Trip to CA, baby showers + belly pics (of course)

During Corey's Spring break we were able to head down to CA (yup, we drove). During that time we were able to see friends and family. Below are some highlights, though there were definitely more pictures and stories to place in here, but hey, it is hard to get caught up with all the happenings! We figured it was better to put up a little update than none at all!

•••

Donna (and Faye) did well on the car ride. Amazingly we did not have to stop every hour to go to the bathroom! This will be the last road trip (for a while) that Faye gets to sit shotgun! Upon arriving in SLO we realized that it was not just a 10 degree difference from Eugene. We should have packed more short sleeves and flip flops! It was a nice break from the cold highs of 50 degrees back in Eugene. Montana de Oro was a quick "fly-by" stop that we just had to make. It was SO green and beautiful. Why did SLO have to be SO GREEN! We were hoping for the brown mountains so that we would be able to brag about "green Oregon". Because SLO had a good rain right before we came, we were able to benefit from the Ireland-like surroundings. Our next stop was Farmer's Market. (Eugene's Saturday Market does not even come close to how amazing SLO's market is!) Though, when we arrived we saw a person that would fit very well in Eugene's Market... You HAVE to watch the clip below—words cannot describe this. (yes, he has his own wind machine)

This was the response from the above video. Nancy and Eric, as well as the rest of the crowd, were amuzed and couldn't help but watch. When the crazy gold-plated wind machine man stepped closer to the crowd when he realized many people were taking pictures, all of the moms with strollers in the front row quickly exited the scene. Wow, what a scene it was. •••

We saw SO many friends at Farmer's. It was overwhelming but exactly what we wanted—truly the best way to see many of our friends. For a short but sweet few moments we chatted with Wes and Sara (Wes had his end of the quarter mustache to show off...Sara that is nice of you to let him have one, Donna is not so nice in regards to Corey having one... but maybe that is because Corey looks quite creepy with one). The Castros were the first to allow us to crash in their house on this trip (we stayed at a different place each night! Thanks to the Castros, Thompsons, and Arnolds!) We always have a blast with the Castros. Below we are enjoying the chocolaty goodness that surrounded us at the Chocolate Factory. Mmmm. We finally ate dinner with them at around 9pm (just had too much socializing to do at Farmer's!) We had a wonderfully relaxing morning at Celia's Garden Cafe in Los Osos. Later on we were able to see Michael and Jun and their newest addition, Ziah! He was SO little. Corey was quite comfortable while holding the little guy. (soon he will be holding his own baby!) See Ziah practicing the "sprinkler" dance move that Corey taught him. Apparently, he already knows how to do a different type of sprinkler when diaper changes happen ;) Donna and Jun allowed Ziah and Faye to have their first "play date" together (though neither did much, especially Faye). Later on that evening we went to Firestone for their delicious tri-tip sando (that we share because the once $4 order back when Corey first lived in SLO is now close to double that price). We were able to see even more friends here, which was a blast. Corey was on "friend-overload", hopping to and from to all the different tables (but he loved it). Unexpected friends, Joel (visiting SLO from OK to get married that weekend), Sarah (visiting from Washington, here to attend the wedding), and Josh (a local friend from way-back) were all there. It was a reunion of the early college dorms and campus crusade years. Saturday was the first baby shower thrown by Sarah Carter (who did an AMAZING job)! There were definitely more pics taken and awesome gifts received, but for sake of getting this posted, here are just a couple of the pictures. Below is a pic of the "tea group". Donna so misses being able to go to tea with these great friends (but she was told that they would "skype" her in next time... and they better)!Donna and Jaime have Faye and Corban meet. Jaime is due just days before Donna and hopefully Corban and Faye will actually get to meet outside of the womb someday! Sara and Donna pose (eating as they both like to do). Donna is eating one of the delicious "cake pops" that Erika made! Sara and Evan let us crash at their place on Friday night. Sara JUST had her baby girl, Yarin, this past Thursday! Congrats Thompsons! Vicki (Donna's sister) stole the show with the BEAUTIFUL quilt she made for Faye. We LOVE it! In this picture (though she is hiding behind the quilt) Vicki is also pregnant, due in September! Woohoo!It was such a good time in SLO, and was too short but we were glad to at least have a couple days there. We definitely miss all our dear friends there! Our next stop was Atwater for Shower #2 the very next day! At Corey's parents' home we were able to meet up with Kim and Brandon and take a few photos before heading over to the shower. Donna and Kim have been friends since age 12 and it is such a fun experience to be expecting within DAYS of each other! (Kim is due 5 days before Donna) We attempted posing for a cheesy "prom pic", I think we succeeded in the cheesy part. (hopefully people aren't going to prom pregnant like this!) Here Donna poses for her "paparazzo" husband in front of the family orange tree. :) Again, so many more pictures were taken at this shower, here only a few are shown... we still need to get photos from everyone who took pictures! Below Donna and Heather (past roomies) enjoy a hug for the camera (yes, Donna has a name tag on her belly that says "Faye"). Heather just recently got engaged—congrats Heather and Adam! Donna's cousins were able to attend their first baby shower! (the highlight for them was the decorations that they were able to take home!)What a trip! We felt VERY loved by friends and family throughout our stay in CA! We look forward to Faye meeting all these wonderful people!

••• Up next: recent belly pics and a mini-family photo shoot!