Thankful on Thanksgiving

Shortly after a turkey feast and a full bottle of red wine, I got to lay eyes on this good-looking group. Yes, if it wasn't for Skype, I would not be able to join my family for Thanksgiving or check out the progress of my brother's Movember mustache.

I don't get to Skype with them as much as I would like. With the 8-hour time difference between the UAE and the U.S. East Coast, it makes for a lot of late evenings but it is always worth it.

Like I said before, we had already finished a late dinner and were about to head out the door for an Expat Thanksgiving party. On the other side of the world, they were just getting started on their afternoon appetizers and were still drinking their morning bloody marys.

Of course I missed being home but Thanksgiving in the desert was quite a delight.

The boss gave me the day off. He is also a fine American so it was a basic request email: "Boss, can I have Nov. 28 off for... Well, obvious reasons."

Unfortunately, Miranda was called into work in the afternoon because some big-time Russians were in town and her services were needed at the hotel. I was not going to let a bunch of Ruskies spoil our day so I got cleaned up, I threw some "traditional Thanksgiving music" onto the YouTube and prepared for my lady's return.

This is what Thanksgiving in a box looks like:

Because we were stretched for time, we ordered a complete dinner to-go from Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and it was sensational. Yes, a huge delicious turkey was inside that black box.

Miranda, undeterred by working on such a grand holiday, hauled it home and the package had all the fixings. I even learned how to trim a full turkey like a real man.

The Skype date with our family was the highlight for the night but two days later, Miranda and I were fortunate enough to host some local servicemen at the Fairmont Hotel in Abu Dhabi for lunch.

There was no turkey involved but since these fine young men could not have Thanksgiving with their families, we thought that enjoying an afternoon with two random Americans would suffice.

It was a treat just to chat with these guys. Most of them were from the Army but a few were in the Air Force.

They were from all walks of life. From all over the country. Good people.

They feasted like kings and then they indulged in some shisha while sitting poolside. It was a grand afternoon. A little touch of civic duty on a special day made me proud to be an American (in the desert).