Preparing For My Second American Thanksgiving.

My little tree looks goooood next to my giant Alabama pinecones!

This is about the extent of our Christmas decorating situation...currently.

I'm not too big into seasonal decorating. It is hard for me to spend alot of money on items that I'll only be showing off for a few months and then packing them away into a closet for the rest of the year. (Although, I am going through deer phase where I just want to buy every single deer picture, mug, trinket, salt & pepper shaker, and book end that I see).

I'd rather spend my chedda-cheese on something I can display all year round! Do you get me? Or food! I could easily spend all of my money on food if I wanted. Like popsicles and chips.

Perhaps one day when I am drowning in cash I'll feel differently about the whole thing... (Heh..).

But this little tree was definitely an exception. I found it at the grocery store, on sale, and I couldn't say no. I think it was the plaid that had me at hello...and the gold sparkles...and the tiny pinecones...or just the entire thing itself. Ha!

(American) Thanksgiving is this week and I'm feelin' good! Did that come quickly or what?! It will be my second Thanksgiving spent as an American resident, and I suspect it'll be better than the first!

Here is a picture from Thanksgiving of 2014. This just brings back a flood of memories for me!

I remember the day-to-day facts:

...Baking my favourite carrot cake recipe in the world for the in-law Thanksgiving dinner, and how it turned out perfectly! Can we say, PHEW?

...Finding holes in just about every package of food along with droppings in our pantry closet, and eventually catching the mouse the following day. (Thank. Goodness).

...Sharing a potluck dinner with close friends, and spending an evening at a pub with more close friends!

But I especially remember the emotion I was feeling at that time.

I remember feeling unsettled.

I could stare at a Thesaurus all day but "unsettled" is really the perfect word to describe it. Unsettled with the stress of the visa process, being jobless, lack of finances, homesickness for my friends and family, and experiencing a lack of belonging in my new community.

This year, 2015, is different. I don't feel unsettled. In fact, I feel sure and excited. And it's not just because I have the things I was lacking before, like my Green Card, a job, a more steady income, less homesickness, and more belonging. I think it's from spiritual growth and to be blunt, an attitude change. Well...most days I feel like I am better off than I was last year. :P I still have my special moments of crankiness.

Of course having all of those things in my hands does in fact give me a feeling of stability, I mean I am human! But they don't define my identity. I am more than a Canadian-living-in-the-US and I am more than a cook.

The Bible tells me that because I believe in Jesus Christ and have received Him, that I am a child of God. Says John 1:12 to be exact. :) It feels so mundane typing that out on my keyboard. How do I magnify its significance?! Put it in bold? Underline it?! Increase the font size?!

OK...too much coffee for me this morning.

So all in all, I am really excited for this week's festivities because God has been the orchestrator of my whole life, and He is the reason I am here, and He is good. And also besides those amazing things, I get to do so much cooking and baking this week and see so many out-of-town friends!! YAY! :)