Concept

The concept for this blog suddenly struck me when my husband and I found a house that we now call our own. We started our house hunt in earnest this past April. After enduring some drama, and having placed failed bids on 3 previous homes, we saw our house in July, decided to buy it, and moved in October. Our house was built in the 1930s, and it's a pretty, slightly quirky house.

When we decided to get the house, I suddenly felt like a citizen of Maryland. This, despite the fact that I had been a resident since 2008 when I got my MD drivers license with an official-looking blue crab on it. As a homeowner, I want to be involved in my community. I want to know the traditions, customs, people, and places that this state has to offer. I want to observe the state as an outsider looking in, and as a resident exposing the state to the rest of the world.

One observation: Virginia and Maryland are neighboring states. They are both named after the Virgin Mary. Virgin - Virginia. Mary - Maryland. But one of the first things I picked up on when I moved to the DC metro area is that there is a Virginia - Maryland rivalry. Virginians are skeptical of Maryland, as Marylanders are skeptical of Virginia. As soon as I moved to Maryland, even though I was really just a few steps from DC, I felt odd whenever I ended up in Virginia. When I lived in DC, I would venture out into Virginia without blinking an eye. I liked to eat Korean food there, for instance. However, as soon as I moved to Maryland I felt odd and out of sorts in Virginia. The spaces are too open. The strip malls and roads are different. The trees aren't as lush, and the landscape is browner than in MD, overall. It's kind of hard to pin down, but I'll try to explain more later.