Giving Thanks

We enjoyed not one, but two Thanksgiving celebrations in Australia! A group of American expats gathered the Saturday before Thanksgiving at a rustic resort called Glen Helen, which is about an hour outside of Alice Springs. More than 40 of us celebrated a traditional Thanksgiving meal of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin and pecan pie, outside on a patio overlooking the Glen Helen Gorge. We had a lot of fun.

Glen Helen Gorge on a hot, sunny day

Obligatory self portrait - we were the only people there!

One could go swimming, but I'm sorta squeamish.

Real Thanksgiving food!

Check out the view. Pretty cool.

So many cute kids.

This little guy is so good. Never cries.

mmmmm Ice Cream!

Our friends, the Wilkinson family, adopted us for Thanksgiving day to enjoy a wonderful meal with their family. I brought my camera, but didn't take any pics ... dang it. Rebecca, Ken and their five kids treated us to turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, red cabbage, and three pies, followed by games. And baseball. The older Wilkinson boys are on a baseball team, which had a game that night. There are only enough kids to make up two teams, so the same two teams play each other over and over! It was a nice night for baseball.

It's hard being so far from family and friends, especially during the holidays. We are very grateful that our girls were taken care of back home and that we were able to pause and give thanks for the many blessings that we have, including this fabulous opportunity to live overseas and experience a totally different way of life.

We're also grateful that my Uncle Gene discovered a talent for painting later in life. About a week ago we received a huge package all the way from Florida with THREE original Eugene Kusek paintings, including one customized piece that means the world to us.

Three paintings from my Uncle Eugene Kusek!

We brought this wonderful painting of our home in Virginia with us here. What makes it so special is that it was a wedding gift from our next door neighbor, Harris Miller, who painted it. He is so talented! You can see more of his work here: http://www.harrismillerart.com/. 

An original Harris Miller painting of our home in Virginia.