Thanksgiving in Dubai

Our first Thanksgiving Day in Dubai was very low key. It was a work day for Jeff but the kids were out of school, so we picked up Jeff and went to have lunch in JBR at El Chico's followed by a walk to the kids' favorite candy store, Fuzziwig's. It was a beautiful day to be outside but it sure didn't feel like Thanksgiving to us!

We had basketball and tumbling practice in the afternoon so it really just felt like a regular day, which was admittedly a bit depressing. But the following day, we were invited to a family gathering with around 8 additional families at our friends Matt and Chelsea's gorgeous home in Jumeirah Golf Estates. Matt is also Kaitlynn's softball coach, and he went all out by smoking 2 turkeys and a ham. We all brought our favorite side dishes and desserts, and it turned out to be the most welcoming, heartwarming gathering and a true Thanksgiving dinner. We felt so fortunate for our wonderful friends here in Dubai who helped us to feel right at home when we had been feeling somewhat homesick from missing our families back home.