Weighing the options.

February came and went in the blink of an eye! It feels like time is moving so fast and so slow at the same time. One day will fly by and the next seems like it's never going to end. Not much has changed around the Garvey household. The job hunt has gotten the best of Kevin lately, but he's trying his best to stay positive. Monster is still our pride and joy - she never ceases to make life interesting. The weather has been teasing us lately. One day it's sunny and "warm"...the next day it's raining and overcast. We are ready for Spring more than you know. Kevin is itching to start barbecuing again and I'm itching to spend more time on our patio. One day we'll have a real house with a real yard that I can plant flowers and vegetables in! For now, I just settle for a couple hanging baskets. :)

Speaking of housing, our lease is up this June. It still seems fairly far enough away to not think about it, but it too will sneak up on us. We just get so caught up in the day-to-day that I tend to push the big stuff to the back burner. Anyway, we are trying to decide whether we want to move closer to my work. The move wouldn't be out of necessity, but rather for a change of scenery. Our options are to find a different apartment/townhouse to rent. We have also been toying with the idea of possibly renting a teeny tiny house in Gladstone or the Milwaukie/Portland area. Monster is dying for her own space to run around and most apartments don't have fenced-in yards. I know that houses come with their own set of extra responsibilities as compared to apartments, but it would be nice to have more of our own space. In apartments, it's difficult to have people over. It'd be nice to have a backyard to have barbecues and not be cooped up inside all summer. It'd be nice to not hear our neighbors scream at each other and running around outside/upstairs. However, houses usually don't come with a washer/dryer - which we don't have! Often there is much more maintenance involved with the yard, more rooms to clean, etc. I guess we just need to weigh out the pros and cons of each then decide. I guess, since we started early, we do have some time to consider our wants/needs. Have any suggestions?

Considering I have this coming Monday off, we plan to go to my parents beach house for 3 days. It is supposed to be beautiful at the Coast on Saturday, but you never know in Oregon. Here's hoping for good weather, fresh clam chowder, a ride or two down the river and strolling the Oregon Coast. I promise to take lots of photos, weather willing of course!