Ugh, where do I start!!!!!!!!! (I needed every one of those exclamation marks.) So, there has been so much going on, and I've been busy at work too (at the salon where I currently do nails), so while I've had the content for blogging, I haven't had the time.

Well, after my last post I got the quotes for the custom work and went to the bank to get the money....and was denied. Plan B: Borrow the money from my grandfather, getting $1,200 less than I originally budgeted for. I started with $6,800 for the whole salon, which is feasible but tight considering I'm having so much custom work done. That means the $3,000 for the platform; the cabinets and seating bench got cut. I cut out the bench because I can do it myself to save $900. The bar couldn't be reduced any, so it's still the full $1,025. That leaves me approximately $3,700+ to get the rest done. That's the sign, alarm, chairs, bench, paint, floors, fixtures, molds, tools and equipment, etc. This is going to require that I use some of my money and may have to go back and borrow a couple hundred. I'll know how this works in the next week or so.

Now! This past week has been horrifyingly bad. The concrete floors had to be sanded down with a grinder attachment on the floor buffer, so I had to rent that and thank God my boyfriend rented it for me because I'd be even further behind otherwise. So we got that and he did most of the work until I had the bright idea to carry on when he had to step out. Let's just say, I'll listen to him next time he tells me to vacuum instead.

After losing control of the machine one time too many, it ran over my foot and literally ripped my toenail off my nail bed. Yeah, ouch is an understatement. If this wasn't bad enough, it got infected and I had to get a shot in my butt and take pills. I brought a new meaning to blood, sweat, and tears. I just earned this salon and a hard lesson to listen to my man. So even after this has happened, we still had four hours of work on that floor, so, in pain and limping, I continued to scrape and vacuum, among other work I had to do elsewhere in the space. I did not give up and leave cause things had to go on, so I took some breaks and got back to it. Injury or not I have work to do, and I do not stop for some pain when my dream is much bigger than a temporary situation. The floors got finished and we left about 2 a.m.

Since I only work Monday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday are dedicated to working in the new salon. So I got up and finished sanding the front door, patching the electrical and nail holes, cleaned the wood in the windows and stained them. I also finished cleaning the floor in the hallway and bathroom to prepare for the tile. I patched the holes in the corners of the windows and patched the holes in the concrete from the nails and cleaned the brick walls in the front. Now that all of that is done, the guy started the work on the pedicure platform, and he finished the entire platform, minus the plumbing and tile. So everything is absolutely coming together and I'll have another blog post before the end of the week because cabinets are being mounted and paint is going on the walls. I have crazy ideas for the paint...let's just say you should see some of the nails I do...

— Lauren, Graffiti Nail Bar, Memphis, Tenn.