Considering the circumstances, I don't think I could have asked for a better Thanksgiving.
Firstly, everything turned out. Nothing burned, nothing was dry, nothing tasted weird. That alone was a holiday miracle.
Secondly, the people; there was my family (Uncle Ilya and Aunt Tanya, Masha, and Kostya), my dear friends Senya and Andrey, and our friend Nastya. They fully embraced the spirit of Thanksgiving. Ilya read a psalm and said the blessing before the meal, and afterwards we all listed the things we were thankful for and said prayers of thanksgiving. I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for the wonderful people I have here in Russia, and I really don't know what I would do without them.
Today, I'm taking it easy. I've been cooking for two days straight and think it's about time to cool my heels. Besides, tomorrow is a big day; one of the things the Ivanyenko family is so very grateful for is that their oldest son Tima returns from the army tomorrow! It goes without saying I think that we're going to have a fantastic "welcome home" party.
Here are a few photos from this Thanksgiving. I hope that God has blessed you this year as richly as he's blessed me, and that this holiday season is a time for celebration and joy, not stress and well...stress.
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| The bird, a 5k (11lb) beauty, probably raised in someone's backyard |
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| They shut off our water all day yesterday |
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| A girl and her bird |
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| I gave Senya the honor (chore?) of carving the bird |
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| Our holiday table |
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| He was no match for the post-turkey coma |
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| Pouring tea for dessert because hey, this is still Russia |
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| The hero of the night: Andrey, who did most of the dishes |
Пока ребята, Russian Jane
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