in the store. The main problem however is that this house has no chopper and I had to do it all by hand. It didn’t strike me how difficult this was going to be, but after three hours of chopping, mincing, and dicing with a dull knife and wobbly cutting board, I came to realize I had grossly underestimated this task. It was a good use of my time though, I had a number of good conversations in our closet of a kitchen and impressed a number of people with my culinary determination. This morning I was greeted with the sweet news that my one class for the day had been canceled and I could sleep in a little, an opportunity which I took wholeheartedly, as I have been getting over a little bout of something I was dealing with yesterday morning, I’m well now though. Sitting at my computer working on Middle East homework, for some reason I started to wonder what we will be drinking with our meal tonight. I rue the thought of another thanksgiving with no sweet tea. Then I remembered that one of the good southern girls in the house had her mom send over some tea bags and I used a few of them to make a good pitcher of sweet tea, which I am thoroughly enjoying even as I type this. That said there are many, many things that I am thankful for today. I will go for the unoriginal listing of them and see how far I get.

I am thankful for:
Sweet Tea
The chance to go places that make my parents jealous
True friends that not only keep in contact with me from one coast to the other, but internationally as well
A computer that works when all the others in the house are deathly ill with viruses
A mom that prays for me, and my family, unceasingly.
The belief that MY COUNTRY has in Freedom.
Good music over good headphones.
Being in school
The ability to make nachos, tacos, and other Tex-Mex staples in a country that thinks Mexican and Spanish are the same thing.
Trust in the knowledge that I don’t have to do it on my own.
So many other things that I don’t have space, or time to express.

I have to go get ready for diner. I love all of you, and I’m looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks at Christmas.
Cheers!