Getting Grown-Up Furniture

I have reached a new stage in my life; I can now say I am officially a newlywed (even the country says so; we got our marriage license back in the mail the other day). Well, I've been able to say so for two weeks now, but still!

So, my husband and I now live in my apartment, and we were faced with what a lot of newlyweds are faced with, which is that we can't really rely so much on the college-kid furniture. We want to build a life, start having real house ware, get rid of the rolling, primary-colors storage bin (red! yellow! blue!) that served as my night stand since I was a kid. The first order of business was a bed that was more suitable for a husband and wife, i.e. one that fit more than one person over the age of six.

I'd heard a song about a wonderful store that sold great things for cheap prices. IKEA! After searching online, we found a bed we both liked, but the shipping alone cost more than the actual bed. We bought a queen mattress set, and not too long afterward we finangled a day when I was off of work and we could borrow my husband's parents' mini-van and head to the closest store, three and a half hours away.

Having never been to an IKEA store, I was a bit overwhelmed. We already knew where to find our bed, which we promptly bought and packed up. But wait. Did we want anything else? It might be awhile before we got the chance to come back, and their prices were great. Plus, we dug their style. My husband was hoping for a coffee table (because, you know, I don't HAVE one), and I REALLY wanted to get rid of that rolling plastic bin I called a night stand. We had a nice bed, and I wanted a table to match. So, we hit the showroom. It was good that we both discussed exactly what we wanted before heading in, and how much we were willing to spend, because OMG I wanted everything. "But, babe! Look at this kitchen! Can't we just buy the whole kitchen?!"

Needless to say, we came out with a coffee table and two nightstands, all matching in color and complementary in style, for under $200 dollars. I left happy as a clam. We were starving after all that shopping, and promptly headed to the closest Dave and Buster's (never been). The food was yummy, and I love arcades. My husband and I tore through Time Crisis 4 and skee-ball. We earned enough tickets to load up on candy, but the line was so long I gave up. Oh well. Maybe next time I can actually earn enough coupons for a Dave and Buster's cup.