There are also snowplows that scrape and treat the roads. I wouldn't drive during a snowstorm like it was yesterday because the plows can't keep up when it's falling so fast. But today it'd be fine to drive. Our winter strategy is to not drive if we can help it, though.
We had Monday off so we did enjoy the snow then. We took a walk along the river a couple blocks from our house.
Otherwise we just sat around in our pajamas, which was pretty great. We had traveled to be with Patrick's family due to his aunt's passing. Although a sad occasion it was a good visit. We were also able to grab a meal with my parents, so that was nice.
It's been an eventful week. Our friend Melva from graduate school moved up a couple weeks ago, so we had her over for dinner on Thursday. Through a range of events too complicated yet boring to explain, three other friends ended up at our house so it was nice to have some company. We love having people over but are pretty far removed from most folks we know, so it's a rarity. On Friday we had an outing at work to an ice skating rink. My coworker, Josh, who plays ice hockey, tried to help me learn to skate because I am pretty pitiful. But I am convinced I could learn with some practice! There's a free rink across the street from our house. I'm thinking about buying some skates because it'd be nice to be able to do something outside on really cold days. We went out with our friends Mark and Kimberly on Friday to finally see the Star Wars movie. Yesterday we did pretty much nothing but watch the snow fall. It probably started around 3pm and didn't stop until sometime overnight.
I have this problem where back home, when it snowed we ate brownies and cookies and other treats because it was a special occasion. This is translating to me feeling the need to eat junk food pretty much all the time, since snow's on the ground! We did make cookies yesterday. The cookbook said that they were good for you because of the oatmeal and pecans in them (never mind the three sticks of butter, cup of brown sugar, and the whole bag of chocolate chips)...
Last night when planning for church we weren't sure how the roads would be this morning so we decided to go to a church within walking distance--Evangelical Baptist Church in Newton. Not that we had low expectations, but I think we were both pleasantly surprised. It's about a 15 minute walk (or an 8 minute bus ride + walk, or a 3 minute drive, with free parking, in a adequately sized parking lot, which is a huge deal here!). It's a small congregation but it felt comfortable to be a visitor. The teaching was solid, and the people were incredibly friendly. So I think we will visit again.
It's interesting trying to sort through what's really important in a church after you have checked off the essentials of good doctrine. What if a church is really convenient but you don't like the style? What if a church has people you naturally click with but is far away? What about the offered programs, congregational diversity, dedication to outreach, or a thousand other factors? I have a list of things in my head that are important but it's difficult to know how to weight each factor. I think there are definitely wrong choices but I don't know that there's a single right choice. But all in all I am pleased to report that in a widely unchurched city there are many sound churches to choose from.
Until next time!
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