It’s about time to get ready for Thanksgiving, something that I look forward to every year… maybe even more this year. I have much to be thankful for this year – Julie and improving health at the top of the list. To Julies family and friends who have made me feel so welcome, I can’t express my heartfelt gratitude. Guatemala is home now and it feels so good and right.

But I digress, Thanksgiving dinner is the topic.

We’ve had BBQ’s, dinner parties, cookouts and convivios every month since we moved in. But Thanksgiving dinner is special… it has to impress everyone and Julie and I have to prepare it all ourselves. I begin with the menu, the most exciting part for me, as everything else will evolve around it. I choose traditional items such as devilled eggs, cornbread stuffing, green-beans with bacon and deep smoked Citrus Turkey. Of course there’ll be a couple of pumpkin pies too.

The rest of the menu will be based on the preferences of our guests and availability of the ingredients. Julie will begin calling and e-mailing everyone when she gets up, and throughout the day until everyone has been contacted. Thanksgiving like the 4^TH of July, is a uniquely American holiday, so we have to give plenty of notice. She will also ask them if there’s anything in particular they would like and if there are any food restrictions we need to take into consideration.