Giving thanks, Georgian style

First, I hope you all had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. We had a great celebration here in Georgia, and the planning and preparation for the holiday really brought home what we have to be thankful for. So, in no particular order:

I'm thankful that the Commissary worked overtime to find turkeys for us. Granted, they had to send 2 people to Armenia with a truck to haul back frozen turkeys, but they did it. And then I got to stand in a line in the parking lot to get my turkey as soon as the truck arrived. The Commissary didn't have storage room for all the turkeys that were purchased, so if you wanted one, you had to be there to get it as soon as the truck arrived. I commented to the man standing in the line next to me, as we huddled together in the cold and the rain, waiting for them to open the back of the truck and start handing out turkeys, that we were getting the full "Russian" experience.

I'm thankful that my husband had to go to Moldova the week before Thanksgiving. The good part of his trip to Moldova was the return, as he passed through Turkey (the country, not the bird). He spent the night in Turkey, visiting with some friends who were on holiday there and introducing them to our extended Turkish "family". I asked David to find out from our Turkish family if it was true that you could get actual celery in Istanbul, as it cannot be acquired in Georgia. The answer was "Of course!" and then Adam (David's "avi" or brother) sent one of his employees to the market for celery for us. 4 Kilos of celery.

I'm thankful that my mother was able to email me her "approximate" recipe for the corn bread dressing - it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the corn bread dressing. I skipped the giblet gravy though. I love you mom, but giblet gravy is gross.

I'm thankful for our friends, Ella, Bill, Anna, Carla, Wally, Castillo, Rachel, John, Colin, Hazira and Scott (plus all the assorted children) who came to celebrate with us. If you can't be with your true family on Thanksgiving, it's great to be able to spend the day with your good friends.

I'm thankful for the leftovers. Isn't everyone? That's the best part of Thanksgiving. Turkey for weeks! Turkey noodle soup! Turkey sandwiches! Turkey pot pies!

Happy holidays to you all!