the art of compromise

Adam and I have been couch shopping recently and we actually bought one today, but in Adam's words, there are quicker ways to suicide (I don't really think it was that bad). We have been furniture shopping before, and have successfully purchased end tables, a coffee table, dining room set and china hutch. But every time we go to the furniture store it's the same story. I go and want to look at everything, get an idea of what's available and what we can afford, and then come back in a day or two and if I still like the same things, then we can buy it. Adam on the other hand goes with the mentality that we know we want a couch, let's get it today. 45 minutes into our first couch-shopping expedition, Adam looked at me and said, "we aren't going to get a couch today, are we?"

I even read a magazine article about buying your first couch (Meredith really does have a magazine for everything). The article was great though. A couch is the prized location in a living room. It needs to function in many different ways. We eat on it, sleep on it, read on it, watch TV on it, and still expect it to look good. In the past, I never really chose my couch. It was either a roommate's, I found it in the trash (literally) or it was a hand-me-down from my parents. So now that I have the chance to pick out this intregal piece of furniture I don't take the decision lightly.

So, on our second trip to the furniture store we narrowed down our options and chose the couch. But the store was closing and we didn't have time to pick out fabric (yes we even got to choose that, amazing) so we went back today to finalize everything and get it ordered. I wish I had a picture of what it looked like. It's really hard to know how a whole couch will look when the fabric swatch you are working with is about 6 inches square. We ended up with a really dark brown, which is a lot bolder than I had anticipated, but I think it will be really nice. And then there are the pillows that you get to choose, and they have their own fabric too. (like I said, it took 3 trips)

And poor Adam. The one thing he wanted out of the deal, a leather recliner, he didn't get. It's going to take a few more trips to decide on that one. And did anyone know that chairs cost as much as couches???

And, for those of you who don't know, the reason we are couch shopping in the first place (aside from the fact that the floral couch from my parents isn't quite our style) is that we are moving into a condo at the end of March. So if anyone needs a couch and doesn't want to shop for it, we have a very comfortable one that needs a new home...

Changing of the guard

Well, this blog started this fall as something for me and some friends to use to keep tabs on each other, but it seems we prefer phone calls, visits, and e-mails. I am still hoping to take up this blogging thing for myself, so here I go. I guess it doesn't really matter to me so much who reads this, but I find the idea of putting my thoughts out there for others to respond to if they want intriguing. As a writer, I thrive on feedback. Maybe this will be the accountability I need to start writing again. Has anyone seen the ad for running shoes where the woman says, "the reason I run is because it's the only thing I do for myself." That's how writing is for me. It's something I do for myself, but as a journalist, it's also something I share with others.

Lovely ladies

cat naps

Anyone who spent any time in the Goodwin-Kirk dorm rooms at Drake knows how cozy the window seats could be. Especially on a sunny afternoon. How many times did I curl up there with every intention of studying only to be distracted by people watching or lulled to sleep by the warm sun. Well, where I work, there is a long row of windows with low ledges that are almost as inviting as the GK window seats. They are especially tempting on these winter days when I know it's frigid outside, but from the inside, the sun is warm and welcoming. Some days I long to curl up there in the sun like a care-free college student. Those were the days.