Hey Alan,
I probably wouldn't worry about M31 at the moment, it is past it's best at the moment, and can be a bit tricky from light polluted skies.
The Great Nebula in Orion is pretty hard to miss. Can you identify the constellation of Orion in the night sky? If you can, you're nearly there. If you can't, then I would make that a priority.
The Nebula is big and bright and really easy to find. Start with your lowest power eyepiece (the biggest in mm) and work your way up.
http://freestarcharts.com/messier/20...lection-nebula (remember to turn the star charts upside down)