House-Hunting, Holiday Party, and Birthday Bowling!

We had a very busy weekend- whew! Saturday we drove all around Culver City looking for houses to rent- and had NO luck. We went to Baja Fresh for lunch, and tried out the stroller. It was our first time using it, and I'm happy to say it worked out great! For once, Mr. Mustard didn't have to "bounce" while holding Paprika in the Bjorn during a meal. We actually got to sit and interact together while Paprika looked around the restaurant.

Saturday night we went to Lauren and Don's second annual Christmas tree decorating party. Basically, everyone brings an ornament and enjoys good food and company for the evening. Last year at the party I was pregnant with Paprika but didn't know it yet! This year there were a lot more people, I think because L&D have gotten lots of friends through their new church. Everyone was really nice, and of course, we took Paprika with us. She was a little upset at first, but then I went off and fed her, and she was perfect for the duration of the party. We ended up staying until almost midnight (!) and she enjoyed the party thoroughly. It was so great seeing old friends and even making some new ones- I'm really glad we went!

Sunday, we went up to Burbank to see about renting a house up there. The house was a small cottage in the backyard of another house- it was okay, but not ideal, I would say. As long as we're saving money living here, I would say that I'm intent on holding out for a place we really like. I'm working on visualizing our ideal living situation, and that way once we do find a place that fits the bill, we'll know it's just right. I don't want to just move from this place to another one that has problems of its own.

I think my ideal rental would be affordable and would have 2-3 bedrooms, so Paprika can have her own bedroom and Mr. Mustard can have an office to possibly work from home occasionally. It would be on a quiet street, and have a big backyard for Paprika and Hauser. In an ideal world (a girl can dream, right?!), it would also have a working fireplace and a jacuzzi bathtub. It would be in a central location, so Mr. Mustard doesn't have to drive hours to work. It would have its own washer/dryer...and if we're really dreaming here, it would also have a pool!

Mr. Mustard has been thinking about the possibility of us moving into an apartment complex that has more ammenities, like a pool and a playground- because then we could meet other young families. But that does not solve our issue with Hauser not having a yard, and us constantly having to walk him, which has become a big issue lately.

The other issue I'm dealing with at the current apartment is the fight for the laundry room. We have one washer/dryer for our whole building of 8 units and someone is always using it. It's sort of an ordeal for me to get down there to do laundry, and everytime I get down there, the dang machine is in use! It's very frustrating, so I will be glad if we can find an apartment or house that has its very own washing machine and dryer.

Anyway, after we went to look at the rental house in Burbank, we decided to do some Christmas shopping at Target. Paprika was quite a trooper and was rather mesmerized by all of the holiday shoppers. I just wanted to get our stuff and get out of there! It was a madhouse! We got a few essentials, including a Christmas Tree! Yea! We came home and set it up- it looks fantastic. I will have to post pictures of it soon!

Then, after that, we went to Jacey's 29th Birthday party. Her fiance, Dan, had set it up at a bowling alley in Santa Monica. We had a great time! Mr. Mustard bowled while I held Paprika and ate pizza. Yum! We all had such a great time. We hadn't been bowling in years, so that was really fun.