A bit belated, but Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2011, and we're nearing the one year anniversary of this blog coming up on January 17th. A lot has happened, a lot has changed, and a lot is planned for the coming year. I am still working on blogging 2010, so lets get this done...

We had planned our Nicaragua trip to end just a few days before Thanksgiving. Our friend Anthony is a professional chef, and was hired by Dan over at Coconuts to cook a huge Thanksgiving dinner for nearly the entire town. We certainly did not want to miss that...

Here you can see most of our regular group sitting together. The restaurant was fairly full, since Coconuts was one of only two places in town hosting an authentic turkey dinner. We had one of the bigger tables of the evening, in a great spot close to the kitchen. In fact, we had an entire section of Coconuts all to ourselves that night. It was a special evening for all of us, and one of the last times we would all be together.

Anthony, being the die-hard chef that he is, slaved away in the kitchen all night. When we have our Sunday football afternoons, Anthony is always in the kitchen cooking something. It seems to bring him a sense of peace, always with a smile on his face.

We saw very little of him while he prepared 20 turkeys, half baked and half deep fried. I had never had deep fried turkey before, and it was delicious. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it.

Anthony had a little help in the kitchen that evening. He needed it too, since there was a massive pile of potatoes to peel and cook, along with all the other trimmings. By this point, they had been preparing for the feast for nearly a week.

It all came together with perfect timing on Thanksgiving night. The chef was chefing, the waitresses were waitressing, the barkeeps were keeping everyone happy, and we all gave thanks for the blessings we had been given.

I had much to be thankful for. Just before dinner I was able to call my family in San Diego. They had all convened at my older brother's house, which seems to be becoming a yearly tradition. They passed the phone around, and I was able to say hello & happy Thanksgiving.

As the evening went on, I thought much about the past year, and how my life had transitioned into something unrecognizable compared to just twelve short months ago. Losing a six year relationship, quitting all forms of employment, walking away from my house, my family and my dog...

Then it hit me. This dramatic shift of life had triggered a reaction so slow, I barely noticed. I was genuinely smiling again. I was waking up in the morning full of energy, ready for whatever the day may bring. The past year had been one of overwhelming lows, equally impressive highs, and it all seemed to culminate for me in this one evening.

Had I found whatever it was I was looking for? Had time finally taken hold of my wounds and given me back to myself? Who knows the answers to such questions... What I do know, is that I was now ready to think about going home...