Today We're Thankful For...

Today as we have cooked and baked, visited and shared, eaten and eaten some more, we have also reflected on the many things we are grateful for. The important things, health, family, faith, financial stability, employment, friends - those are things we're always grateful for and recognize the value of on a continuous basis.

Below are a list of some things we are especially thankful for this holiday season...

1) canned pumpkin - do you have any idea how many holiday recipes call for this and how many countries don't sell it? Thank goodness for our little embassy commissary!


2) double ply paper products (toilet paper, kleenex, paper plates - who knew such things were luxury items that we have foolishly taken for granted for so long?)

3) toy recalls that happen - after Mattel and Fisher Price recalled all those toys, it was disheartening to discover the stores in Lima flooded with some of the same products - products obviously not sent back to the factories, just stuffed on the shelves at semi-reduced prices


4) bi-lingual children's books - unless of course the second language you are looking for is anything other than French or Spanish


5) public transportation - I never thought I'd say it, but I miss the DC metro


6) traffic cops - again something we never expected to be grateful for and miss nearly every day


7) Skype - our quality of life is dramatically improved by this invention


8) airplanes - Caleb's new favorite word and the catalyst to exciting global adventures and trips home - wherever that happens to be (in all honesty we are not actually grateful for American Airlines' airplanes - at least the ones that fly to South America, they are the oldest planes flying the friendly skies these days and their interiors do no inspire happiness or confidence in the whole flying experience - a word of advice for those headed South - take Delta or Continental instead)


9) US Mail - even in the middle of nowhere, well almost, we still get mail from anywhere in the US and that is something we are more grateful for than we can begin to express


10) Peruvian hats - because come on, how could we not be?


Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends!