Thanksgiving takes Australia

Being away from friends and family for so long really makes you realize how big of a part they play in your everyday life. Thank goodness for things life Skype, Facebook and Snapchat for keeping in touch with everyone back at home because I honestly don't know what I'd do without it! That being said I've been lucky enough to make some incredible friends here, friends that I know I'll have for life. I joke that they're my little Aussie family, but it's not really a joke because they actually are.

Come Thanksgiving time, I was thinking about how weird it would be to not celebrate it at all! Considering how big of a thing it is back at home, it was hard to picture no one even knowing what it is. So Jesse and I (he having livd in America for 12 years when he was younger) decided we needed to show these Aussies how Thanksgiving should be done. Despite the fact that my family never has time to do a traditional turkey, ironic I know.

We on the other hand went all out. 2 pumpkin pies were made the day before in advance, no one had ever had pumpkin pie so I had to make sure they were perfect! Then the day of it was cooking time for the turkey and stuffing, mashes potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, green beans, corn on the cob, and homemade gravy. We were determined to do it all!

Cooking away in the over, om nom nom 

And somehow, we actually managed to pull it all off! Apparently Jesse and I make a great kitchen team because we had everything hot on the table at 6:30 and we were told it was all perfectly cooked. Must have been good because the table went quiet the minute everyone started eating, always a good sign. 

For me though Thanksgiving wasn't about the food, or eating it all, though that is definitely fun. It's about getting people you love together for a dinner, sharing some laughs and having a great night. And we definitely did that! We all laughed till our stomachs hurt, and talking way past the food was done and kitchen cleaned, until the last bottle of wine was empty. Then we played games, which was just the best fun to top off an awesome night. I can honestly say out of everything I've done here that was one of the best nights I've had! I'm so thankful to have met all of these wonderful people and be able to call them friends, and that was just the best way to say thank you to all of them for welcoming me into all their lives. And that was a lot mushier than I meant it to be! Goes to show how much people really can have an affect on your life in the best of ways. 

One of my favourite pictures - we're pretty adorable aren't we :D