In the beginning...

To fully appreciate the grody-ness of 205 when we first moved in, check out these tour photos Quinn, Laura, Cecily, and Nicole took the first time they saw it. I can hardly believe we actually signed the papers with such a ...questionable house. But, it's a great location, perfect size, wonderful landlords, perfect price-range - and it was January, so we were desperate.

But I digress. Buckle your seatbelts, folks, it's going to be a hairy ride...

In the beginning, there was an uuuuuuugly house. Lived in by boys who liked black leather furniture and collecting beer (and other liquor) bottles. To start: isn't that front door welcoming? (Not. Soooo not.) The porch hadn't been painted in years, the paneling was dirty, and the door - a white, utilitarian door - makes me shudder:

Welcome to the downstairs living room! We spared you the walk through the "tunnel of doom" (dark wood paneling, narrow hallway... it was sad) to get you right to the good stuff. The laminate wood floors were quite possibly installed right on top of some nasty old carpet. The dingy blue-grey walls and beer bottle collection were, in my opinion, especially charming:

 Up next: bedroom #1. Pretty awesome college decor. Notice the classy diamond-pattern carpet (it's so classy we couldn't bear to part with it and it still adorns our casa).

And a couple more stellar bedrooms. I spy with my little hazel eye: a. one futon-como-bed.
 

b. One epic black couch swamping the teensy bed next to it.
c. One super-sweet adorable red-checkered-jacket-wearing Laura.

(I hope that picture up there doesn't give anyone vertigo...)

d. The room of one patriotic, Californian, Rastafarian, Clinique-using dude. (And our model, Vanna, aka Quinn)
 

Our TRULY ATROCIOUS bathrooms (scroll quickly to bypass grungy tubs, pink sinks, and sauna-esque dark paneling):

Pretty basic kitchens:

And bringing in the rear, Nicole demonstrating the broken screen on the downstairs back door:

Whew. If you're still with us, we commend you. Watch out for the first steps in renovation coming up next!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation. The old has passed away; behold, the NEW has come.  

2 Corinthians 5:17