Thanksgiving 2013!!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. A day long regarded as a day to pig out on a decadent meal of American "comfort foods" and a day to give thanks for the ability to do so. I did both of these things.

Our Dinner

I made a turkey seasoned and stuffed with just bacon, garlic, and onions. (and some Costco no-salt seasoning) 

Wild brown rice and red and black quinoa, soaked overnight and then made takikomi with turkey broth, chicken bouillon, and diced celery and carrots. 

 Creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, corn, brussel sprouts, and gravy. 

 dinner is served!!

Dessert: a double layered kabocha and sweet potato pie, with a crust made of cheerio crumbs, butter and sugar, topped with some whipped cream (from the can!) 

Yasushi came home from work at around 3pm--he got the evening off for Thanksgiving, and he joined Chinami and I for dinner. When you work in the service industry that mainly caters to Japanese customers, getting American holidays off is a privilege, not a right, but this year we were extremely lucky, Yasushi getting the evening off, and me getting a paid holiday in between my usual days off for 3 consecutive days off.

I'm not just thankful to have a work schedule flexible enough to have been able to spend Thanksgiving with the two people that mean the most to me in this world....I am thankful just to be able to work. With little working experience in the US, the competitive job market in Hawaii, and the fact that I have to rely on the kindness of my neighbors, my husband who is working 60+ hours a week, and expensive childcare to take care of Chinami when I am working, I was not confident that I would be able to get a good job....but instead, I got a great job where I can lead groups of guests and hopefully make their day a little better, and I also work in an office with great co-workers, a coffee machine, and needlessly complicated communication systems and excel sheets. Oh, I am also thankful for the kindness of said neighbors. They have given Chinami so much love and taught her so much, sometimes I wonder if Chinami thinks she is really Tongan instead of hapa.

And then there's Chinami. I'm so thankful to be able to be her mother. I'm thankful for having had such a healthy, easy pregnancy, a peaceful home birth and more than enough breastmilk to nourish her and help her through all the difficulties of being a toddler. I'm thankful for every hug, kiss, and smile she gives me, and I'm even thankful for the times she tells me "no" too, because that's how I know that she will be strong and independent. I am also thankful because becoming her mother has helped me overcome many hurdles within myself that were holding me back, and for the first time in my life, I truly have confidence in myself, mentally and physically. I also am thankful to have access to the Internet and library, which gives me a wealth of information which I can use to better my life and my family's life, and work to break the cycle I was unfortunately

born into.
Anyway, with the cost of living the way it is here in paradise, we don't have much in the way of material goods. The money we earn that isn't spent on the bare necessities is mostly put away in hopes that maybe someday we can own, not rent, our home. And I'm fine with that, because I know from experience growing up, that no matter how much you spend on superficial matters and material things, it will not make you happy. Love from my family, working for my money, and being informed and confident, physically and mentally, make me happy.

And the bacon infused turkey was really, really good too. :D