The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Merry Christmas!

December has been a mix of hectic business and much needed relaxation time. With the first of December also came the start of my second quarter at seminary. Classes jumped right in, with professors trying to cram in as much material as possible before the break, and by the end of the first week of classes, I was sick. After four days bedridden with the flu, I was able to return to classes, and somehow got through the next two weeks without falling behind. Unfortunately, the cough that accompanied the fever caused me to lose my voice. It got me out of any talking required for class, but things became very difficult when it came time for me to do liturgy in church. About two out of three words I tried to say actually made noise, so it was good that everything was printed in the bulletin as well. Christmas break was quite a relief when it finally arrived.

Mikaela also had a busy month. First, being December, any resemblance of peace or focus in the kindergarten classroom is nearly impossible with Christmas anticipation being so high. Added to that, there was a virus being passed around the school, so she had between one and four students out of school sick on any given day in those three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas (a big impact on a class of 11!). And finally, a new student joined her class, which has been challenging because he had to learn all of the routines which the rest of the class has been trained into for months. So when it was time to send the kids home on the last day of school, she was very ready to have a break.

During this first week of Christmas vacation, we've been able to enjoy a level of relaxation we have not achieved since we got married. Since July we've been traveling, in school, working, and doing chores non-stop. So having two weeks with limited responsibilities has felt wonderful to us.

Our first Christmas together started at 3:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. We had to leave our apartment with enough time for me to be there before the 4:00 service. After the service we ate dinner with the Bueckmans, a couple who was kind enough to invite us over to give us a place to stay between church services, and we got back to church in time for the 7:00 service. After that service the Bueckmans took us to see a holiday light display, and then we returned back to their house for desserts. After desserts, it was back to church for the 11:00 service, where Mikaela was conscripted to fill in as a soloist for someone who had developed a cold and lost her voice. Immediately following the service, we went home and straight to bed. The next morning we got up early enough to have a special breakfast (homemade cinnamon rolls!) before rushing off to church for their Christmas morning service. When we returned home, we were so tired we did not even want to open gifts until after we had taken a nap. And although we were not able to return home to spend Christmas with our families, we got to Skype and Facetime with both of our families during the day. Despite the long and exhausting nature of the day, we had a wonderful Christmas.

The day after Christmas was a little less dramatic, but extremely fun. Mikaela's brother TJ bought us tickets to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra at the ScottTrade Center. We were able to see their two-and-a-half hour production of "The Christmas Attic." It was a very good time, with loud rock music, pyrotechnics, and band members standing on platforms that raised them up into the air and then extended over the audience, with the final number being their iconic “Carol of the Bells.” We had heard that Trans Siberian Orchestra put on amazing shows, and this one definitely did not disappoint us! Compared to that, the rest of the month felt relatively quiet!

We would like to conclude by wishing everyone a merry Christmas. This is such a wonderful time of year, for this is the time we take to remember that God, the One who created the whole universe, loved us enough to humiliate Himself enough to become a human, then be further humiliated and allow Himself to be killed that we might die and rise with Him, and therefore live eternally.

In the name of Christ our savior,

Nick and Mikaela

Finals, Family, and Snowfall

Greetings to our friends and family and blessings as we enter the Christmas season!

November has been a busy month in the Duerr household. Mikaela had the opportunity to attend the Missouri District Professional Church Workers' conference at Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks. She  enjoyed attending workshops for professional development, and spending some quality time with her fellow teachers. Despite having a great time at the Lake of the Ozarks, she was very happy to return home to St. Louis.
As Mikaela was out of town, I was finishing my first quarter of classes at the seminary. In the last week of the quarter, I took four tests and wrote two papers. Although I enjoyed the classes I took and learned a lot from them, I was very glad to finish the term and enjoy two weeks off classes.
A big excitement this month was when we got our first snow here in St. Louis! As California natives, we enjoyed the beauty of the snowfall out our window so much that we couldn't seem to get anything else done! The first afternoon that it snowed, we got to go to the St. Louis Botanical Gardens with some friends and enjoy the fresh snow as it decorated the gardens. Several snowball fights were involved as well!
The main event of November was of course, Thanksgiving. We enjoyed the company of my parents, Steve and Cathy, and little brother, Tony, who flew out to visit from California, as well as Mikaela's younger sister, Karina, who flew out from her college in South Carolina. This was the first time we had family visit since we got married and moved to St. Louis, so it was very exciting! We had fun showing our family our apartment, our church and school, and the seminary. We went sight-seeing with them to the Gateway Arch, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour, the Old Courthouse, the St. Louis Basilica Cathedral, and some famous St. Louis restaurants like Fitz's and Ted Drewes.  On the day before Thanksgiving, it snowed for most of the day, so we all sat in our apartment watching the snow fall, waiting for it to stick on the ground, and then when it started to stick, we all went out and had so much fun playing in the snow! We built a snowman named Ivan, threw snowballs, and probably made all the neighbors stare at us for enjoying that tiny bit of snow so much. We loved having family here and we were disappointed to see them leave! Overall, it was a wonderful break, but we were both glad to get back into our routines this week!

In the name of Christ our Savior,
Nick and Mikaela Duerr