Your childhood may have gone In-N-Out, but our love is for the Longo run. Happy birthday, baby boy. We love you more than you love double doubles with “wanilla” milkshakes. Becoming your parents has been the sweetest gift.
A little late to posting but wanted to share the good news… and a few other glimpses from the past couple of months. 💛
Truly the hardest thing we’ve ever done but also the best thing we’ve ever done.
#officiallyadopted
Today I celebrated my first Mother’s Day.
Not because I had a baby…
but because I adopted a teenager while still in my 20s.
We met Kamdin through connections at a refugee shelter in Austin my husband and I volunteer in and given his sensitive story, he needed a place to stay.
At first, we were just opening the doors of my home to a brave asylum seeker from Iran. But he opened the doors to his hurt, past, and trauma. A few months in, the call from God was clear. He was to be our son.
So here I am. Redefining motherhood through this sweet, grown, bearded boy who calls me “Mom” and is soon to have our last name.
I realize how crazy, unexpected, and honestly weird it may look, but that’s motherhood, right?
In a way this journey has become even more sacred for us both because Kamdin was abandoned by his biological mom at 3 years old. We both get to figure this out together.
It’s Messy. Holy. Healing. Sometimes hilarious.
And while I could have never imagined this (honestly, it feels like a movie plot sometimes), I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Introducing: Doctor August Kelby Longo. 🥼🧪👨🔬
5 years ago, Auggie quit his chemical engineering job (and the promise of making a lot of ⛽️ money) to follow his dream of helping solve the world’s waste problem through organic chemistry.
If you’ve been around these 5 years, you know how hard the journey was. You know how much we prayed on our knees and faught for Auggie to get to today despite the battles that rose against him. While he basically had to restart the program under a different advisor, he did it and still graduated at the time we had hoped for. Today.
Like this song says,
Wherever I go - Dónde quiera que vaya
I know I’m not alone - Se que no estoy solo
In this battle - En esta batalla
So I’m not throwing in the towel - Así que yo no tiro la toalla
Because I’m sure - Porque estoy seguro
That God never fails - Que Dios nunca falla
I am so so proud of you my love. Congratulations on this huge milestone.
You are officially the sexiest scientist/ chemist in the world. 💛🥹
#UT26
April ✨ Auggie’s big day, family zip lining adventures at @laketraviszipline & lots of work stuff 😅 + the incredible week we had with the Cru Cornell students but I already shared those pics 😍
February 💛 Kamdin’s first half marathon + my multiple trips to NYC. Career highlight was speaking at the Women in Retail Leadership CEO Experience at the NYSE!
Sitting on a plane wondering where the year went. 👀 Here’s what I never posted from January lol. Kam’s first trip to NYC, Auggie’s and my 7th year anniversary getaway, my birthday weekend, and Sunny’s birthday!
Bucket list item I don’t know I had: host 17 college students at once for an entire week 😅💛
From the moment we got married, Auggie and I declared, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We could have never imagined that our house would come to include this many college students from @crucornell …two of them being my very own brothers 🥹
What a gift this Holy Week has been. We got to open our home, serve these students, and show them what it looks like to live for Jesus after college. We prayed with them, cried with them, laughed with them, and got to watch them grow closer to one another and to God over the course of the week. We even successfully navigated having only 2 showers and 3 bedrooms with 20 people. 💪🏼
But even more than that, we got to serve the outsider together. We heard countless stories from refugees and asylum seekers, and learned from @casamarianella@morethanwelcomeinc@therefugeecollective@sunrisenavigationcenter@mission_possible_austin@wearefamilylife@convivocoffee
These students came in as strangers and are leaving as family.
Which is so special because CRU is also how Auggie, @bygracechuang and I met.
I’ll carry this week in my heart for the rest of my days. 💛 It’s a reminder of how much I love saying yes to God. He continually fills my home, my table, and my heart in ways I never could have planned.
Thank you, Jesus 😭😭
Hibachi, mariachi, and 30 friends is my definition of keeping it chill for my 30th birthday 😅
But seriously, apart from my Quinceañera, my 30th was the most fun yet. Feeling all the love. 💛
If you’re in Austin/ Houston/ San Antonio/ Dallas and are having a milestone birthday soon, you have to book @allstarhibachi_catering . Thanks for bringing the fun! Especially the karaoke setup and ALL that sake 😂😂😂 Y’all are the best! (If you want to book them use GENESIS10 for 10% off 🎉)
#sunsettingmy30s #30thbirthday #30thbirthdayideas
