Much has changed in the lives of Michael and April McGinnis since our honeymoon, and we wanted you to know about it.
We moved to Bryan, Texas at the beginning of May, and we enjoy our new home (yes, it is hot). Michael is continuing his website marketing business. We've spent some romantic moments together at the supermarket and the laundromat and the home improvement store (and the Bell Ranch Steakhouse at the Hilton and Chef Cao's Chinese Restaurant and the Art Step downtown and bluegrass night at J Codys). Bryan/College Station is most famous for Texas A&M University, and we've participated in several events sponsored by the International Student Fellowship there.
We miss our grandmother Gloria Garrett, for whom Michael was a primary caregiver for almost two years in St. Louis. Grandma and April fell in love with each other even before our September wedding, and together we cared for her in her home until April, when her children took over that responsibility. Unfortunately, she was hospitalized shortly after we left, and she never fully recovered. She was buried on June 11 in her family cemetery in New Ulm, Texas, less than two hours from our home. At her funeral, April and Michael sang "Rock of Ages," just as we used to sing to her at bedtime. Michael read Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar," a poem which she always enjoyed hearing. You can see pictures and hear her voice at http://www.biographiks.com/elva/.
April's friend Kari Williams recently visited us from Wisconsin. After she had already bought her plane tickets, Grandma passed away and Michael's parents rescheduled their move date. So during Kari's week in Texas, she experienced: Grandma's funeral in New Ulm, Houston traffic, Galveston beach, dinner in Katy, the San Antonio Riverwalk at night, Main Street Fredericksburg, helping Michael's parents move from Waring (where we were married), Cascade Caverns in Boerne, McKinney Falls State Park near Austin, and the Dime Box Museum. April calls this our "Tour de Texas"!
We have been attending Community Church in College Station. Before we left St. Louis, Michael had contacted a dozen churches, looking for college students we could hire to unload our moving truck. Only one person had promised to come. Then, as we drove into town on May 1, we got a cellphone call from a pastor at Community Church, saying that about eight of his guys were headed over to our house, not expecting any pay. Along with three guys from Texas A&M's International Student Fellowship, they got our 14-foot truck unloaded in about an hour! Two couples invited us over for dinner during our first week. God is more than faithful; he is extravagant.
We're grateful that God brought a buyer for Michael's mobile home in Waring, Texas. He is excited about the house and will be signing papers this week. He is paying us a good price, which will give us a comfortable cushion of savings in the bank.
April's stomach has been feeling sensitive recently, which we've attributed to changes in her diet. But the other night after Michael went to bed, she took a pregnancy test. When she first checked the test, it didn't look like anything was happening. But when she checked it again, something was indeed happening. We don't know exactly what her due date will be, but we are expecting our child to be born sometime this winter. We are grateful to God for his mercy and grace, which we need daily.
Edit: Our baby is due January 8, and April is feeling pretty good.