Americans UNITE! :)

What a FANTASTIC time we had at the Potluck Thanksgiving dinner that was volunteer-organized by American friends of ours, Vanessa and Rob Garey. When you think "potluck," you don't usually imagine something like this. It was fantastic. We truly felt like we had experienced Thanksgiving. REAL Thanksgiving. Beautiful, classy, yummy, cozy Thanksgiving. And to share the experience with so many other new friends -Americans and other nationalities- made it all the more blessed.


(Below: Julia fell asleep on the ride over, but Avery was ready to mingle!)



(Seriously... What IS it about watching guys carve a turkey that just warms your heart? This feels like home.)




The evening wrapped up with beanbag chairs and blankets on the ground while they played Home Alone on the big screen and passed out hot chocolate and coffee. Perfect. If the girls hadn't been scared by the movie, we would have stayed until the last credits rolled. I *heart* Home Alone, but I do understand the scary aspects of how it must look to a 4-year-old, too. I found myself trailing off when I tried to comfort Avery by explaining: "Oh, honey, it's not scary! He's just home by himself because his parents flew off without him... And now there are some guys who... want to get inside his house... Hmmm... Wanna play with Mommy's earrings?" Throw in a taranchula spider and a talking basement furnace and you've got a kid's Christmas horror show. She'll grow an appreciation for it someday-- it's a modern classic!


(Below: Our amazing Hosts, The Gareys. Don't mind the mustache, it's "Movember.")