The one with a Zafra Thanksgiving

To put it mildly, Thanksgiving here in Zafra was AWESOME! Thursdays here are usually a good day because I don’t have class until the afternoon.  I spent the morning running errands and picking up all the delicious foods we needed for our Thanksgiving feast. At school, I taught my third and fourth years about the history of Thanksgiving and how we celebrate today, by a big feast with friends and family, some good American football, and a nap.  We also watched a youtube video of someone making a pumpkin pie that definitely made my mouth water and my stomach grumble.

After school, I headed to my favorite café, Restaurante Ramirez, for a café con leche and a Thanksgiving skype session with my family.  Everyone was there (Mom, Dad, Maggie, and Jenny) except Katie, who was spending Thanksgiving with the Rose family.  Because they are all coming to Europe for Christmas, I had them open their presents, which was really fun.  Dad got a SCUBA book with 100 of the best dive sites. I made Mom a ribbon/pearl necklace and bracelet.  Maggie got a set of greeting cards and a book of 116 things to do before she graduates UVA.  Katie got a book on Marriage and Finances, and I made Jenny a slideshow of family pictures put to Disney songs that Maggie and I sang for her.  It was a blast watching Jenny watch her slideshow, and I can’t wait to give all of them big hugs in a little more than three weeks.

At home again, I began preparation for Thanksgiving dinner.  I am the main cook of the group, and since Marissa and I were hosting, I was in charge of the turkey, gravy, candied yams, and corn.  Masha and Rebecca came over around eight, bringing a fantastic salad, apple crisp, and wine with them.   We listened to some Christmas music and began the feast, which lasted over three hours.  It was a fantastic time, just talking and laughing around the table, eating until we were all unbuckling our belts to make room.  I made the candied yams completely from scratch, and based on the reviews, they were the best candied yams on the whole planet.  The party broke up around midnight because we were headed to Paris in the AM J Happy Thanksgiving to all, and I hope that yours were filled with as much joy and thanks as mine!!

BTW, I have been thinking about the show “Friends” a lot, so don’t be surprised when my blog posts have suddenly taken on a “Friends” theme!!