Twelfth week

Hi!!! It is Thanksgiving week! I'm so excited, Holliday season has begon! I love it!!

The kids had a really nice week this week. They only had half days from Monday until Wednesday and Thursday and Friday they were off. We did so many fun things this week, it was really nice. We went outside a lot to practice roller skating or just to play or walk around, we colored our hair again, played games and colored a lot! Sharon and me also organized a playdate for the kids at a playground in Olney. They really liked playing together so we will do this more often. Every day I found out new thing where the kids can play with. They have so many different things!!

Thanksgiving!

Thursday it was Thanksgiving!! I'm so curious how it will be and so excited! Finally I'm gonna celebrate THE American holliday!!! At first we weren't sure what the plan was for the day, but eventually it was really nice! In the morning we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This parade is every year in New York City and the parade looks amazing! They have big big balloons, funny cars, singers and performance. We went to Leah's parents house and meet up with the family there. We all sat outside at the driveway from the grandparents house. We brought some chairs and sat all at 6 feet distance from each other. The weather was great, we were very lucky with that. It was nice to see the family at this special day, even with the rules and the distance. We talked with each other and had some small appetizers. Everybody made one dish from the total Thanksgiving meal so that we didn't have to make everything for only our family or that 1 person had to make everything for everyone. Beth, Leah's mom, made most of the Thanksgiving meal. She made the Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. At 5 we left and went to our house with all the food in the car. At 5.30 we did a video call during dinner, so we would be 'together' during the dinner too. When we got home we warmend the food up and made up the table. We also watched a football after dinner, Ryan learned me some rules and explained the game to me.

The food was so good! The hole table was filled with food! I loved it! Almost all the dishes on the table I never had before, but it was so good!! We had Turkey, 2 kind of stuffing, mashed potatoes, ham, salad, buns, quiche and of course the pumpkin pie! All the food we had was so good! I really love it. Leah told me before that Thanksgiving is a day that you eat your face off and we definitely did. After dinner we were so full that we couldn't even walk. We only could sit on the couch haha. The evening we didn't do much, we watched a movie and chilled. We watched The Wizard of Oz, the favorite movie from Leah and Ryan. I have never seen that movie and they wanted me to see it so we saw it that night! I liked the movie a lot! After diner when I texted my friends about how their Thanksgiving was, they all responded with that they were so full and their stomach pain. I wasn't the only one haha.

The day before Thanksgiving I asked Leah and Ryan how a normal Thanksgiving day looks like. They told me that in the morning they go to a horse race. Guess on some races, have some drinks and go back home. Then they go around 1/2pm to their parents house to help preparing dinner. The fun thing about the Thanksgiving dinner is that every family mades something different and all of them thinks that what they do is the typical way haha. They told me that around 5/6, or when the food is ready they start their dinner. I don't know what they normally do after diner but I’m sure that they aren't do that much haha.

In the evening, after the movie, Leah told me that I should to a Friendsgiving when I’m back home, and I’m absolutely gonna do that!!

Also a thing with thanksgiving is to think about where you are grateful for. I’m very grateful for that I met this beautiful family. I’m so happy with them and I’m lucky to get to know them. An other thing I’m grateful for is that I have amazing friends, from back home but also my new friends I made in the States already. I couldn't ask for better friends. <3 And the last thing is that I’m so grateful that I started this amazing adventure. I already learned so much, met so many amazing people and I am enjoying every moment of it. I’m just in the beginning so I’m curious how I will be in the end of my journey. I want to look back and enjoy every moment and memorie I made, but I’m sure I will try my best to make this adventure worth it.

Weekend!

We had a really long weekend! Thursday off because of Thanksgiving, Friday it was Black Friday and then it was weekend! On Friday I was off and when with Josefine to the mall. We went really really early to avoid the crowds. I picked up Josefine at 7am and drove to the mall, it was not busy at all and we were very happy about that. Ryan told me before that every year he goes to a Target or an other big shop to watch the crazy people storming into the stores. This year he didn't do it of course.

The sales in the store were nice and we both bought some things.

We left the mall at 11am, so I still had the hole day left. I just chilled and enjoyed my lazy day. In the evening Sharon and Beckie picked me up. We went to Starbucks to het some drinks and drove to a sport park. We sat outside and watched people played sports. There were many tennis courts, volleyball fields and a skate park. Later the night we went to TJ Maxx and Beckie bought a game that we later played in the car. It was so much fun and we did crazy things haha.

Saturday and Sunday it was time to go out again!! Yaaayyy I’m so happy, I really missed it even if it was only 1 weekend that we couldn't go somewhere. Saturday we been to Georgetown and DC and Sunday we went to Alexandria, that's a town in Virginia very close to DC. The hole weekend I was with kinda the same girls. It was so much fun! :) I'm really happy that I can call those girls my friends.

Saturday I was with a big group, Sharon, Beckie, Simone, Aleks, Jimmy, Majo, a friend of Majo's, Josefine & Kisha. Sharon and Beckie picked me up and we drove first to Beckie her hotel. She got in rematch and the new au pair from her old family arrived so she have to stay in a hotel until she can go to her new family. We checked her in and drove to the metro station. We took te metro to Georgetown and just walked around. In Georgetown we met the other guys, then we were complete. haha. Georgetown is very pretty. You found colorful houses, a waterfront, beautiful spots to take pictures and a street with some shops and many restaurants or cafe's.

Later in the evening we went to DC and walked around the monuments. We also went to Five Guys to have diner and then we took the metro back home. It was a great day!

Sunday we left at 11am. I picked up the gils. First Sharon and Majo, then Simone and Beckie. We drove to Alexandria, a pretty city in Virginia close to DC. It is a city with a harbor, pretty colorful houses and a big street with little shops and restaurants. It was really nice to be there and also here we found some beautiful spots to take pictures. We just walked around en enjoyed the little things.

In the evening we went to Beckies hotel and ordered pizza and played some games. :) It was really fun and this weekend was great!

This week was great! I really enjoyed my first Thanksgiving and my super fun weekend. I’m so happy that my family did everything to make Thanksgiving as much fun as possible and close to how it suppose to be. Now the Holiday season is really started! I’m so excited!! The house is already decorated with Christmas decorations. Also the neighborhood is starting to put their Christmas decorations out for outside. Every day I see more houses decorated. :) Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Warm hugs,

Naomi