Happy Thanksgiving! Wait, Right??

We probably should have known. Collectively we've celebrated Thanksgiving over 100 times. But when the different stages of culture shock set in (that's what I'm blaming it on, anyway), and there weren't ever any decorations in the stores, nor are people talking about it because it's not on their calendars, and it's been almost 100 degrees the past week, and no one is wearing scarves, the leaves aren't changing colors, and no one is drinking pumpkin spice lattes, you guess. And we just happened to be a week off. 

But we went with it anyway. 

Because why not? We knew it was going to be a sort of make-shift Thanksgiving anyway. And really, we were the only ones who knew, and we all love a good laugh. 

Our Thanksgiving started about a month ago when Kendra, Charlotte, and I were emailing, texting, and calling Scott to bring different key ingredients that we knew we were not going to be able to find in Paraguay. Thankfully, before we went to Peru, he delivered those precious ingredients. Then the waiting began. 

We were just a little bit anxious. At least I was. I love Thanksgiving. Food, family, and football. What's not to love??

While we didn't watch any football (partly because no one really likes/understands the NFL in Paraguay, and mostly because we were celebrating on the completely wrong day), I would say our Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful. So much so, I'll share some highlights. 

I took the bus out to Tobati on Tuesday afternoon after going to the store and trying to find frozen green beans, brown sugar, and marshmallows. None of which I found. Fresh string beans was the closest I could get. And we were going to make it work! Kendra and I almost immediately started on the apple pie. We had a little frustrations with the dough for the crust at first, but then we got it! Then we made brownies because we all know you can't just have one dessert on Thanksgiving. 

We took a break from making food for Thanksgiving because we needed to make dinner. Kendra taught me how to make empanadas! But sorry Mom, we didn't make the dough from scratch. If you want me to make them when I'm home, we might have to find the pre-made stuff, or just wing it :) 

We ended the night by making turkey hands and sharing what we're thankful for. We put them on the fridge, and called it a night. We had a BIG day ahead of us! 

We "planned" everything out and decided that something needed to be in the oven by 9am. After slowly waking up, sharing coffee, donuts (!!!!!!, not exactly the same, but the closest I've seen in Paraguay), and our morning devotions, we were a little behind. But thankfully, we were on Paraguayan time! And we decided to not attempt sweet potatoes. Mostly because we didn't have marshmallows, brown sugar, or sweet potatoes. I think it worked out in our favor. 

We continued to make green bean casserole, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, the big bird (chicken, not turkey), apple cider (Sprite and apple juice did the trick), and cranberry sauce (taking it out of the can that traveled from the US counts as making it, right?). There was just one thing missing. Ice cream. You can't have apple pie without ice cream. And if you've ever had ice cream from Amandau, you would know how important it was to get ice cream. That stuff is seriously so good. Charlotte and I got a ride into town with Pablo as he went to pick up some of the girls from school. We walked right up to our favorite ice cream placed - closed. Dang. Okay, plan B.. not as good but still yummy - El Heladero, just a couple of blocks down. Closed. Bummer. Big fat bummer. It was 11:30, why aren't you open!? Anyways... Pablo picked us up after making his rounds and we sadly delivered the news to Kendra. I'm glad she likes ice cream as much as I do because she was not going to settle for not having it. Around 1, we headed back into town. It better be open this time! And praise Jesus, it was. We picked out our flavors to fill up one kilo, and we were so stoked. The whole ice cream ordeal probably took up two hours of our day, and it was so worth it. 

By the time we waited for the bus, and got back, Luis had also gotten back from school. We were ready!!! Luis said prayer, and we dove right in. We all sat in silence eating. The combination of emotions from being exhausted, hungry, enjoying the food, and missing home. All at once. We didn't feel the need to talk. We all knew. 

This was Luis' first Thanksgiving ever. This was the first time Kendra and I had cooked Thanksgiving without the help of our mothers. And Charlotte, bless her heart, was not feeling well, but was the biggest help. 

This was a Thanksgiving I will never forget. And I am so incredibly thankful.