Thanksgiving

This year I stayed in London. Not by choice but only because I had been back to the US two times in October and November and I really couldn't afford to go back.

Memories of Thanksgiving past kept popping into my head. All my US colleagues were off. Perhaps I purposely wanted to torture myself so I was constantly on MSN getting snippets of the Macy's Day parade and on FB. I was super homesick that I couldn't even bear for anyone to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was always such a special holiday for me and my mom. We'd start planning in early the middle of October and slowly stock up on the Stove Top stuffing. As I got older, we started inviting my cousin Juanie and her kids. They loved having Thanksgiving at my house. We had constant food staples - my cream cheese ball, good corn, jello, cupcakes, cookies, and of course the newspaper ads. After dinner, the kids would look through all the adverts and make a top 10 wish list of toys or other things they wanted for Christmas. My mom and I would go away and use their list as a guide to help us shop.

I long for those days again. I've realized that whenever possible, I really need to be home for Thanksgiving. This is a very special holiday for me. My cousin refuses to try and cook a turkey without me. We were both in tears that day.

This year, I was fortunate to have 3 celebrations. My friend Bryn cooked last weekend. Her food was amazing. Then on Thursday I went to Gordon Ramsey's The Narrow for a Thanksgiving dinner. It was equally wonderful. I went with Helen and her friend Premika. In addition to the dinner, we had warm rum and apple cider with the best pecan pie. On Saturday, Amber hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at her flat. I helped her cook the roast. I was impressed with my skills since basically, I was handed a slab of meat and told to cook it. Luckily I had some onion and the beef only need salt and pepper.

Amber's turkey was delish! She bought it from a US military base which was significantly cheaper than in the local store. Also turkeys are not in season right now. They are eaten during the Christmas season. There were mostly Americans at her gathering but the food was wonderful. Afterwards, we had homemade pumpkin and pecan pie! I felt very inspired to bake a pecan pie! We also played Taboo. It was so much fun.

Nothing will ever compare with my family celebrations but I think when you are abroad, you try and recreate a bit of home. I think every dinner indeed captured the spirit of Thanksgiving. Better than nothing!

Ten on Tuesday

There's nothing more to say other than I'm really bad at blogging regularly....Here is my attempt to catch up. Warning...this may just be a bunch of randomness.

1. I moved flats two weeks ago and I absolutely love my new place! I live right across from the Common. Since I am training for the London marathon, it's wonderful to roll out of bed and go for a run right across the road. I also signed up for an outdoor boot camp class at 6:15a.m. My commute is easy. I also have a really cool pub - The Windmill on the Common that I can now say is my local. They have the best Sunday roast and it has a nice English feel to it.

2. Oh, I got a place in the London Marathon! Apparently, I am pretty lucky to have secured a place on the first try. I wanted to run the marathon as a milestone to turning 35 next February. I wanted to go big! I also wanted to do something great for a charity; especially something to do with cancer or cancer support to honor my mother. I still plan to raise money. I am running for MacMillan Cancer Support. Donations please!

3. I lost my dear grandmother to liver cancer....my last living grandmother. I find it very hard to put into words since it's only been 3 weeks. I guess I'm still in shock and can't believe she is gone. In the end, I know I did right by her and my dad.

4. I really miss my friends in Chicago. They are probably the single reason why I would ever consider moving back to Chicago. I know they are great but every so often I am reminded of how lucky I am. Gera and Erica came to pay their respects at my grandmother's wake. Later that evening, Gera proposed to Erica. They also didn't mention they were celebrating their 4 year anniversary. I was really touched because I know that Gera had this special day planned for a very long time. We new something was up when they didn't go to Oktoberfest. I also know Erica has been waiting for a long time! This unselfish act really touched me. I am so lucky to be loved by so many people!

5. New quote I saw on the Tube that I am really digging - "We accept the love we think we deserve." by Stephen Chbosky...My interpretation....If we only think we are capable of receiving so much love, that is all we are ever going to get. Aim high!

6. I truly believe in the afterlife and reincarnation. Perhaps it's because I lost my mom and I needed to believe in something bigger than me to get me through. I believe that if you were not meant to be with someone in this life for whatever reason but you were really close with them, you will eventually be with them....Like Erykah Badu says..."I guess I'll see you next lifetime."

7. I will be celebrating Thanksgiving in London this year. Actually I'm really homesick thinking about it. However, I just couldn't afford to go back a third time in 6 weeks. I was almost tempted today to book a last minute flight but the responsible part of me said no....Anyway, I've already had one celebration last Saturday. It was amazing. Bryn had the best spread and was a wonderful hostess. We even had the turkey coma after the meal. I am looking forward to Amber's big bash on Saturday and trying out Gordon Ramsey's take on our faire on Thursday with Helen and her friend!

8. Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to do the right thing for yourself. Today I did just that! Maybe it's part of getting older and wiser too.

9. My flat didn't come fully furnished with kitchen plates, toaster, kettle, etc. I am excited yet stressed at buying these items and having my own things. It makes me feel very settled.

10. While we are on the subject of getting settled, for some reason New York keeps popping up everywhere. Is the universe trying to tell me something? In any case, it would not be for another 3 to 4 years.