Restaining the deck....

I have lived in my house now for 4 years and apparently you have to maintain a deck by restaining it every 2 years and sealing it before winter. Who knows this information!!?? I mean really- you don't get a manual when you buy a house and being a first time homeowner, how the heck are you supposed to know this. Anyway, my poor deck has been neglected now for over 4+ years. I seriously thought it should just be torn down because it was in such horrible shape. But Chris came to the rescue. He spent the entire weekend sanding, stripping, scrubbing and painting our deck. Hours upon hours he worked on this thing. It isn't done yet but it has already transformed! Here is one before photo and one after photo. Once it is completely done, I will post more. I think it looks GREAT!!