And the verdict is...New Mexico?

Yes, we are officially moving to Farmington, New Mexico!! I never thought I would move to New Mexico, but it might surprise me. At least this time it will be permanant...well at least for a long while! ;) If you can't see it on the map, it's in the top left corner of the state, the four corners area! I haven't been there, but I have seen pictures of it, talked to people who have neen there, and of course am taking my husband's word for it, that this will be a good place to settle. Christian got a great job that will aid tremendously in paying off his hefty dental student loans!! It is a small city of about 60,000 and I think it has 2 highschools, 4-5 elementary schools, and 3 junior highs. Both of us grew up in smaller towns and want to raise our family the same. The other good thing about it is that it is more of a family town and there are a lot of chruch members down there. It will literally be place of Christian's dreams because it is close to Canyonlands(his passion)and there are a lot of outdoor things to do. I am excited as well to explore new places and it is in the west, much closer to my home town than Christian's California town. The cons about it is that it will be hard finding an apartment for the time it will take to build our home. I can't seem to really find anything! I only found 1 that has NO pictures and they want $1400 for a small 3 bedroom!! Holy Cow! You've got to be kidding me! Yes and that takes me to the other con, it is expensive to live there, I think even more than Denver! Don't ask me why, it's not like all of America is flocking there! There is a Native American Reservation outside of the city which makes for a much higher crime rate, but aparently it is just on the outskirts of Farmington where the majority of the crime happens, we will be in the better part of town. I guess even small towns can be just as bad as big ones! The murder crime rate is pretty low, especially compared to a lot of cities even in Utah! It is a mining town, blue collar if you will, so the average household income is, well, average! The dental office Christian will be working in is the best dental office there and they are pretty busy. My dream of having lush lawns surrounding my house is one that is not going to come true. There is a limit to how much grass you can have on your property becuase of the drought. So this will be a good opportunity to use my creative skills and create a yard that still could be a part of my dreams! We are both excited to finally be done with "schooling" and start making a life for ourselves! I am particualry excited to be able to permanantly raise Delia in a small city we can officially call home. Moving from place to place is hard. Well, wish us luck. I don't really look forward to packing again, but such is life!! Yeah!!