Where to now?

So the big news on the Giraud front is that we are going to move, probably by the end of February. To think we finally got all the pictures hung on the walls just last week...sigh. :) Since I started working our rent took a huge increase (we are in subsidized housing while Gavin is in school), so we decided we should look elsewhere. The big thing we're looking for is cheap rent and we have a couple of options. The first one is a complex where a bunch of our ward members live--it's nice, 2 bed 1 bath, good location, great neighbors...I think it would be an awesome place to live. The second place, is, yup, you guessed it, one of the trailer parks here in Moscow. There were 3 of them available and we went and checked them out today. I really liked the first one--it had a wood stove which would be AWESOME for our heating bill, new carpet, 2 bedrooms and it was decent sized, but the bathroom was...umm...less than desirable, lets just put it that way. The second one is the one we're considering most--new bathroom (major plus! The first one had a mauve toilet...), cheap rent, smaller living room but still plenty big, good sized kitchen, nicer on the outside, but the carpet was old...I really liked the new carpet of the first place. The third one was ruled out the second I walked in the door. I stepped in and was like "AH! THIS PLACE SMELLS LIKE PEE!" Which is really too bad because it had decent carpet, the nicest kitchen and a decent bathroom. But seriously...there's NO way I can get over that smell. And who knows what peed where to make it smell like that. Sick. Anyways. So those are our options. It's $50 difference between the first and second one (first is more expensive). So what do you think? The more sensible side of me says "Go live in a nice apartment for $40-80 more a month!" But there's part of me, I suppose it's my inner-white-girl-trailer-trash, that thinks the trailer park would be such a grand adventure!!! I think it would be so much fun to look back and think how ghetto we lived while we were in school. And $80 a month is kind of a lot to save. So between the trailers, what do we sacrifice? A nice bathroom with old carpet? Or bad bathroom with nice carpet? And is that carpet worth $50 more a month? Can I pee on a mauve toilet? Such tough choices. :) We'll keep you posted. For now, keep your eyes peeled for me some cowgirl boots--if I'm going to live in a trailer I'm totally going to rock the cut-off shorts and boots look. Hot stuff.

Christmas is only a week away and this is the first time in either of our lives that our Christmas shopping is done before the 20th. I was able to find a 6' Christmas tree at a garage sale this summer for $10 which we put up within an hour of being home from Thanksgiving. I'm too cheap to go out and buy full price ornaments (I'm waiting for the after-Christmas-75%-off deals) but we had some neighbors lend us some of their ornaments so we don't have a naked tree. :) An interesting thing I learned about Gavin was that he has a serious talent for making fake trees look beautiful. After I compared the branches I had tried to fix with the ones he did, I found myself something else to do and let him tackle the tree.

Gavin was officially done with finals yesterday and I'm probably just as relieved as he is. It was 2 weeks with a lot of late nights and dinners at the law school so Gavin could stay there and study. It's better for him to stay at the school and study because it's too hard for me not to distract him when he's home. We've had a great schedule this past semester, waking up early and I drop Gavin off at school at 7:30 then make it to work in Pullman, WA by 8:00 am. Then he stays at school and studies until I pick him up on my way home from work, usually about 6:00 pm. The past couple of weeks we come home, he studies while I get dinner ready, we eat, and he studies some more. Like I said, I'm glad finals are over! He deserves a vacation and I would like my husband back! :)

Gavin and I are staying here in Moscow for most of the break. I work half the day on Christmas Eve and then we'll head to Boise. For once I'm praying we DON'T have a white Christmas so the roads will be clear. We are both so excited to be with our families for this wonderful time of year. We're especially excited to see Natalie's new baby Olivia Sue and to attend Rob and Lauren's wedding! It's going to be a crazy trip with so much to do with only a few days to do it, but we can't wait! I love Christmas time and the happiness it brings as I focus more on the Savior and the gift He gave to the world. Merry Christmas!

Autumn in Moscow

Autumn is here in Moscow and it's a beautiful time to be in northern Idaho. The trees are turning and the air is crisp--I love this time of year! We've now been married for over two and a half months and we're looking forward to the 3 month mark because that's when you officially know everything there is to know about marriage and you can start giving advice to other people. :) Haha, just kidding. But it really has been the most amazing few months of my life. It's so much fun to have someone to come home to and to start a home with.