thanksgiving down under.

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not the biggest fan of Thanksgiving. The history, the timing of the holiday, the turkey. Ben has fond childhood memories of Thanksgiving at his grandfather's cabin, but the holiday weekend was never a huge deal for me growing up. And for some reason it's been a source of great stress in my adult years. Anyway, none of that really applies anymore.

Because guess what they don't celebrate in Australia? 

Thanksgiving! 

Pretty convenient for me. I thought about not acknowledging the holiday altogether, but I felt bad for Ben, and attempted to make a nice meal for us when he got home from work - it was our First Thanksgiving as a Married Couple, after all. I made asparagus, crunchy rice (not on purpose. shhhh) and I actually found pumpkin soup at the grocery. They don't make pumpkin pie here, and we currently have no access to an oven, so I found some vanilla custard thing that got the job done. Keep in mind, we're still living in a tiny hotel room - this was the best I could do! I set the table and propped up a framed picture of our families.

It was kind of lonely, but it was nice. Because we had each other, and that is all we need right now. Ben and I talked about what we were thankful for: mostly, that we made it to Melbourne and that we're getting this much closer to settling down. It's been a tough year for both of us, as we've been through quite a few changes and transitions. Here are some of the big ones:

1. Packing up, moving around, living out of suitcases for months.

2. Occupational transfers.

3. Family additions (marriage-wise).

4. Marriage.

5. Moving to the other end of the planet.

     5.a. First time moving away from family, for Ben.

I think about where we were a year ago, and it kind of blows my mind. It's like that one song from RENT, where they ask "how do you measure, measure a year?" 

In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles

In laughter, in strife.

We're thankful for the opportunity to live in Melbourne - that it actually, finally happened, and it's been a pleasant experience so far. We're thankful for our friends and families, and for the ability to swiftly communicate with them via technology. We're thankful to be together, that we made it through this past year, and that somehow everything has helped us become a stronger couple in the end. 

So, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back in the States! 

Also, sorry if I got that song stuck in your head.

CK