Thanksgiving

So, another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Thanksgiving here was fairly uneventful.  We ran the clinic on a skeleton crew, so I was able to have the day off and get a few things done, including mailing off some Christmas presents, finishing up some paperwork that I'd  been procrastinating on, and getting a haircut.  We had a big Thanksgiving dinner in the mess hall, complete with real turkey (not the "turkey pucks" some other friends had described during prior years' deployed Thanksgivings) stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie with as much cool whip as you wanted. 
It was sad not to be able to spend the day with family, but I was at least able to Skype with Cristin and some of her family who were having Thanksgiving at our house, and my parents and siblings having Thanksgiving in Hampshire.  In talking about Thanksgiving memories with some of my soldiers, I realized yesterday that it's actually been a few years since I was able to have Thanksgiving dinner with my extended family.  The last 3 years while we lived in Augusta, either Cristin or I were always working or on call over the Thanksgiving weekend, so we'd celebrated Thanksgiving with other geographically isolated residents with a pot luck at my friend Zach's house.  He'd cook up a mean turkey and we'd all bring sides.  This year, we'd initially thought it'd be much easier to go home, since Waynesville is an easy day's drive from northern Illinois.  But, obviously, the Army had other plans.
Today's the day after Thanksgiving, so it's officially Christmas season.  I won't be doing any shopping today, but I've got my room decorated for the season.  Cristin sent me a box full of Christmas decorations and candy that arrived earlier this week.  So, my CHU is now festively decorated, complete with what my mom described as my "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree".

  Our medics have gotten into the Christmas spirit as well, and Christmas decorations bought from some of the local national run shops on post are starting to get hung up.  They've even gone so far as to tinsel our air conditioning ducts. 

Unfortunately, alot of these are made in Taiwan and I think the quality control's a little lacking. 

Either way, it's the thought that counts.  Happy belated Turkey Day everybody and enjoy your shopping!