It's GROUP night!!

[Chuckle, chuckle]

Well friends, it seems that life has gotten in the way of my blogging abilities lately. Finished one job last week, started a new one this week, and moved my PC over the weekend to my NEW DESK (without the double door thingy or the bookshelf thingy)!! We went to a Toms Price Furniture warehouse sale two weeks ago looking for the dining room table DH wanted or the bedroom set I want. Aknowledging that we probably wouldn't get anything just because the stuff we want never goes on sale and I've got NO MONEY!! So we got there right when it opened and walked in with about 400 other people just streaming through the doors.

We walked to where they had all the Stickley stuff but they only had Mission furniture which while aesthetically pleasing,is about as comfortable as stadium seating at Soldier Field. No bedroom stuff, but that never goes on sale and besides I just know that DH is not interested in buying a new bedroom set right now. So, we walk around for a couple of minutes and DH says to me "Wanna see if they have a desk you like?" You could have knocked me over with a feather.

Several years ago, when I was making odles and oodles of money as a consultant, I found an executive desk that I loved but it was (brace yourself) $8,000. Yeah, right. On what planet? I'll never spend 8 G's on a desk, I mean, I got to have my priorities straight in some areas of my life. So, for my entire life, I've been working off an old dinette set kitchen table as my desk. No drawers, nuthin. Undergrad and graduate school papers written at a kitchen table on my PC. Now don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the roof over my head and the food on my table, so I've never complained.

Back to the story at hand. There we were at Toms Price warehouse. DH has just asked if I want to look for a desk that I might like. Commence quick walk through the desk area. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Hmmm not bad.... don't like the hardware. Change that out if I get it. Sit at desk: L-shaped,not bad... nice color. No major scratches. Only two big drawers and two small ones, but still not bad... (that extra double door PC cabinet in the mfg. pic doesn't come with it's an extra). Still sitting at the desk, not moving.

DH walks over from his perusal of the desk area and says "Do you like that one?" Inside, I'm flipping out. DH is a very frugal man, but not a cheapskate when it comes right down to it. BUT... he's never offered to buy me something this big before with the exception of my engagement ring. I'm freakin' out on the inside. Totally flippin'. Okay, if I just nod and don't make any sudden movements maybe I won't scare him off.

At this point, I'm not so sure he's serious either; I'm still thinkin;' he might ask me to pay for half, but he knows exactly how much money I don't have....

"Are you sure?" he says? "Cause I don't want to spend a bunch of money on a desk just to replace it in five years cause you want a different one."

Speak softly and slowly. "Sweetheart, this desk is beautiful. You know that desk I loved back in Norht Carolina? Yeah, it was $8,000. I'm just never goingt o spend $8,000 on a desk. That's silly. If I can get a beautiful desk on sale for 1/3 of it's original price then I'm happy."

He seems convinced. I'm still waiting for him to chnage his mind. "Do you like that chair?" --- Dear Reader, please roll in the oxygen, I think I'm going to faint. Did he just offer to buy me a chair, too???!! I had seen one that I really liked in caramel colored leather just around the corner. "Sit here." I say; and down he sits. Off I run to the other desk around the corner hoping that someone hasn't snapped it up yet. .....

YES! It's still there. Will he think it's too expensive? Well, I don't know. It looks a lot like his yummy burgundy desk chair that I have envied since he bought it 2 years ago. it looks kind of like this:
Only it's Caramel colored and it doesn't have quite as many tufts in the back.

I navigate the chair back to where DH is sitting at my potential desk. I say to him, "Just wanna make sure it fits". Sure enough, it fits perfectly. He looks at me and says "The vultures are circling." as he gazes around at other shoppers eyeballing the desk. "I know. That's why I asked you to sit here while I got the chair."

DH asks me one more time if I'm sure and I peep an audible "Yes." Just then, as Lady Providence would have it, the sales lady from whom DH bought his desk 7 years ago walks up and says "Hi, didn't I sell you a desk a bunch of years ago?"

DH calmly introduces me (he wasn't married when they first met) and tells the nice sales associate that we'll take this chair and this desk. "Great! I'll be right back," says Ms. Coen and goes to get the sale paper work.

Well, gentle Reader, by now I can barely breathe and I give DH a big hug and a little kiss (we're in public dontcha know), and say "Thank you." Oh yeah, and I was all teary eyed, too. Talk about a Hallmark moment. We got to take MY chair home that day but I had to wait a WHOLE WEEK for my new desk.

It arrived this past Saturday and I spent the weekend moving in. you know, arranging pens in the drawers n'stuff. I woke up early Sunday morning and went down stairs to write at my new desk, too. [insert Happy Sigh here]

Oh yeah, and even though it's been about 15 months since I last did any work of this kind, so far my new job is just like stepping into an old pair of sneakers, comfy and familiar.

See you all tonight at "Group"!