So, it’s been a little over 2 weeks since I asked Amy, “Will you marry me?” That was a Sunday. That evening we celebrated with my brother and sister-in-law over wonderful French food.

The first day has to be set aside for celebration.

But, pretty soon after that we realized there would be a lot of questions asked of us.

Such as when. And where. And what colors.

First the when.

Amy’s job ends around the new year and she was moving back in with her mom for the rest of the year. Meaning, we could wait for summer and all my classes to end, but that seemed a bit long of a wait since she was going to move down here most likely anyhow. Instead of us each trying to find a temporary roommate, we decided six months was a plenty long engagement.

My class schedule suddenly became rather important. In case you didn’t realize, I’m starting back to school in the Fall. Starting a PhD in Systematic Theology at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. There’s all sorts of aspects to that which are entirely not what I ever expected. But, that’s a whole different post. Fall quarter ends around December 12. Winter Quarter starts January 5. There’s the window right there.

Christmas, as you probably realize, is usually the theme event of December. Indeed, there’s a whole Christmas season and everyone is drunk on the Christmas Spirit. Before Christmas would be absurd because of that. Right after? That’d be December 27th. The Christmas Spirit doesn’t just disappear at bedtime, like the Memorial Day Patriotism, or Easter Day Reverence, or the Arbor Day Aura. Christmas is a high proof holiday, and tends to leave a lingering holiday hangover. Too much to ask for people to travel and plan and otherwise re-focus their thoughts away from the baby Jesus and onto Amy and Patrick’s nuptial bliss. My mom’s birthday is the 24th, New Years is the 1st. That’s far too many holidays packed into a week.

Plus, who wants an anniversary right after Christmas? It would always be lost in the Yuletide pageantry. Gotta think about the future, you know.

And so we found a day, a day enough after New Year’s Even and enough before my re-entry into theology.

Patrick Oden and Amy Gustafson will be married on January 3, 2009.

Where and what colors? We’ll get back to you on those details.