I don’t think I’ve mentioned on here that we’ve been “church shopping.” Today was the second church that we’ve visited since we moved here. The last 2 Sundays somebody has been sick, so we’ve stayed home. This whole search is a lot harder than I anticipated. I guess part of me thought that I’d walk in and just know. That hasn’t happened yet, at least not like I imagined it. There are pros and cons to both churches, things we like and dislike. And obviously, we can’t judge these churches based on one Sunday there. We’ll have to spend several Sundays at each church to be able to decide.

One has a strong music program (i.e. choir) and the other needs a bit of help. Both of those things appeal to me. As a member of the choir at First Church in Erie, strong music is important. But I also recognize that maybe a weaker music program could use people like Brian and I. I was so blessed to have the choir instructor at FUMC Erie that I did. Bruce is phenomenal. And I miss it. But I’ve resolved myself to taking what he taught me in the 2-3 years I was a member of his choir and using it wherever I go next.

We also like the pastor at both churches. They both have great energy and good sermons.

But I’ll be honest. The one drawback about today’s church was that I can count on one hand the number of people who greeted us, and that bugs me. I know to some, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. But honestly, if you see someone who is new and you want them to come back, making them feel welcome is a pretty darn good way of doing that. Dh says that sometimes first impressions aren’t everything. I’ll concede that, to a point. But first impressions have a big impact on me. They aren’t the be-all, end-all, but they are importnat. I guess we’ll have to go back to see if my first impression can be changed at all.

For now, we continue on this spiritual journey of finding a church.

If you’ve seen Jack’s blog today, you already know our big news. We are leaving Erie. I am saddened to leave Erie, but excited by the prospect that moving to Rochester, NY brings. Erie has been our home for the bulk of our marriage and family life, which is why it is going to be so hard to leave. It’s the only home our kids have known, but they seem ok with our impending move, albeit a little apprehensive. I expected them to react much worse to the news, but there were only a few tears. I think it will help them to be involved with the packing process. And, I think they are intrigued by the idea of having their own rooms. Well, at least the twins are excited about not having to share a room with Alex. I can’t say that Alex is excited about having his own room. He wants to be with his bubbies. That will certainly take some getting used to for him.

So, in the interest of packing, I’m likely going to be neglecting my blog for quite some time. I’ll try to pop in at least a couple of times between now and then, especially when I need a break from packing. However, if I don’t find that I’m able to, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my readers!

Penn State Behrend sponsored a chemistry day, free to the public, today at the ExpERIEnce Children’s Museum. We don’t go to the Children’s museum too often, but when we do go, our kids love it. Today was no exception. It was hard to pull them away from the boats near the entrance and the train on the second floor, but here are some pics that I managed to get of the boys doing some hands-on stuff.

The egg goes in:

The egg comes out (sort of…):

(A lesson on brushing teeth)

Erupting volcanoes!

Making…

SNOW!

Slime

What foods contain starch?

As you can see, we had a fun time.