My Garage

The weather here yesterday was 60 degrees and gorgeous!  Blue, clear skies...the perfect day...the kind of day that feels a little chilly when you're outside, but then you park your car in the sunshine, and it warms up to the perfect temperature.  
The thing about living in Dallas, though, is that the weather changes daily.  Yesterday it was sunny...today it snowed!  I'm kind of enjoying the variety, though.  It's nice to know that I don't have to wait until June to wear my flip flops.

Today started out rainy...and then sometime after we walked into the church, the snow started coming down!...like LOTS OF SNOW!!! 

Remember how I don't love snow?...well, it turns out that snow in Allen, TX is a totally different thing than snow in Mendon, UT!  (I still don't love it, but there were some fun things that I noticed...that were endearing...)

• I was a little late getting to my Primary class because I was chatting with people in the hallway.  By the time I got to the room, I expected all six of my kids to be waiting there wondering where I was, but only the three girls were there.  Guess where the boys were?...outside playing in the snow with half of the Primary.  It was hilariously funny to watch everyone (children AND adults) flock to the door of the church after Sacrament to marvel at the snow sticking to the cars and the parking lot.  Apparently they don't see it here very often.  :)

• Several boys were outside the building after church, shoveling snow off the walkways and the stairs...with the shovels upside down...and shoveling toward the building so that there was a big pile of snow right in front of the door.  :)   

• As we were leaving church, some very sweet, concerned person asked me if I would be ok driving home on my own since my husband had driven separately.  Seriously???  I also found that hilariously funny, but I didn't laugh until I got in the van.  Apparently my Utah license plates didn't reassure them that I have some snow experience.  :) 

• When I got to my van, an eager 14 yr old came running up to my car before I could start it and swept all the snow off my windshield...with a broom.  (very sweet)  :)   

But here's the best thing about SNOW HERE vs. SNOW in MENDON... 

...we have a GARAGE here!!!

In Mendon, I used to pull up in front of my house, then walk down the sidewalk and up three stairs to the front porch and then in the front door.  It's delightful when the weather is nice, because you can walk under the 100 yr old pine tree, and the front porch is very inviting...and who needs a garage when it's sunny and beautiful?

Sidewalk on a gorgeous day.

...but in inclement weather, it's pretty miserable.  The sidewalk is slippery and icy.  The rain makes giant mud puddles.  The front entryway is tile, so wet shoes made it pretty treacherous, not to mention messy!  I didn't love coming into my Mendon house on bad weather days.  

Sidewalk on a snowy day

But guess what I did on this bad weather day!...I got into my van in the parking lot at church and I drove home (carefully, in case the concerned person from church was still watching).  Then I drove into my snowy, slushy driveway, and opened my GARAGE DOOR!  I drove the van into the non-snowy garage, got out of the van, and walked into the house!  It wasn't treacherous.  I didn't need assistance.  My 4" ridiculously impractical black boots were dry.  The laundry room floor was dry.  And I didn't slip or get anything messy and wet! :)

I wonder if I would have enjoyed winters in Mendon more if we had had a garage there???  
(Mental note: add "Build A Garage" to the lengthy list of renovations that need to be made on the 100 yr old home!)