Our Dominican Thanksgiving!!

I have always felt like I was strong. I have always felt like I was ok to be away from home and family. I have embraced this experience and loved it. I was really really excited to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas in the Caribbean. I was excited to create (or help create) a Thanksgiving dinner. It was he first time I could actually help make the dinner and not just bring a pie or appetizer! I was excited to try to use what we have to make a beautiful dinner. It was really exciting for me to think that this is the FIRST Thanksgiving we would spend just with our own little family. After we were married, our families were so close that we never had to do the on/ off year. We still saw both families every Thanksgiving and Christmas. So truly, this was a first for me, but I was excited. When I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, I sent Broc and Crew on their way to SCHOOL (yes, they had school on Thanksgiving). Remember it is an American holiday. And it just felt like they should be home, and we should be spending this day together. It just didn't feel like Thanksgiving, I am not sure if it was the swealtering humidity or the fact that they had school, but I started to miss home and my family and the pie crust cookies dusted with cinnamon sugar that my mom always had waiting for us when we woke up on Thanksgiving morning. I missed making food with my family and enjoying the annual Durrant Pizza/ Movie the night before Thanksgiving. I started to feel homesick and I broke down. There have been moments here and there when I have missed things, but never really to this extent. It was my very first time being away on Thanksgiving and though I was so exicited to experience it on our own, in a new country, I missed my family and Broc's family... I missed home! I have always felt like I am strong, feeling like I am ok living here - and I am, but missing family is just a little harder than I thought it would be. So I am grateful for family... our family back home and our Dominican family here! We still had an amazing Thanksgiving, thanks to amazing friends. Here is run down of the day.

First, let's take a look at how Thanksgiving day looked here. No sweaters needed! Kind of weird. Sometimes I forget what month it is because it feels like summer year round!

I felt like I was rushing all morning long to get everything done before heading to see Crew's little Thanksgiving program. Luckily, I made it just in time to hear their sweet song!

(The lady in the back left is the principal)

While they were waiting to sing, Crew was messing with his hair and slicking it back. Just check out his sweet do' he did for himself!

These are all the kids in the Prep School.  Grades: Pre-K/ Kindergarten - 8th grade.

What a turkey!

 After the kiddos sang their Thanksgiving song, they had their traditional Thanksgiving lunch.  

Ok, back to our dinner- I still had a million things to finish for our dinner. We (me, Crew and Jack) rushed home after lunch, I got the kiddos down for a nap, and finished cooking. Only to find midway through making my rolls, that I ran out of butter and flour. Crap, no car, kids are asleep... I was left to call one of the transport drivers to pick up my goods at the store then bring them to my house. Oh the life we live here! Luckily, he got the goods and I was able to finish my stuff. Now it was time to make the trek to Paul and Kristen's. Called another transport driver (life without a car is fun), loaded the van to the brim (my roll dough was overflowing in the biggest bowl that I had, cranberry sauce was leaking, the oreo turkeys were melting and sliding all over the place, plus a few other containers filled with sweet potatoe goodness, the triple chocolate pumpkin cheesecake, a huge bag filled with the finishing touches for the remainder of the food, 2 bags of potaotes and our two crazy kids!) It was a fun bumpy ride over! But we made it and the food did too (luckily)!

Kristen had the table decorated to perfection! It really was beautiful! Seriously, she worked with what we had and totally made it work!

We finished cooking the rest of the food, taste testing to perfection and put the finishing touches on everything. We had 3 ovens baking (mini ovens that is!), stove tops going... man trying to time everything to make sure it is all done and hot at the same time is tricky!


{Note to self, do your make up and get ready first before anything else... because if you don't you will be too busy getting the food ready and forget to put on your mascara!}

Let the carving begin!!!

Our mouths were watering as Kristen took the bird out of the oven! And it tasted just as divine as it looks!!

I made the rolls and I was a little intimidated. The last few recipes I have tried really haven't been that great. (To be honest, I have only made rolls- homemade from scratch rolls maybe 3 times EVER!) So of course I was intimidated, but tried a new recipe (not sure why I do that the day of a big event) and they turned out! The recipe is a keeper and will probably be making a weekly appearance at our house!

The placesettings!

Kristen came over the night before and we made these little turkey lurkeys! They seemed like a great idea at the time, that was until we realized that these things really don't hold up in swealtering humidity. But we used a few tricks and made it work! I fell in love with these little turkeys. And I love that somebody else loves to do silly things like this with me!

Ready to eat!

Here is our smorgasbord of food! We had tons and it was all soo good!!

{On the Menu:}

Appetizers: Cheese ball - {Kristen shaped it into a pumpkin! (notice bottom right of picture)}, chips and salsa

Main Course: Turkey, Ham (with an amazing sauce), Pumkin Soup, Stuffing (homemade), Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Rolls, Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole and Cranberry Sauce

Dessert: Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pecan Pie

We didn't go hungry! That's for sure! 

Our Dominican family!

{From left to right: Arman, Kristen, Paul, Ben, Blake, Tanya, Crew, Broc, Me, Jack}

Future Doctors! (Not sure if there is a shadow or if Broc's hair is just fluffy?)

Crew loved playing with the Domininos ...

and Jack loved destroying them!!! 

Time for Pie! I have decided that Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cheeseccake is my all time favorite!!! I hate that I didn't have a springform pan here, but it tasted just as good- just wasn't as pretty!

"It'll go right to your hips!" 

Host and Hostess! Thanks so much for hosting such a lovely Thanksgiving! It was perfect.

We have so much to be grateful for. Though it was a little rough that day, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything! And I feel especially blessed to have such an amazing husband and two sweet healthy kiddos. I can't imagine life being sweeter than this!