Potential

Amidst all the chaos of selling the house and moving, Alex never got credit for the work he did on our house in Oklahoma. He put a lot of work into transforming the bathroom from something okay to something beautiful. We didn't like it much when we bought the house, but we saw the potential there. It just needed some refining - it was cool to see the transformation. Alex worked hard on it - good job Alex!



Before: lovely wallpaper was the 1st thing to go...




















We painted the walls, trim, and cabinets. It stayed like this for about 4 years, until we were ready to tackle the tile.











The old toilet and sink came out, followed by the tile.











There were several layers of linoleum to remove...
























New backer board and raised the shower head












New tile goes in...











Wainscoting and paint











Toilet and sink... (the only thing we didn't do ourselves was the sink).











New mirror above the sink, new cabinet hardware, new toilet paper holder and towel ring, and new countertop. Whew! What a project. I think it was necessary for a sale though. Too bad we only got to enjoy it for a few months...







Before and After














As I was thinking about it, I realized that Alex has done the same thing with me, in a sense. Particularly as I was thinking about our 10 years of marriage, I thought about the changes he has brought about in me and his ability to see my potential. I definitely have changed for the better as a result of his encouragement and example. When we first met, I'm sure my shyness was quite evident. But Alex didn't seem to mind - he saw right through that and made me feel comfortable. I remember our 1st date, out for ice cream - Alex was so easy to talk to and made me feel like what I was saying was important. He'd deny it, but he has this special charm with people. I don't know what to call it, but it's a gift he has, in being able to talk to people and make them feel comfortable. (He has used that charm in getting jobs too... I'm not the only one he's won over). Anyway, I'm becoming more outgoing as a result of being around Alex. And that's just one example of how he is refining me, transforming me into someone "okay" to someone "beautiful". I'm grateful for his encouragement and the potential he sees in me.