Cherry Blossoms

Dan and I got back from DC yesterday evening.  We had an enjoyable time with his family and our new niece!  The cherry blossom festival was in full bloom and there were a ton of people out to see the amazing blooming trees.

Dan and I stayed at a nice Marriott hotel to give the family some space.  We enjoyed good food; especially a seafood meal on the water in Old Town (Alexandria, VA).  The Easter Sunday service was nice as well, but saying goodbye was not.

Dan's parents are hoping to see us in Portugal in January.  That is not my favorite time to go to Portugal, but we may have to work it out to see them.  I'm sure it was difficult to say goodbye to their first grandchild.  The life of a missionary is sure full of sacrifices.

I had difficulty saying goodbye to my sister-in-law, but remembered that Skype is a valuable tool.  I really feel as if she isn't very far away when we talk on there.  Hopefully we will be able to continue our talks, but I know the baby will keep her plenty busy.

Aline's mom was also there.  She is such a pleasant person and I enjoyed trying to speak Portuguese.  I still think it's funny that I'm in the minority with language speaking, even in my own country.  Our devotionals and common talk were in Portuguese, so I found myself drifting off a bit.  I still get weirded out that people speak English here.

I think the only difficult thing that happened this weekend was the pressure of where Dan and I are going and will end up.  I was bombarded with questions about when will I have a baby.  I don't think people understand that that is a VERY difficult and personal question to ask someone, especially when that person has expressed a lot of interest in having children in the past.  I also felt hurt that people brought up that the possibility exists that I will not have children.  Of course that is a possibility, but I don't prefer to talk about my barren womb with anyone.

I guess I'd like to focus on what we do have in life. We have a new baby in the family.  Dan and I have a great marriage.  I have a job.  We are all healthy.  etc. etc. etc.

Photos will be posted soon.