Austin Anecdotes: September Travels and Reflections

Life seems to be whizzing by! This month we've been away every weekend so far and I imagine the next few months will be similar....until Baby Austin arrives. It's hard to believe the growing person in my tummy will eventually come out of me, it seems impossible and a little scary at times. People keep telling me I look small, but I feel huge. The kicking and swirling in my stomach is just a reminder of how this child will take over every corner of my life and heart. We're excited for this adventure, but David and I will gladly take the next few months to enjoy each other, along with our leisurely mornings and dinners for two.

As I mentioned in the last post, we made a trip out to DC for a baby shower. It was great to see friends and be in a familiar area-- it felt like home. My friends are overwhelmingly wonderful and I still can't believe they would throw me a shower since we just had a shower a year ago for our wedding, not to mention a goodbye party. I still feel a sense of overflowing gratitude for their generosity and love towards us. I really miss our life in DC, but I must say I was glad to return to Portland knowing the gift of this season and the new friendships we are forming.

This last weekend, we made a trip up to Seattle for multiple reasons, the first being a training with Agros, which is a non-profit we support. What a great organization with a huge impact on the poor in Latin America! Over the past few months, David and I have been raising money for a village in Batzchocola, Guatemala and this training gave us more information about Agros' development cycle, while providing us with the tools to lead a trip to Guatemala.

We also spent time with friends and family. One night we went to dinner with Genessa, Sheryl and Kristi and the next night we had dinner with Bea (David's mother). Before we left Seattle on Sunday, David's childhood friends invited us over to their home for a lovely afternoon together. The Friesens were excellent hosts and really celebrated our marriage and new baby. Overall, it was a refreshing weekend and again, we feel so blessed to have such great people in our lives.

I've attached more pics of our baby shower in DC. Enjoy!