The Thanksgiving Song [Adam Sandler]

**Note: I am going to be doing a huge revamping of this Blog over the next month or so. Be on the lookout for a (real) new layout, a new blog title, and all sorts of other new things :) A lot of help will be coming from my friend Kristen, so make sure you check out her blog too :)

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Just in case you weren't aware, Thanksgiving is in two days. Somehow this holiday, which (obviously) isn't celebrated over here in Budapest, has still managed to shape my week.

I wasn't even close to aware how much not being home for Thanksgiving was going to affect me. I just figured - okay Courtney, two years and no Thanksgiving, no big deal. But I have proven myself to be wrong (and no, this isn't the first time). I am quite unhappy about not being home to celebrate. You see, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays (who am I kidding, all holidays are one of my favorites...I just love holidays and the things they represent, and the cards you get to send, and the smiles they elicit) and the prospect of not even having it is weighing pretty heavily on me.

I understand that some of the sadness for not being home has to do with all the work that's piling up around me. But I also am aware that I really, really am going to miss not having it in my schedule this year. It's a holiday that makes you reflect on the good things in your life that you have. It makes you appreciate the people who are around you, makes you thankful that they are in your life. Friends and family are two of the greatest gifts we have been given in our lives, and if you don't feel blessed for having them, you don't know what you're missing. We so often take for granted the people we see or talk to every day, but on Thanksgiving we get to remind ourselves that we're pretty darn lucky.

So, in honor of not being home for Thanksgiving I'd like to share some of the things with you that I love so much about this holiday and some of the things I'm thankful for.

What I Love About Thanksgiving

1. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - Thanksgiving morning is the best. I get to get up, not get out of my pajamas, and plop down in front of the television for three straight hours of an American tradition. I love the parade. I love it with the wide-eyed amazement that I loved it with when I was small. The smells of the forthcoming feast start to permeate the house while I'm watching too. I just love being all snuggled up on the couch, watching the parade, and knowing that my family is around me. (and the fact that after it's over there's still The Purina Dog Show and It's A Wonderful Life left to watch, among other things!) Oh, and Santa. I love that this means Christmas (my honest-to-goodness-favorite-holiday-of-them-all) is just around the corner. I will believe in Santa 'till the day I die. Mark my words.

2. Stuffing! - I know everyone says it, but my mom makes the best stuffing on the planet. I tried to recreate it last year when Lori and I had our pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving with our friends. Let's just say I need a few more years and a lot of attention to get it right. The mushrooms, the sausage, the ground up innards of the turkey, the celery, the seasonings, all of it. It's great the day of, but the way it tastes on sandwiches for the rest of the week can't be beat.

3. The Apple in the Turkey - I have no idea when or why mom started doing this, but I think it's the most amazing thing ever. Not only does the stuffing get a hint of apple, but it's just cool that there's an apple to pull out! Oh, and it's pretty delicious tasting too :)

4. Saying Grace - It may get rushed through on the way to pigging out, but there's nothing better than taking a second to thank God and each other for all we've been given. It's the time to just pause and tell your family you love them.

5. Leftovers- Thanksgiving last so much longer than a day! You get at least a week of delicious meals and treats. I think this is one of the things I will miss the most this year! Thank God mom's cooking a Thanksgiving feast for Christmas :)

I'm Thankful For...

- Mom & Dad (my two favorite people ever, hands down)

- The best relatives on the planet

- Phoenix & Isis (and the rest of the pets we've ever had)

- The best friends a girl could ask for (we've all spread out far and wide, but you're always in my heart)

- The assorted "extra parents" I've collected over the years

- The opportunity to study in Budapest

- American foods/brands

- Good (most of the time!) health.

- Those of you who read my blog

- The fact that fencing came into my life so randomly, and the friends and family it created

- The same can be said for ballroom dancing and aerials too :)

- ... & SO much more