Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Thanksgiving is already turning into one of my favorite holidays. It’s that time of the year when the trees are still colored with shades of autumn, and the air is crisp and punctuated with the smell of roast turkey and fresh apples.

I woke up this morning, thanking God for another lovely day. 

Thanksgiving is the perfect reason to get reunited with family. 

Well, my family’s 9,500 miles away in Malaysia, so I spent Thanksgiving with my American family – the Neals.

They sort of “adopted” me. ;) I’m so thankful to have met the Neals. They’re a crazy, hilarious, loving family who support each other in every way possible. They welcomed me into their home with so much warmth and introduced me to the Southern culture. They even taught me how to speak with an Arkansan twang: "Get yer country fried chickin'!"

Here’s a brief update about my first Thanksgiving with the Neals and their extended families. 

I got there an hour before everyone else started arriving and met Molly, Taylor’s kitten. Molly’s a feisty little thing. She’s really cute, but she hates being held. Whenever someone picks her up to snuggle, she growls and starts whining like a tortured soul. I have never met a kitten who hates being picked up. But then again, I’m more of a dog person than a cat person, so who am I to talk about kittens’ behaviors? Lol. 

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the food. Oh, gosh. It's like Christmas, when people exercise their inner cook and whip up all sorts of yummilicious treats.

Deviled eggs

My plate of ham, country green beans, deviled egg, butter roll, chicken stuffing and mashed potatoes.

That wasn't even all the food we had. There was buttered corn, pudding, cheese balls and salted crackers, pink salad, banana pudding, carrot cake, chocolate cake, chocolate-coated balls of peanut butter and cream cheese and cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting.

I might have left one or two more things out of the list, but you get the picture. :) We stuffed ourselves with so much food that when the banana pudding was brought out, someone exclaimed, "Get that thing away from me. I am going to puke if I take one more bite because I am about to explode."

When you actually get to the heart of Thanksgiving, you realize that it's not all about the food. Thanksgiving is about the people.

Taylor, my "sister" from another mother. :) She's awesome! 

Meet Gracie! She's pretty much like a human being.

Cathy (Taylor's mom) and mamaw, Taylor's grandmother.

Sue Ellyn, Jason and LaDonna

Being around them was great, but it also made me miss my family a whole lot more. 

I'm thankful for my family back in Malaysia, for their unconditional love, support and encouragement throughout every step of my life. I couldn't have asked God for a better family. Every single day, I miss them even more. But the thought of seeing them in less than a month (because they're attending my graduation!) is exciting. :)

I am thankful for the Neals, for their generosity and warmth and for treating me like their own. They welcomed me into their lives, took me places, cooked me delicious Southern meals, helped me through some of the craziest moments of my college semesters, and offered me the sense of a warm, Southern family.

I am thankful for a loving boyfriend who has been there for me through the thick and thin of our almost 4-year long distance relationship. Thanks to the advancement of technology, we've been able to stay in touch through Skype and Whatsapp. It's really, really tough. But he makes all of this worth it.

I am thankful for friends who have my back - friends who love me for who I am, friends who encourage me, friends who build me up, friends who are able to laugh with me and share silly moments with me. They mean the world to me! True friends are hard to come by, so I thank God for each and every one of these special people He's placed in my life.

On top of everything else, I'm thankful for where I am today, for the circumstances I've had to endure to get here, for the people who made all of this possible, and for God's unfailing strength and grace that bolstered me through all 22 years of my life. Everything originated from Him, and without Him, there would be no Thanksgiving. :)

I'm also thankful to the lady who sold me the African hair clip last weekend.

Thanksgiving shouldn't be limited to just one day. Each day is Thanksgiving, a chance to celebrate the good things in life and to be grateful for everything you have. 

What are you thankful for? :)