Well last night was my 4th Thanksgiving dinner and was by far the best. Last Sunday there was dinner at Addi's church, then dinner with Anna Lisa on Thursday night (Turkey Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches) and then Friday night Addi had a Thanksgiving party at her dorm. We bought vodka that was made in the USSR (We didn't realize that when we bought it). Addi's party was fun, it was a bunch of college students (maybe 15-20) attempting to cook a Thanksgiving dinner in a kitchen with a small microwave and no oven and only 2 casserole dishes. It was an adventure.

Last night was the best though. I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my host family and my friend Rebekah came over to help. Shana, my host family's exchange students from last year, also came over. I made stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, chicken, and sweet potatoes. It was the first time I had made stuffing or mashed potatoes from scratch, but they turned out ok. Rebekah made pumpkin bread, cranberry sauce, brocolli, and a spinach-onion sautee. Rebekah also brought some chocolate cake and pecan pie. Shana brought a huge American-style salad. It was incredible! My okasan was so happy that she didn't have to cook. It was really nice when everyone went around the table saying what they were thankful for.. Otousan said that he was thankful for the exchange students that he has had and he was thankful for his wife. Okasan told me later that Japanese men neveer say thank you to their wives, and that was the first time in 16 years of marriage he had thanked her. It was very sweet! The other Thanksgiving dinner's were nice, but last night was the best because my host family is beginning to feel like family, and so it really felt like Thanksgiving!