When people tell me I "can't" do something...

Right away, I knew I was going to have to fix the floors in my house. Not only were they scratched to hell and hideous, there were urine stains in the living room, on the steps, and in the master bedroom:

As I started tackling this incredibly effortful and time-consuming DIY project, people shook their heads and told me I'd regret it. After sanding the floors using the random orbital I'd rented from Home Depot, I knew I'd made the right choice. (Photo: after sanding + before staining).

I actually liked the pale, light wood color so much that I considered just applying poly over it and calling it a day, but as you have probably gathered from my previous post, I'm not someone who gives up on a vision easily. Sooo, I applied two coats of the "Java" gel stain from General Finishes, and then three coats of the clear poly gloss upstairs. I actually liked the look and feel of my floors after two coats of poly better... the third coat, I felt, was a bit overkill, and made the floors extra-hard. So, for the downstairs, I only used two coats of poly. (I may change my mind and add a third coat later on just to be safe.)

Every day, I still walk into my house and feel a thrill whenever I see the floors that I've imagined for DECADES... that I did myself. I am so glad I decided to tackle this project without the "professionals" and execute it according to my vision!

My house.

From the time I was a teenager, I've always had a very clear vision of the house I wanted: an older home -- preferably all-brick or Tudor-style -- close to the city, dark hardwood floors in contrast with ultra-white walls, and good-sized bedrooms. I was set to buy a house in February, but then my salary was reduced due to the pandemic. While that was obviously upsetting, many of my colleagues were laid-off or forced into retirement, including long-time, highly-esteemed physicians at our hospital, so I tried to count my blessings.

My salary was reinstated later in the spring, and the house-hunt resumed. I unsuccessfully made several offers on houses that were aligned with my vision. By June, I was exhausted from the bidding wars and thinking that maybe home-buying just wasn't in the cards for the time being.

Then I saw this house... on the exact street my dad and I drove through when I first arrived in St. Louis two decades ago. "I'm going to live here someday," I declared back then. My dad scoffed and told me to stop dreaming of unrealistic things. "People like us don't live in places like this." I pressed my face to the window stubbornly and thought to myself, "Someday I will live here."

Right away, I knew the house would be mine because 1) it was absolutely NOT what I wanted, 2) it was not in the greatest condition and would be a hassle to fix up, and 2) that is how (my) life works. So... I bought the house $11,000 below-market, got the sellers to pay all my closing costs, and they gave me another $5200 after inspections. The entire home-buying process went smoother than I expected, and on July 27th, the house was mine (without a hassle).

That afternoon, I unlocked the door to the house and walked inside. The weather was beautiful that day -- not too hot, with just a gentle breeze outside. It was perfectly quiet inside as I took it all in. I now understand why, in House of Cards, Claire Underwood told Frank to go into the Oval Office by himself and savor the moment after he became President. Obviously, to most people, buying a home is not an extraordinary thing, and certainly cannot be compared to winning the presidency (hah!). However, for me personally, given the circumstances I come from and how I started, it was sort of an "impossible goal." I sat down quietly on the stairs and thought, "I did it. I finally did it."