Author: Michael
We know it’s a few weeks late, but we wanted to get y’all a blog update for June before we reach the end of July (we’ll post an update on July in the next couple weeks too).
June was an eventful month to say the least. It was my birthday… and we had a blast! We celebrated a day early on June 15 because Emily had to work the day of my actual birthday (silly nursing schedule). She had the idea to get me an electronic drum kit, because I’ve spent far too much time with my hands off the steering wheel while drumming in the car. The electronic drum kit is much safer, and it sounds great! Thanks to the family members who pitched in to make it happen as well! I was pumped (as you can see by the picture)!
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| Surprise! |
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| My new favorite toy |
One of the highlights of the month was a one-day visit from Brett and Jenny, who we knew from IU but now live in New Orleans teaching in the inner city. Along with their friends Tim and Carrie, we went to Galveston Beach and enjoyed margaritas at one of our favorite restaurants. It was a blast to see them again and catch up. A few days after they left town, I traveled up to Indiana alone to be a groomsman in my friend Josh’s wedding. Josh and Ashley are so clearly perfect for each other and their wedding was beautiful. It was sad that Emily couldn’t come (silly nursing schedule, pt. II). I also got to spend some quality time with my family on the trip. It’s always great to see my folks, hang out with my grandma Marilyn and give my dog Ross some cheese (his favorite food, which my Draconian parents routinely deprive him of).
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| Emily and Jenny at the beach in Galveston |
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| Galveston |
Near the end of June, we went up to Indiana for our dear friend Sarah’s wedding. It was a blessing to witness Sarah getting married and we were privileged to be a part of their day (I was an usher, Emily read scripture). It was surreal, as Sarah has been like a little sister to me since high school and a close friend of Emily’s throughout college. It was cool to be at a wedding so focused on Christ. The entire wedding had a sense of anticipation for what God will do in and through the marriage. We are so happy for her and Greg and are excited to see what God does through their marriage.
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| Emily and I at Sarah's wedding |
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| Emily and Courtney |
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| Me and Toasty Osty |
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| Emily with Amanda and Kristi |
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| Us with Sarah at her reception |
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| At the canal in Indy with Emily's family |
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| One of our new favorite games |
On the same trip up to Indy, we got to spend a lot of quality time with Emily’s family (who we haven’t seen for far too long). It was so much fun to just hang out, laugh and enjoy each other’s company playing board games (The Game of Things) and just talking. We went down to the canal in downtown Indy and ate at one of Mass Ave.’s best restaurants, Bazbeaux Pizza. It was pretty tough to say goodbye to them after such an incredible and fun time together.
On a more somber, but vitally important note, we continue to be involved with Redeemed Ministries, which aims to end sex trafficking in Houston. If you’re interested in learning more about this injustice of modern day slavery in Houston (and which is growing throughout the country, even in Indiana) please visit www.redeemeministries.com.
Some other things we got to do in June were: visit the legendary Bernie’s Burger Bus (Bernie’s business operates out of a converted short school bus and they were the best burgers we’ve ever had) and wash the burgers down with delicious Sugarbabies cupcakes; also, while Emily has been working, I’ve been keeping busy lesson planning for the coming school year, reading Scripture and other books (The Great Gatsby [Fitzgerald]; A Little History of the World [Gombrich]) and using Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish (Yo hablo muey bien español). Also, Emily passed her two big nursing tests to complete her internship (praise God!) so she’s all done with tests and onto orientation. I’m so proud of her J
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| Bernie's Burger Bus |
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| Bernie's Menu |
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| Me practicing Spanish at Starbucks |
We’ll write ya again in a couple weeks with an update on July. We love and miss you all!
Michael (& Emily)
