The Jennifer Blogs

If I were to capture myself in a photo right now, it might look something like this. Distant. Hollow. Sad.

I feel so far from everything I love this morning. I don't want that to take anything from the three other people who live in this condo or from the other amazing people I've met on this tropical island. But waking up on Thanksgiving morning realizing that everyone back home is scurrying about buying their potatoes and bread crumbs and cranberries while, in Singapore, I go about my business like it is any other day makes me a bit sad. It's already Thursday here. There was no Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. There is no smell of turkey roasting in the oven. The kids are doing school work. My husband is at work. It really is just any other day.

Thanks to my amazing friends on Facebook, I do have a few options for watching the parade. Two people posted links where I can catch the parade live. Of course, that's 9pm for me tonight. I'd rather watch it in the morning just like I did when I was growing up, but at least I get to watch it. Beggars can't be choosers.

It's funny how Thanksgiving feels more like a holiday as you get older. When I was a kid, Thanksgiving didn't feel much like a holiday except that I didn't have to go to school. It really seemed like an excuse to eat a lot of food, for my dad to watch football on TV, and for everyone to go to bed early. As an adult, it definitely feels like a holiday. The food isn't a big deal to me. I love turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy. Don't get me wrong. But I can eat those things any time of the year, really. I may not make lists and go around thanking everyone, but I do take the time to reflect on the things for which I am thankful.

Okay, so I kind of do make lists. I used to have the kids list 100 things they were thankful for on Thanksgiving. They struggle to come up with ten most of the time, so 100 is a real punishment. I really just want them to see how much they take for granted. We all do, really. It feels silly to list things like trees and birds and cereal. But the truth is, those are things we would miss if we didn't have them. (Trust me on the cereal thing!)

Living overseas really changes your perspective on a lot of things to. You learn to do without things you are used to having. You find that you miss the craziest things that you once took for granted (cereal). So go ahead and make that list. Even if it's a mental list, there are a lot of things to be thankful for. Right at the top of that list should be, "spending time with family and friends." They may drive you crazy. They may be kooky. But when you are away from the people you love during the holidays, you realize just how much you need those crazy, kooky people.

My List:
1. The Internet. Maybe I appear to be immature and spoiled for putting this first, but if it weren't for the Internet I would not be able to keep in touch with friends and family back in the US.
2. Being able to live overseas. I know I complain that I miss everyone (especially this time of year), but I do feel truly blessed to be living in a foreign country learning about other nations and cultures. Not everyone gets to experience this and I am thankful that I do have this opportunity.
3. iTunes. I love to be able to download TV shows and movies at the click of a button.
4. Growing up in a small town. I do love the city life, but there was something so special about growing up in Smalltown, USA (Medina, NY) that really paved the way for who I was to be.
5. Poodles. I love all dogs, but poodles have a special place in my heart.
6. Babies. I have never had one of my own, but babies are so precious and their smile and laughs do a soul so good!
7. Music. Growing up, I played violin. I also took piano lessons. I never fell in love with a musical instrument and don't really have a great singing voice, but I love listening to it and I love that everyone else in my family is so musically-inclined.
8. Being connected. I love how no matter what my question is, there's someone I can call. Working in radio allowed me to meet a lot of different types of people. Traveling abroad has also put some interesting people in my path. What are the chances it will snow in Louisiana this Christmas? I can call my friend James-Paul who is a meteorologist and ask him. My son can't figure out the function of x in this equation. I can call my friend Steve who is really good at math and ask him how to figure the answer. How do you make crepes? My friend Brooke is a foodie with an answer to every food-related question. How do I get rid of a scratch on my hardwood floor? That one's easy. I'll call my brother Charlie, who runs his own flooring company in SoCal. You get the idea.
9. Walt Disney World. I've been tons of times, but I'll never get sick of it. It truly is the Happiest Place on Earth.
10. My parents. They're the best mom and dad in the whole world. They made so many sacrifices for my brothers and me and I am forever grateful.
11. My kids. As I said at number six, I did not have "my own" children. But Jean-Luc & D'Ette are definitely MINE. They may not have my smile or my fair skin, but Jean-Luc definitely has my sense of humor and D'Ette has my propensity to overachieve. I get so frustrated at them, but homeschooling two teenagers and living within the confines of a small condo for two years can do that to a person. Regardless, I love them with my whole heart.
12. Air conditioning. It was definitely a necessity in Florida. I'd die without it in Singapore.
13. Meat. I could never be a vegetarian. I love the heck outta meat.
14. My flat iron. My stylist here in Singapore told me about GHD products. I love the new flat iron I ordered from them!
15. Pillows. I love a lot of pillows. I only sleep on one, but I love having them on my bed during the day to lean on or cuddle with.
16. My camera. I have a killer camera that my husband bought me for Mother's Day this year. It's my first ever digital SL-R and I have used it to take some pretty amazing shots. Traveling with a camera like this definitely makes life more fun.
17. My education. Growing up I wasn't sure what I wanted to be, but I always knew I'd go to college. I'm so thankful I have a college education.
18. COTH. Church of the Highlands no longer exists in Lakeland, FL, but I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity to help build and serve at that church with those people at that time.
19. Apples. It sounds silly to be grateful for apples, but I love everything about this fruit. The smell especially. When I was a kid, my mom used to go to an apple orchard in New York and pick apples every apple season. It was one of her favorite things to do. I loved when she'd come home with a huge basket full of apples almost every week. We never ran short on apples and the house always smelled like them. As a kid I could tell you the difference between Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Empire and all the others.
20. I type over 100wpm. I love that I can type so fast. It makes getting work done so much easier.
21. My voice coaches. There are two I've worked with and I'm thankful to both of them for the tips they've given me and the time they've given to help make me better at what I do.
22. My home studio. Not everyone can afford a home studio, but I've got a fairly top-of-the-line studio in the corner of my bedroom.
23. My husband. I don't know why I waited until number 23 to list him, but I think it has to do with the fact that there is so much to say about him. I'm thankful for the way he loves me. I'm thankful for his work ethic and willingness to deal with the crap he deals with so the kids and I can have the life we have. I'm thankful he can play guitar and gives so freely of himself to share music with others. I'm thankful for his skill set. He knows a lot about so many things and is really handy to have around here! And I love him.
24. Vacations. I sometimes forget I'm not on vacation every day. I do love to travel, but that's not the same thing as a vacation. To me, travel evokes the feeling of adventure and non-stop fun. Vacation sounds more relaxed and slow-n-easy. I love vacations.
25. Birthdays. I don't really love getting older, but I do love having birthdays.
26. Donuts. I can't eat them all the time or I'll be huge, but I do love a good donut. When we go back to Louisiana for Christmas, I'll be stopping at Meche's Donut King at least one morning for a glazed donut. In Florida, I'll go to Dunkin Donuts and get the same thing. I just love glazed donuts.
27. Public transportation. I am so thankful to live in a country where we have a subway, buses and taxis at our disposal.
28. I'm thankful I was born in America. I could have been born in any country in the world, but God saw to it that I was born in the United States of America. I don't think Americans realize how huge a blessing that truly is!
29. I'm thankful for my outgoing personality. If I didn't make friends easily, my life overseas would suck. Of course, if I didn't make friends easily, I'd probably never have told my husband to take this job. But I am grateful that I'm outgoing and make friends fairly easily.
30. LASIK. I had to get glasses when I was in elementary school. By middle school I had contacts, but I couldn't wear them and ended up having to go back to glasses. When I lived in Huntsville, AL, the radio station did a trade deal with a local eye doctor who gave me LASIK surgery for free in exchange for commercial testimonials.
31. Trees. Specifically the cool tree from the Philippines that sits near the tennis courts at my condo. It has the most beautiful flowers growing on it and I love to walk by and see the blossoms.
32. Facebook. I have reconnected with so many people thanks to social networking. It is so nice to catch up with my old friends and classmates. Some of these people I've been looking for for the past 20 years. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to live in a time when technology makes this possible.
33. My iPhone. It's the best phone I've ever owned. I love that I can take my email, facebook and twitter with me everywhere I go.
34. Mirrors. I don't like to look in them very often, but I am grateful we have them so I can see how crazy my hair looks in the morning and can fix it before leaving the house.
35. Acrylic nails. I haven't worn them in ages, but I chewed all my nails off recently (I have no idea why) and think another set of acrylic nails is in order, at least for a month or so til mine grow back.
36. Spas. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for massages, facials and pedicures.
37. Sunglasses. It's awfully bright out there! If I didn't have sunglasses it would be really difficult to go outside.
38. Colors. Imagine how boring our world would be if everything were grey.
39. Memories. It is so nice to have such great memories. I'm thankful God made us in such a way that our brains could retain information from days gone by. I smile when I look at old pictures or remember things from the past.
40. The Grove, or more specifically The Apple Grove in Medina, NY. I know it's not there anymore, but I am so thankful I had a place to go hang out with my friends when I was growing up in Medina. I loved dancing there and meeting up with my friends on the weekends. Every teenager in every town should have his own Apple Grove.
41. Publix. Yes, shopping there really is a pleasure.
42. Laurel Springs School. It's where my children take classes for their distance learning. It allows us to homeschool without having to do traditional homeschool.
43. Hair dye. Need I say more?
44. I'm thankful for delivery services. I've come to rely on delivery in Singapore. Without a personal vehicle there really is no other way to get some things home.
45. Expanding on the previous item, McDelivery, Starbucks Delivery, Subway Delivery, KFC Delivery, etc. How cool is it to live in a country where Starbucks and McDonalds deliver?!
46. Remote controls. Am I lazy or what? But seriously, it is a pain to have to get up and turn the TV volume down every time a commercial comes on that is SO MUCH LOUDER than the TV show you were watching. The remote makes that much easier.
47. Freezers. Can you imagine living during a time where you couldn't freeze your meat or ice cream?
48. Cereal. Yep, it's true. We have cereal over here, but I miss the good American cereal like Boo Berry.
49. Vonage. It allows me to have a US telephone number in Singapore.
50. Sling Box. Ours isn't working right now, but when it is working, it's fantastic! It allows us to watch American television.

Okay, there are 50. I could do more, but would you really read them anyway?

The nice thing about listing the fifty things I did list is that it helps me feel less sad than I did when I started this blog. I'm still homesick and miss so many people from back home. I miss the experiences that all my friends and family in the US are getting to live right now, but I am less sad than I was. You can make that number fifty-one.