April's 26th Birthday

Happy birthday to me! For my birthday, Mom, Dad, and Brett took me to the restaurant of my choice...Bahama Breeze. (a first for me) We then had ice cream cake at home (see picture). On Friday, September, 17th my birthday continued. I got to meet Jim Brickman! Ok, you know him...well, he's "America's newest romantic piano sensation" He's a piano player that wrote "The Gift" and "My Valentine" (www.jimbrickman.com) Then we went to his concert which was much more entertaining than I expected. He's a really nice guy and has a good sense of humor. He did a questions and answer session during the second half of his show and we got to hear a few commercial jingles he wrote a long time ago (Cheerios, Puppy Chow, and Hallmark) as well as a few alphabet songs he wrote for Sesame Street. The audience loved it! If you get a chance to see him perform...don't miss it!

Another Ankle Injury

Well, I have mangaed to sprain my ankle yet AGAIN! It's the right one this time. Nick Faris and I took a trip to Searcy on Monday to watch his brother play soccer. After the game, we had a choice between playing basketball or playing XBox. I chose wrong!!! At game point in the third and possibly final pick-up game at the Downtown Church of Christ, I was passed the ball just behind the 3-point line. I tried to make a quick cut to my right, and most of my body complied. My right ankle did not. A hideous popping sound was heard by all, and swelling occured almost immediately. I am blessed with great friends who helped me to the car, took me back to the Baur's apartment, put ice on my ankle, and then destroyed me at Halo. It was a great night of bonding.
So, I guess I will be without one of my life's passions for the next 6 weeks or so. Playing basketball, while very important to me, is put into perspective when I need my wife's help just to take a shower or pick out my clothes for the day. Thank God for her and her wonderful servant heart. So if you see me in the next few weeks, don't ask me to play basketball. That would be rubbing salt on my wound. And don't call me "gimp" or "crip". Seriously, it gets old!!!

The Cute Couple

Brett and April outside the Gillespie's on their 3rd anniversary.

Our Anniversary

Brett and I celebrated THREE YEARS of marriage on Wednesday, September 1, 2004. Because we are very tight on budget right now, we took money given by family members as anniversary presents to celebrate. (Thanks Mom & Dad Emerson and Grandma E!) We chose to go to The Melting Pot for a night of fondue. Brett had never eaten fondue and the last time I ate it was my 21st birthday. We enjoyed a tasty meal of cheese fondue, salad, and a main course which consisted of chicken, meat, shrimp, and salmon. We decided to save dessert for another special occasion. We spent some time previous to our dinner writing letters to each other by answering questions Brett had come up with. We talked about what we loved about each other, changes we had seen this past year, things each of us need to work on/change, and some of our favorite memories from the past year of marriage. It was a great exercise and I'm sure we'll cherish those letters in the years to come. --April

August 2004

August 2, 2004. With Brett graduated and our church goodbyes said, several of our friends joined us in loading a U-haul. This U-haul would carry us and our posessions from Searcy, Arkansas (our home for the past 3 years) to Memphis, Tennessee. On August 3rd, we unloaded the U-haul at 6307 Hawks Call Lane...the home of Rick and Leslie Gillespie, April's parents. We literally took over the 2nd floor of their home with all of our "stuff". We submitted our applications at Harding Academy to be substitute teachers at the elementary and high school levels. On Saturday, August 7th, we traveled to Nashville where we spent time with Brett's family and celbrated Grandma Emerson's 80th birthday. We flew from Nashville to Los Angeles, California on the 11th and spent time with family and friends. The first weekend we stayed with April's brother and sister-in-law, Allen and Sarah Gillespie. It was great to spend time with them and not have to share them with parents or other family members. Sunday, the 15th, the spent the night with Jason and Leah Tomlinson, friends from Harding University. The 17th through the 20th we spent at Yosemite National Park with Marcus and Jessicca Moore, more friends from Harding. This was our vacation.