How did we get here?

I wish that we could say we are moving to Baltimore because we have a strong family history there, we are crazy about their athletic teams, or because it has such a wonderful reputation.

But, none of those things are true.  Actually, they are very far from the truth. 

The reason we decided to move to "Charm City" is because Hadyn works there.  There is also a strong community of young professionals for us to befriend.  Long commutes from our "stop-through" place, Annapolis, Maryland, are wearing and the lifestyle here has been a difficult adjustment for us.  So, instead of complaining about the amount of cars on the roads the rarity of smiles on peoples faces and the lack of all things GREEN, and just move back to Wyoming; we decided to go with a new approach.  We will move to a concrete jungle which, last year was ranked by the FBI as the 8th most dangerous city in the United States.  Hmmm, good idea?  Not so sure just yet but, we're going with it.  

We decided to buy because, hey, it is a buyers market after all, and interest rates are pretty low. 

But, why on earth buy a house that looks like this?

We (I) searched steadily for the past year for a house that would work for us (me).  (I am just a wee bit more particular than H is.)  We tried to buy two houses that had already been renovated that looked a little more like this.

For one reason or another they didn't work out for us. However, they both had one big thing in common. The contractor.  His work, in my opinion, is above and beyond what I have been seeing over the past year. He knew that we loved his work and introduced us to the little "shell" that we now own, with the promise that he will produce a home that meets our (my) standards.  

Good luck with that Mr. Contractor.