Ice, salt, and snow crunched under my shoes as I opened the door for Ellie. I held her hand as she stepped out of the warmth of our car, onto the icy pavement. We both had our dress shoes on, the hard soles making it difficult to plant our feet firmly as we walked. The crunches of our footsteps accentuated the sounds of crackling tree branches in the frigid air. We stepped onto a lighted flagstone path; the walkway had been shoveled and salted before our arrival.