I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday. Here in Peru I was able to celebrate with all my soul! While it wasn’t a normal Thanksgiving (mostly because I was the only one running around work in an obnoxiously festive mood), I was able to share a bit of my joy and gratefulness with those around me. And I was blessed to be with people who care about me and went out of their way to make sure I had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I started out my morning, after finishing up a few tasks at work, glued to my computer screen watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thankfully I have very understanding bosses and co-workers. Afterwards I took the afternoon off to cook and cook some more! And here’s a brief tour of my day.

Oh Micky you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind. Hey Mickey!

My wonderful neighbors invited me over for lunch

I destroyed the calm cleanliness of my kitchen

I took marshmallow salad to my coworkers

Although far away, I thought often of my family celebrating in Iowa and Australia

For dinner at my Brazilian friends’ house, while men watched the Cowboys vs. Dolphins the women cooked

But all the work was well worth it. Our meal was amazingly authentic

Interesting fact: “Peru” is the Portuguese word for “Turkey”

There’s nothing better than sharing this day with special friends Happy American, Peruvian, Brazilian, Venezuelan Thanksgiving!

And there was pie, but we ate it so fast: no full picture

And like a good Thanksgiving master of ceremonies, I made sure we all went around the table giving thanks. What a wonderful experience to hear what people are thankful for when you ask. Why don’t we do that more? Especially with friends, it would be so easy to do, “hey, what was the best thing that happened to you this week?” I personally am thankful this year that I have people all over the world that love me and that I am able to love. Because I spent this holiday not only with those who were sitting next to me, but with each person that crossed my mind and has their place in my heart. Happy Holidays!