Weird…I bet you’re thinking it’s so crazy that we’ve already celebrated Thanksgiving here in Australia and tucked ourselves in for bed as you’re waking up to celebrate this infamous day of football, food and family.

Yes, it is weird. But our first Thanksgiving together as Mr. and Mrs. Ritner was really memorable! We cooked our turkey that I found last weekend and it was kind of funny and a challenge trying to stuff it and prep it for the oven. I kind of felt bad…it was missing its feathers and its head but it was this little bird we just chucked in the oven. But let me tell you…four hours later the smell was divine!!

I colored a little turkey and wore it as a badge all day and said “Happy Thanksgiving” to everyone today…I’m pretty sure the 4th of July and Thanksgiving are my favorite holidays. Our wedding day was top of the line; no holiday can compete with that!

We had three other newlywed couples over tonight as well; we all made a little something special and celebrated our first big holiday together. Such great memories! (Although I’ll be honest…I got a little cranky around the turkey-in-the-oven time because reality is I had no idea what I was doing and got a little stressed…but my husband is gracious and we worked through it). We had turkey and stuffing, buttermilk mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry relish, salad, rolls, hashbrown casserole, deviled eggs, pumpkin and chocolate pie and egg nog (that I forgot to serve…Oops)!

We just hung out and ate and laughed and laughed some more…it was wonderful being together with our new family.

We stuck the wishbone out tonight to dry…maybe tomorrow we’ll tell you who “won.” And we’ll post the pictures with this update tomorrow as well. Tonight, we’re just too tired.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I need to explain why this is so important. Unless I explain you will not comprehend my excitement…

So Thanksgiving is this Thursday, November 22 and it will be Josiah and I’s first holiday as a married couple. I started to think of all the things I could make and do (turkey, stuffing, pies, sweet potato and broccoli casserole, etc), glanced at my oven and realized it would not be possible.

BUT, there are two other newlywed couples that this is their first holiday together, too! So we’re all pitching in and having a Thanksgiving together this Thursday!

FOR THE REALLY IMPORTANT PART: Due to the fact that the nation of Australia is different from the nation of America, you will soon realize that it would make sense for Australia to not celebrate the pilgrims landing in America, which is Thanksgiving. Therefore there are hardly any turkeys being sold at this time of year. Turkeys are popular in Mexico and America, not Australia. We have kangaroo instead.

So I’ve been looking and searching and wondering if it was even going to be possible to have a turkey or if I would just have to do chicken. Part of me as a wife wanted to cook a turkey and have it picture-perfect since my mom and grandma’s not here for me to just watch them do it. So when I found a little 6 pound turkey for $50.00 my heart fell and I was so depressed. A turkey for 50 bucks?! I need a Costco. I continued to get my groceries for the stuffing (that may have to go with no turkey), cranberry sauce and broccoli casserole. I kept walking around slowly with my cart trying to justify buying a $50 turkey. But I couldn’t.

So I sighed and thought I would figure something out, God’s pretty cool and always surprising us so I wheeled my cart to the frozen food section for my last item: broccoli. I was upset, that was true. I grabbed the broccoli and looked around to remind myself of anything else I needed and…

Lo and behold there was a container full of whole, frozen turkeys!!! My disappointed face twisted into a confused look and looked at all the different prices: $60, $55, $50, $45…they were getting lower?! I looked at the end and there was a sign that said $24.95!!!

Well, I quickly justified that and grabbed the 7 pound turkey and wheeled triumphantly to the cashier. I was so excited I couldn’t contain it.

I rushed home and as soon as I walked in the door I looked at Josiah and said “Guess what?!” Not giving him enough time to respond I said, “I got a turkey!!!” He just smiled. “That’s great, babe” he responded. I didn’t feel he completely understood the triumph, so I explained it to him with passion and excitement and he just looked at me and chuckled. “Cool,” he said. (Cool?! That’s it?)

And then we both looked at our oven. Hopefully, it will fit.

Either way, we have a Thanksgiving turkey!