a day of thanks.

today is the day. the day at home that i would be with tons of family, enjoying macy's thanksgiving day parade, and eating enough for the next few weeks. mom would be cooking pumpkin pie, scott and all the boys would be watching football, and kate and i would be just hanging out, probably ganging up on corey. not this year. this year is quite a bit different. this year, when everyone at home is sitting down to eat dinner, i will be going to bed. haha.

dont get me wrong. today is still a feast for us over here. as a matter of fact, all of us from NCSU are having a thanksgiving dinner/potluck tonight and im so excited! let me tell you what a thanksgiving dinner over here entails:

-pecan pie

-pumpkin pie

-green bean casserole

-mashed potatoes

-apples baked with raisin

-stuffing

-bacon and Gorgonzola mashed potatoes

-deep fried cranberry sauce fritters

-pringles (thanks abby)

and lastly, A TURKEY! we are all chipping in for a turkey tonight, so this dinner is definitely a legit thanksgiving dinner!

of course, it wouldnt really be complete without the turkey hands and turkey hats. so that is on the to-do list for today.

at my house on thanksgiving we always tell what we are thankful for about each person...since i am not around this year, i just have a few things that i am so thankful for that i am going to share on here.

1. I am so thankful for our sweet jesus who died for all of us. its incredible when you think about the fact that the person who created everything also created you and i. "that hands that hold the world, are holding your heart." i am so thankful for his new mercy everyday.

2. I will forever be thankful for this experience over here. it has been a blessing to me, and a time i will never forget. i have endured heartache and the best times of my life, all in one trip. and i am so thankful for every second. i am so thankful that i am blessed with wonderful roommates here-especially one of my best friends. i am thankful that i can wake up and decide to go to venice or rome for the day. i am so thankful. i am thankful that i have grown up in ways that i never imagined. and i am thankful for the people (aka. mom, scott, dad, grandparents) who made this trip even possible. you will never know what this trip means to me-it is truly an irreplaceable feeling.

i woke up a little earlier this morning because my sweet roommate bought melissa, christine and i breakfast at the cafe on the corner and brought it home for us. it was so nice-we had a cute little family breakfast on thanksgiving.

im so excited for our dinner tonight. usual potluck dinners entail hours of charades and games after-and just enjoying everyone's company. :)

this weekend, ashley has a friend from home coming. and the other roommates are leaving and going to rome...so naturally we are leaving to and going to venice! it is the last stop before returning to america in 3 weeks. it is so hard to believe that i got here 3 months ago and was counting the days i had left...and now here it is, almost time to go, and im not ready.

well, better get ready for class. its only thursday, but over here, thursday is friday because friday=no class.

ps-friends at home...i am missing you dearly this holiday. im missing hanging out every night and im missing the trips to krispy kreme.

happy thanksgiving everyone!