This year Thanksgiving was different for a number of reasons. But the main ones were: it was my first one with my own family, it was the first one away from home, and it was my first military Thanksgiving.
First Family Thanksgiving
The past four Thanksgivings I have been with my husband. The first one we had still just been going out and he went away for the holidays and that was fine. I was home with my parents and siblings. The next two holidays after that we split them because our family traditions just so happen to cooperate with each other with morning and evening hours.
Last year my daughter was just recently born and my husband was in Japan so we didn't get to spend it together.
That's why this Thanksgiving was special. It was the first time my husband, my daughter, and myself got to spend it together. Just us and the little family that we have.
Some may say that because we were with friends we didn't get to spend it ourselves. But I think the fact that it was just ourselves and not any extended family made a huge difference.
Last year my daughter was just recently born and my husband was in Japan so we didn't get to spend it together.
That's why this Thanksgiving was special. It was the first time my husband, my daughter, and myself got to spend it together. Just us and the little family that we have.
Some may say that because we were with friends we didn't get to spend it ourselves. But I think the fact that it was just ourselves and not any extended family made a huge difference.
First Away From Home
So my whole life I've always had Thanksgiving with my parents. Which is why it made it very difficult on Thanksgiving. Because I had no idea how to do a Thanksgiving dinner.
Luckily we split the different tasks among us girls. But I still had to do the turkey. I volunteered but I still had to do it. Did not take long for me to wish that I had volunteered.
A good friend of mine had done the turkey two years prior to this Thanksgiving so she knew how to do a turkey. But she did prepare it very different then I'd seen my parents do it.
My point is, this was my first Thanksgiving away from home and I had taken all of the preparation my mother had done for the holidays for granted. My friend Chandel had decorated her house and she help me with the turkey.
I'm grateful for her doing this because now I feel more prepared for next year and the years to come to provide a successful Thanksgiving for my own family.
Luckily we split the different tasks among us girls. But I still had to do the turkey. I volunteered but I still had to do it. Did not take long for me to wish that I had volunteered.
A good friend of mine had done the turkey two years prior to this Thanksgiving so she knew how to do a turkey. But she did prepare it very different then I'd seen my parents do it.
My point is, this was my first Thanksgiving away from home and I had taken all of the preparation my mother had done for the holidays for granted. My friend Chandel had decorated her house and she help me with the turkey.
I'm grateful for her doing this because now I feel more prepared for next year and the years to come to provide a successful Thanksgiving for my own family.
First thanksgiving as a
Military Spouse
My first Thanksgiving as a military spouse was interesting.
My husband had a Squadron Thanksgiving dinner and he also had a Flight Thanksgiving dinner.
This is great for all of those guys my husband works with, and girls, who are like 18-19 years old who are away from home for the first time and they live in the dorms in they're by themselves.
You also have those families where it's just a husband and wife. And let's be honest if it's just you and your spouse you don't really want to cook this giant meal when is just the two of you.
You also have those families where is just a husband and wife and one child. That's like me and my husband. I personally did not want to cook a giant meal if it was going to be just the three of us.
When it came down to Thanksgiving day people were invited everywhere.
There was a girl that came to our Thanksgiving dinner and I knew she was in the military. What I didn't know is that her husband was also in the military and that he is currently deployed.
i'm happy that we were able to provide her with somewhere to be for Thanksgiving.
So that was my first military Thanksgiving experience. And there is nothing else like it that I've experienced in my life I have never experienced such a community feeling before.
My husband had a Squadron Thanksgiving dinner and he also had a Flight Thanksgiving dinner.
This is great for all of those guys my husband works with, and girls, who are like 18-19 years old who are away from home for the first time and they live in the dorms in they're by themselves.
You also have those families where it's just a husband and wife. And let's be honest if it's just you and your spouse you don't really want to cook this giant meal when is just the two of you.
You also have those families where is just a husband and wife and one child. That's like me and my husband. I personally did not want to cook a giant meal if it was going to be just the three of us.
When it came down to Thanksgiving day people were invited everywhere.
There was a girl that came to our Thanksgiving dinner and I knew she was in the military. What I didn't know is that her husband was also in the military and that he is currently deployed.
i'm happy that we were able to provide her with somewhere to be for Thanksgiving.
So that was my first military Thanksgiving experience. And there is nothing else like it that I've experienced in my life I have never experienced such a community feeling before.