Passin' Time

Isaiah's sleeping. Calie is at a baby shower. I have homework to do. But instead, I figured it was time for a quick blog update.

Things are going peachy-kean here in the Vera household. We are in an extreme season of countdowns. Countdown to graduation (13 days). Countdown until Ordination (June 13). Countdown until Calie's done with work (July 25). Countdown to moving (July 29). Countdown to Installation and beginning ministry at Bethlehem (August 15). Countdown to vacation (????). There are still a few more countdowns in there too but that should be definitely enough for now. Obviously we will be pretty busy the next few months as we close out our time here in St. Louis. Plenty of things to do and boxes to pack. Here's a quick run through of what lies ahead for us in the next few weeks...

• Sometime soon we will head to our future home in Sun Prairie, WI. We'll get to know the area, make our first cameo at our new church, and to do some house hunting. God-willing we will find the perfect house at just the right price (FYI: we are not proud people; donations are accepted). It really is overwhelming with all that comes along with being first time home buyers--loans, down payments, realtors, mortgages, fixed rates. Ahhhh! We just really hope to find the right house and figure out some way to pay for it. We know that regardless of what happens, God will provide as He always does. He has already shown us that we will be taken care of through some of the gracious offers we've received from members of Bethlehem, our soon-to-be congregation.
• In two weeks, I will finally graduate from Concordia Seminary. Wahoo! My parents, Grandma, and Uncle will be coming out to join in the graduation festivities on June 21st with us. It will be nice to see them and great to have family around as we close out this chapter of our lives. These events are always more fun when family is around, especially since we'd never have gotten to this point in our lives without them. Four years have come and gone so quickly!
• For a week June we will be heading east to New Jersey. My ordination will take place at my home congregation on the 13th and it will be great to share this day with the congregation that has watched me grow from when I was a baby and supported me for so long and in so many ways. Then we will stick around for the following week to visit with friends and family. Of course, we'll probably have to take a day trip to the good ol' Jersey Shore one of those days. Isaiah will spend plenty of time with Grandma and Grandpa while Calie and I hopefully get a chance to sit in the hot tub and relax a bit. Maybe we'll even get a chance to have a date night or two?!?
• July will continue to be busy as I hope to head north to MN for a week of fishing at the cabin and hopefully squeeze in a Twins game and a weekend to preach at Trinity Hudson. Calie will be gone for nearly two weeks in July with the LCMS National Youth Gathering. Isaiah and I have had a lot of fun on our past 'boy's weekend' but this is a long time to be without Mommy. I'm not sure how we'll survive.

Isaiah is up from his nap so it's time to close. That's enough for now anyway I suppose. Thanks for reading and being a part of our lives even if it is from a far. God's blessings to you all as the summer roles around...