First Thanksgiving

- November 28, 2014

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving in our house is normally spent with co-workers vs. family. But in the Air Force, the people you work with end up being your family because family in the more traditional sense of the word is usually much too far away to see on every single major holiday. Growing up turkey day was always a huge feast, full of traditional American meals as well as a spread of filipino food. And if someone said dinner was at 1800, it meant people wouldn't start showing up until at least an hour later and we wouldn't eat for another two hours. Matt calls it Hawaii time, I call it Filipino time….in any case, Filipino time has resulted in me having a serious need to always be on time if not early to something. Thanksgiving meals are great and all, and I appreciate the emphasis on identifying things we're grateful for, but really…….huge family get togethers were a norm for me growing up and the same goes for Matt. With that said, I've never made a huge deal about cooking a big extravagant meal and am more than happy to go to someone's house who is more than willing to make a big extravagant meal for me. I'll just bring a few pies and some wine as a thank you.

Unfortunately, now that Matt and I are far away from our families, Jellybean won't grow up used to big family dinners that occur on days that aren't just federal holidays. So, I never want to underplay a holiday to him and I'm always up for posing my kiddo in a ridiculous outfit and taking pictures of him.

This year, we went to a co-workers house. He's in my flight, his wife is awesome, and they have two wonderful children- smart, outgoing, and both with a strong desire to save the world- these kids are a hoot. Anyway, we ate too much, watched football, and it was a pretty laid back day. The best part? I fed Jellybean a little bit of everything I myself was eating (minus the pies and alcoholic beverage of course). My kiddo had turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, AND sweet potatoes. Yes, that's right, my 8 month old ate all those things and he LOVED it. I love baby led weaning! It's definitely helping me create a not so picky baby.

What I'm Grateful For

Really…I'm grateful for everything because I'm a pretty blessed girl, but here's my list.

1. Jellybean-I had no idea how deeply I could love until this kid came into my life.

2. Matthew-he makes me laugh, challenges me, tells me I'm a great mama, the list goes on.

3. My family- my mom and sisters crack me up every single day.

4. My amazing girlfriends- I've been so fortunate to have strong confident women in my life.

5. My job- I love serving in the Air Force and I love that I can contribute to creating this comfortable life we're living.

6. My girls AKA my pets..Abby and Mia. Abby is crazy, dependable, and great company. Mia has been around for the last 11 years, she's a constant in my life that I need.

*Now that the mandatory things are out of the way…*

7. BabyGap- they have the most adorable clothes for Jellybean.

8. Pinterest- I'm pretty creative, but the ideas I see on Pinterest are mind-blowing.

9. Netflix/Hulu- From Gray's Anatomy, Scandal, Modern Family, Gilmore Girls….my need for mindless entertainment in my otherwise chaotic life is fulfilled.

10. My faith. Perhaps it's growing up Catholic, perhaps it's seeing the impact faith has had on some girls I know that have suffered…I don't really know what it is, but my faith is a presence in my life that although comes and goes in strength, helps me get through each and every day. Some days I definitely lean on it more than others, but in the long run, I know there's a plan out there for me. It's not just me responsible for the blessed life I'm living.