long story - good neighbors of ours were moving. they had a garage sale one saturday morning. when it was over i went down to help clean up. they didn't want to put anything back in the house, so they contacted a local thrift shop and had a truck brought to the house. they planned on loading up everything left into the truck and donating it. as we began loading the truck i noticed a plush red arm chair at the back of the truck. i wasn't sure if it was my neighbors, as i had never seen it in their house before. granted, i had not been in every room of their house, but it had not been out at the garage sale and it was all the way in the back...so i didn't think it was theirs, but i liked what i could see of it. i made sure i looked at the side of the truck to remember which thrift shop it was going to and then kept packing.
a few days later i looked up the thrift shop to find out where it was. there wasn't a whole lot of information about it, but i had a general direction.
another week went by before i could get out and try to find it. with rachel's help of google maps navigating me through the small streets of down town buford i found it, only to discover they were closed. only open three weekdays for 5 hours, and no saturdays.
another week went by and i was out having lunch with rachel and the flc teachers. the kids had started back to school so i was by myself. i had the time, so i went back to the thrift shop.
as i walked in the door there was the chair right in front of me. with a piece of paper taped to it that said $75. i walked into the building spoke with the lady behind the counter as she explained to me what they were and where the money went to. i started to browse, in awe of the crazy amount of stuff that they had, and the things that they would accept as donations and try to re-sell. but i found a few good things while looking, and knew that i would have to check back every so often for items to use for altering.
as i walked i started a text conversation with todd. i told him the chair was there and how much they were asking for it. we decided that we really didn't have the money to get it, but it made me sick and i knew i would regret it. so i called him. he asked if we had the money, and i laughed because we had been saving money to buy new phones (see future post!) and i had it in my wallet. he asked if i could talk them down. so i went to the counter feeling badly about talking them down, because i knew the money went to help in the community. i dold her that i was really interested in the chair, but didn't have the $75 to spend on it, and wanted to know if she would take lower. she asked how much i could offer. my response was $50 and she said SOLD! one brief moment of elation...and then i panicked a little. what if todd didn't like it? what if i didn't have a place for it? what if i didn't like it? what if the red clashed with the red in the kitchen, the red curtains and the red pillows we already have in the house? what if it was broken or dirty? i hadn't even taken one look at it long enough to see anything but the price. then the lady started talking about what i deal i had gotten and how it was a a chair and a 1/2 and a recliner...seriously? i really hadn't even looked at it, no idea it was that big or that it was a recliner.
i went ahead and handed my money over. and two gentlemen there helped get it out to the trailblazer. it wouldn't fit in the back. so they shoved it in as far as they could (now dripping with sweat because it was 98 degrees!) and then took a rope and tied the back door down over it. i promised that i would drive slowly and keep my hazards on...and off i went.
when i got home i backed the car into the drive (not even something i would do if i could see out the back window) and then i immediately went into the house and started cleaning the living room floor. because, in in the midst of all this scheming to get the chair home i had forgotten that i had unloaded my office in an effort to declutter and clean, and it was sitting all over my living room floor in crazy piles! yup, here is a picture to prove it.
but i did it! i got the floor cleaned up, lowered the chair from the back of the trailblazer, then waited for todd to come home and see it sitting in the driveway.
now, two weeks later, the kids have climbed all over it, todd has fallen asleep in it, and i have been dying to curl up with a book and sit and read for hours (i haven't done that yet!). it ended up being surprisingly clean, very comfortable (although the right side of the seat sags a little more than the left. must have been the favorite side to sit on), and it fits into the living room perfectly. it is almost the exact shade of the curtains, pillows and kitchen paint. i was able to move the book cases so they stand side-by-side now. we may have to re-think where the christmas tree will go, but for now, i am happy that my living room has grown up a little bit.
and that is my story.
