Be it ever so humble...

The house hunt!  Cameron and I spent countless hours on the telephone discussing our housing options for January (well, for December really, because Cam will move in right away when he arrives here).  We really learned what our priorities are!  Number one: plenty of natural light.  Number two: a good neighborhood and a good spirit.  Number three: economy.  Number four: a spacious kitchen with lots of storage.  Number five: honest, personable and good-natured landlords.  Cameron predicted I would go see about ten places before we decided upon one.  We shall see how close he was to being right!  Here is the journey I undertook, with Cam always "nearby," a phone call or email away.  (I am so thankful for his help in making calls and doing internet searches!)  I will give away the ending, and say that we have been led to the perfect place to start out our married life!  Our search has been a matter of much prayer, and I feel the Lord has been very mindful of us.

Off we go!

I went first to the lovely Passmore Duplex.  We went back and forth on this one awhile!  Beautiful wood floors and tons of space, but a very high utility bill!

Linda's little house.  A sweet 660 square feet, with a nice big backyard.  But the recent tenants (who had to be evicted by a court order) decided to leave it in a bit of a mess for us!  After they realized they would be evicted they started smoking, and earlier than that had broken windows and drilled a hole through the wall of the master closet so their dog could come in and out.  We passed.

The Arthur Drive duplex.  Ugly as it is on the outside, we fell in love with the inside.  Wood floors, new tasteful paint, plenty of space, two levels, track lighting, and a swanky kitchen.  But far away from everything, and in an uncomfortable part of town (if that really exists in Provo).  We deliberated much over this one!

 

The Kasteel Condo.  Nice place, not so nice part of town.  Very plain interior, but good storage space!  We knew we would be happier somewhere else.

The Trembath Duplex.  Up on the hill, with spectacular valley views!  But it smelled very old and musty inside, and I altogether didn't feel a very good spirit in the place.  We moved on with our search.

A bad picture of the exterior of Natalie's house.  Spacious, tons of storage, but high utility bills and a disastrously cramped kitchen.  We knew we could do better!

Janet's condo (top floor).  Beautiful, well-kept, plenty of room, but the simply not enough natural light for two people who thrive off of it.  We decided to keep it in mind...

The living room of Lynne's "luxury condo," left empty by her recently deceased mother.  A nice place with lots of room, but honestly it was the decor we couldn't stomach, considering the steep price we would be paying.  A sample from the master bathroom:

Lynne did generously offer to leave the hand towel and comforter that matched the wallpaper so beautifully, as well as a the lamp (pictured above) with dancing naked cupids encircling the stand.

The Orem condo.  The first place I went to see on the last day of searching.  We determined that this day (Nov. 16) would be the last attempt, and that we would choose from our options after seeing two more places.  This condo had beautiful views, but neighbors above, below, and on both sides.  But it felt better than most of the places I had been.  I thought perhaps it would be the one!

Mo's house.  Perfectly situated up in the hills, from which one can see the most beautiful mountainscapes, and sunsets across the valley!  This sold us.  The kitchen isn't perfect, but the rooms are spacious and there is room for us to plant a garden in the back.  Mo gave us a wonderful price for everything.  He and his wife live above.  A few pictures from the place, including a view of our beautiful backyard!

These walls will be covered in beautiful photography soon enough!

Not as much counter space as we would have liked, but it has a beautiful view from the window!

  
Our backyard!  And view of the distant southern mountains.  If one walks farther out in the yard, one sees the Oquirrh mountains and the incredible sunsets above Utah Lake (almost daily).  Mo said we could plant a vegetable garden back there as well!

I was delighted to find out upon going to sign the lease that Mo's full name is Mohammed!  Neither Cameron nor I could place his accent at first.  But I was thrilled to find out he and his wife are from Iran.  I excitedly told Mo that Cam and I both got our MAs in Middle East Studies, and that we have spent lots of time in that part of the world and studied Arabic and Hebrew.  He seemed surprised and pleased.  He is a gentle, kind, honest and generous man.  I am glad that he has found tenants with whom he need not be afraid to go by his full name.  I think we will be very good friends with both of them --- and not just because of their Middle Eastern background.  I felt a real kinship talking with him, that I know Cameron will feel too.  Mo told me that he expressed to his wife great hope that Cam and I would choose their home.




Most importantly, we have an extra bedroom!  Please come visit us, and we will cook for you some delicious mid-eastern cuisine, and watch the sunset together.  Great love to you all!