Our apartment complex in October.
And in January.We’ve passed the halfway point in our Buffalo rotation now. We’re leaving in early April for the next location (David’s working his contacts; it’s not determined just yet), so we only have 3 more months here. I have mixed emotions about leaving Buffalo. Of course, I would love it if our next rotation were a little (or a lot) closer to the West and to our family, but there are definitely some things about Buffalo that I will miss. I’m not sure if we’ll ever live in this type of climate or in this part of the country again, so I really want to make the most out of it.
Most people here who learn that we just moved from California say “Oh, I’m so sorry! You must be miserable!” or something to that effect. True, the weather in Southern California is lovely and relatively warm and sunny, even this time of year, but I am truly enjoying the cold and the snow. Some of the weather phenomenon here are so stunningly beautiful. The other day, the sun was shining, but it was cold enough the moisture in the air was coming down as snow mist. Tiny ice crystals were drifting around in the air, being caught by the sunlight, and it looked like little bits of glitter. It was gorgeous! And when the sun shines on top of the snow of the ground, it catches the various angles on the snow crystals and they look like tiny prisms, shooting off different colors of light. The long icicles hanging off of buildings and even the ginormous mountains of plowed snow are striking.
Now, there are some downsides to all the snow and ice. We’re only here for a short time, so I can muster up enough good cheer to get through them, but I can imagine getting tired of the whole winter routine if we had to do it year after year after year. Dressing 3 kids in full snow gear is my most challenging aspect of living a Buffalo winter so far, especially when the littlest of the 3 kids manages to pull off carefully applied gloves, mittens, jackets, boots, etc. while I turn my back and get my coat on! Also, the wetness of everything – the entry way, the mats in the car, the bottoms of jeans, etc. gets a little old. My poor van is going to be a mud pit by the end of the winter!
Even though it sounds funny to say, I’m kind of enjoying some of these challenges of winter living. Sometimes I have the same feeling when Lent is around the corner – there are times when I really look forward to a hearty, challenging Lenten discipline. It has a finite period, you do your best to do your discipline cheerfully, and then you’re hopefully a little closer to Christ and you get to celebrate Easter with that much more joy. I love San Diego weather, but there isn’t a whole lot of variety, and I think I started taking it for granted. Somehow, the challenges of a Buffalo winter feel good for the soul, and I’m pleased with how well we’re dealing with it – mostly cheerfully so far. I think it will make out return to good weather even sweeter!
Most people here who learn that we just moved from California say “Oh, I’m so sorry! You must be miserable!” or something to that effect. True, the weather in Southern California is lovely and relatively warm and sunny, even this time of year, but I am truly enjoying the cold and the snow. Some of the weather phenomenon here are so stunningly beautiful. The other day, the sun was shining, but it was cold enough the moisture in the air was coming down as snow mist. Tiny ice crystals were drifting around in the air, being caught by the sunlight, and it looked like little bits of glitter. It was gorgeous! And when the sun shines on top of the snow of the ground, it catches the various angles on the snow crystals and they look like tiny prisms, shooting off different colors of light. The long icicles hanging off of buildings and even the ginormous mountains of plowed snow are striking.
Now, there are some downsides to all the snow and ice. We’re only here for a short time, so I can muster up enough good cheer to get through them, but I can imagine getting tired of the whole winter routine if we had to do it year after year after year. Dressing 3 kids in full snow gear is my most challenging aspect of living a Buffalo winter so far, especially when the littlest of the 3 kids manages to pull off carefully applied gloves, mittens, jackets, boots, etc. while I turn my back and get my coat on! Also, the wetness of everything – the entry way, the mats in the car, the bottoms of jeans, etc. gets a little old. My poor van is going to be a mud pit by the end of the winter!
Even though it sounds funny to say, I’m kind of enjoying some of these challenges of winter living. Sometimes I have the same feeling when Lent is around the corner – there are times when I really look forward to a hearty, challenging Lenten discipline. It has a finite period, you do your best to do your discipline cheerfully, and then you’re hopefully a little closer to Christ and you get to celebrate Easter with that much more joy. I love San Diego weather, but there isn’t a whole lot of variety, and I think I started taking it for granted. Somehow, the challenges of a Buffalo winter feel good for the soul, and I’m pleased with how well we’re dealing with it – mostly cheerfully so far. I think it will make out return to good weather even sweeter!
1 comment:
Beautiful!! I pray that preparing for the next adventure is less stressful and more enjoyable.
It seems that you are adjusting quite well to your new experiences, I hope that is how you feel inside also.
It is wonderful to share all of these new things with you through pictures and posts.
Post a Comment