Our 2nd Abu Dhabi Thanksgiving (and more)

This year's Thanksgiving felt much more normal - even though we're so far away from where we would typically celebrate Thanksgiving.  Last year I did not feel I was ready to host a big group (and was thankful for our friends the Barton's who invited us to their house!) but this year, we're settled enough that I felt ready for the challenge.  We had 26 people for a very traditional Thanksgiving meal.  We had mostly Americans but the group also included a British couple (my friend was so excited to participate in her very first American Thanksgiving) and the French husband of a friend of mine (and their whole family).  We also hosted two New York University students through a "Host A Student for Thanksgiving" program run by the American Women's Network here in Abu Dhabi.  Our two students were from the US and from Iran.  It was Ramina's (from Iran) first Thanksgiving as well!  We also had four Philippina helpers who helped look after the ton of kids we had running around and helped me host such a large group.  I think they think American Thanksgiving food is a little bland but they were glad to participate as well.  I bought a bunch of take-away containers like you get at restaurants and sent everyone home with leftovers - so our small kitchen wasn't totally overrun with leftovers.

We really had a nice time - except for a not-so-great ending when one of the dads had to take his kindergarten boy off to the Emergency Room after a nasty fall that resulted in a big bruised knot, blurred vision and nausea.   We felt so bad for little Jamie but he checked out okay at the hospital and they even got an American doctor on Thanksgiving (you would think that *he* would have had Thanksgiving off since it's not a holiday for anyone else!).  

We did the below big meal at our house on Thursday evening (a regular workday here) and then headed to another Thanksgiving event at a colleague of Jake's apartment.  The view from his apartment is stunning and I'm sad I didn't take any pictures.  The event was adults only so we gathered on the terrace over the water, watched swimmers on the beach below and saw a beautiful sunset over the water while enjoying wonderful appetizers and another traditional American Thanksgiving.  Jake's work event just includes Americans but it's still an amazingly diverse group of people - with many first and second generation immigrants in attendance.  I love how Thanksgiving is a holiday that everyone seems to love - what's not to love about pausing and thinking about all the amazing blessings we all have.

Below the (very few) Thanksgiving pictures are a few pictures from the week or so before Thanksgiving:  a fun trip to a new beach club to us and Regan getting her very fist violin.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Our family is so blessed.

The grown-up table.  Miniature pumpkins are ridiculously
expensive so we used pears (with flags the girls made
for place settings).  The kids' tables had apples
for their place settings.

The girls' table.  We had 8 girls in attendance

The boys' table - a bit lonely with only four (and three from
the same family).  Jamie (on the left) was our poor little
attendee who took a trip to the ER at the end of the nigh.

One of the three buffet tables.  Two with entrees and side
 and one with just desserts.

The grown-ups (plus Anna's head in my chair)

Excited Regan - buying a violin.  She's been asking
for lessons for almost a year so we're finally starting!

She takes this little violin almost everywhere so far.  She's
only had one lesson (learning the parts of the violin
and how to hold it) but she is still very
enthusiastic

A floating iceberg climbing wall.  It was a lot
harder than it looks!

Our little beach babe

We found a six-legged starfish.  Not sure if this is
somewhat normal or if we should be worried
about the water we were just swimming in...

Beachside lunch!

Another beautiful Abu Dhabi sunset

Sweet Meredith at school.  They all sit down as
soon as they get to the classroom and practice
writing their names.