I am thankful for you

My mom insists that her wanting me home for Thanksgiving is not just on account of my mad vacuuming and potato-mashing skills, but the jury's still out!

This holiday is always the hardest for me to spend away from home and always marks the point in the year when I feel the most homesick.  In fact one of the things I feel most thankful for is today's marking the onset of Christmas, reminding me that my trip home is just around the corner and before I know it I will be snuggling on the couch in plaid pajamas drinking hot chocolate and watching Home Alone and Love Actually on repeat with my family.

But let's not skip to Christmas just yet!

While I was away from my biological family this year, I got to have another Thanksgiving with my villa family Wednesday night.  Thanksgiving all'Italiana was a big success, them having learned how to make everything from sweet potatoes to pecan pie over the years.  I made hilarious paper cup turkeys with my students Tuesday night and each one really took on its own personality, making for great additions to the table decor at Le Lance, the restaurant where we spent Thanksgiving, and where our villa cook's husband is head chef.  It's all in the family!

After a couple heart-warming speeches to remind us what this holiday is really about, we settled in for the feast.  I sat by Paul, our faculty in residence from Georgetown, and his partner, Vincent, as well as a handful of my students.  Throughout the entire dinner, Eva, our business manager Giuditta's toddler, kept playing tag between her and I from one side of the restaurant to the other.  I had great company, spectacular food, and even a baby!  I couldn't have been more content.

How our Italians manage to make such bomb American pies is a welcome wonder. 

Our end of the table played a wonderful game (at the suggestion of Paul and Vincent, of course) where each person put a question in a cup, and we went around the table each answering everyone's questions.  It was a wonderful way to jump start intimate conversations and to learn more about the wonderful people we spend time with every day here.  Other guests in our party thought we were the strangest people because we would always be intense in conversation, often sniffling at emotional stories or cracking up at hilarious ones.  It was such a special and memorable meal!  Here is my officially bonded Thanksgiving crew.

And what would Thanksgiving be without giving thanks?  Today I stopped by the duomo to light a candle for all the people I love and to thank God for blessing my life with them, I mean you!  Living in this beautiful and privileged place and being far from friends and family reminds me to count my blessings daily, but on this of all days, I want to make sure you all know how thankful I am to have your love, laughter, and support in my life.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!