What I'm Thankful For

This Thanksgiving is our last Thanksgiving in Okinawa. I had a plan for a low-key, tradition Thanksgiving. My co-worker Dianne invited us over for dinner. I was going to make cranberry sauce and green bean casserole.

Then on Monday afternoon, I got a call from Olivia's daycare. O woke up screaming from her nap and was refusing to eat anything. She had a big ulcer-like sore on the tip of her tongue. This symptom could only mean one thing: hand, foot, and mouth disease.

After a stressful four-hour stay at the emergency room, yes, it was decided that Olivia was sick. The disease is highly contagious and the doctor said that it would take 7 to 10 days to run its course. Seven days. The news hit me hard. Seven days inside with Olivia. Olivia hates to be inside. Seven days inside is a prison sentence for our little girl.

But she definitely wasn't feeling well. Actually she seemed kind of miserable. Her mouth and tongue hurt, so she wasn't eating either. There was only one conclusion: cancel Thanksgiving 2010.

I called Benny and relayed the doctor's instruction. Immediately Benny jumped into action. He called everywhere on base trying to secure a turkey dinner. No luck.

I found a recipe online to cook a turkey breast in a crock pot. Remember we don't have an oven. Let's try it. If only there are still turkey breast at the supermarket.

At 6:45 p.m. Wednesday night, Benny went to the on-base grocery store in search of a turkey breast for us. Along with pudding, ice cream, Jello, and other soft foods for Olivia, he found a turkey breast. And we made a turkey in a crock pot for the first time ever. The turkey was done at 3 p.m. That's when it hit me that we didn't have any side dishes.

Plan B activated. We walked to the Japanese Kentucky Fried Chicken to buy side dishes, mainly mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits. But at this restaurant the only side is coleslaw. No good.

Benny suggested that we buy some potatoes at the grocery store and do our own mashing. So we did. Along with making some frozen veggies. Add a bottle of wine and that was our Thanksgiving dinner. A dinner that we'll never forget. A dinner that made me count my blessings, including my kind and understanding husband. He doesn't let a little viral diseased toddler ruin our Thanksgiving. And that's what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving.