My Instagram page lately has been about as active as this blog – which is to say, not at all. Part of it stems from my recent social-media cleanse – my instinct is no longer to photograph and share everything, which is great! But a big part of my absence stems from the fact that New York City in the winter is just about as awful as I expected it to be. It’s not pretty like it is in the spring, summer and fall. It’s slushy, it’s gray, the ground is one giant thin sheet of ice. It’s also so cold that if I do catch a glimpse of beauty, I don’t want to take off my gloves to snap a shot with my phone.

Life is rough, I know.

I do have a few recent snaps to share with y’all, though! And hopefully soon it’ll warm up and the snow will melt and life will return to its normal glory. One can hope.

After the recent non-blizzard, I was so excited to finally be able to go outside again that I took a lunchtime stroll through the village once I was back at work. The snow hadn’t yet melted (it still hasn’t), and not many people had trekked through and ruined its beauty quite yet.

 A new coffee shop just opened in my neighborhood, so on Friday I set up shop there (a nice excuse to get out of the apartment) and worked through some church admin stuff. The best part? My friend Emmie lives in the building just across the street, so my ability to stalk has greatly increased. (Don’t worry, Emmie knows I was there!)

Finally: Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean I have to go without one of my favorite treats! I can always count on my church friends to go out for ice cream with me, no matter the weather. It’s the perfect snack after a day of services or a night of meetings!

What have you all been up to?!

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