Here in Georgia, like the rest of the United States, we've been having a long weekend. Ben has been fortunate enough to have the Friday off as well as today. It's been great to spend some extra time together! Although we haven't really taken a special trip somewhere, we've been out a couple of times on a mission to find a new sofa. We've been stalking Facebook marketplace and Craigslist for weeks in the hope of finding a reasonably priced sofa in good second hand condition.
On Saturday we set out to view a sofa set, which I had got my hopes up about and thought were "the ones". The seller lived just outside a small town called Cecil. Ben and I had a bit of fun with this, because Americans pronounce this "Sea-sull". Where as I (along with all my UK peoples), pronounce it "Seh-sull". Yet another word to add to the list of things we say differently! But anyway... when we got there and viewed them I automatically knew that they weren't for us. For the price they were a little more worn than I was hoping for, and the colouring REALLY put me off. I'm sure they'd be right for someone else, but they just didn't say "come here and relax on me" in my mind. I was quite deflated after that as we've been looking for so long. We looked at a couple of full price furniture shops in Adel to see what our options were. But we came to the conclusion (once again) that they were just to much out of our price range. Whilst we were in Adel, the electric window on the drivers side went ka-putt. So off we popped to the nearest O-Reilys Auto Parts shop so that Ben could see what the problem was. After using the loan tools from O-Reilys to take the door panel off in 92F/33C heat, he discovered part of the window regulator had broken. This was somewhat frustrating as it was the same part that had broken last year. We were so thankful to find out that it was covered by a lifetime warranty! As Ben had bought that part from the same shop last year, the gentleman in O-Reilys was able to pull up the sales record and we got a replacement window regulator for no cost. Once installed, we drove back to Ray City and Ben finished putting the door panel on at home. Phew what a day!
Sunday also saw a bit of a mishap where we locked the door from the inside before going to church and forgot to pick up the house key! Effectively locking ourselves out.
*Face palm*
But Sunday was also the day which saw us finally find that sofa we've been after! Mini fist pump moment right there ladies and gentleman. We were so thankful that our prayers had been answered with this sofa (see pictures) in great condition and at only $125! When I saw the ad on facebook marketplace, I jumped on it straight away and it turns out that we were the first people to message the seller. The sofa was in Waycross, which is about an hour away from us. It was a beautiful evening for a drive and where the seller lived was just as beautiful. A smallish wooden house built directly next to a large pond with fish and terrapins as residents. The lady let me feed them whilst Ben and her son finished loaded up the sofa into Ben's truck. This definitely brought out my inner child for a few minutes. We chatted for a short while afterwards and shared stories. Turns out she's a recently retired teacher and is moving to Tennessee to a small town in the mountains. What an adventure that'll be for her! We wished each other the best and started our hour long journey back home. I love buying second hand from people, you never know who you're going to meet! It certainly saved us a lot of $$$ as well.
Ben modelling the new sofa ;)
I'm not particularly keen on the small cushions that came with it. But I'm looking forward to accessorising with my own that I find! Watch this space, I may well post an update :)
Moving onto a more somber note. Today is Memorial Day, and we are remembering those in America who have given their lives over the years fighting in wars. In the United Kingdom, we have a day called Remembrance Day (which is always on a Sunday) devoted to reflecting on those who have passed away and those who still serve the country. There we say "Lest we forget".
So today let us not forget those who have died serving the United States of America and to take at least a few minutes of our day to reflect. Try not to get caught up in Memorial Day sales or the fact that you get an extra day off. I find the fact that businesses have Memorial Day sales very disrespectful. As that is not what this day is for! Trying to make money from this so called "Holiday" shows a huge disregard for the sacrifices of the fallen and war veterans. There are plenty of days to promote business and boost sales. This day is not one of them.
Sorry for finishing on such a serious note, but it's something I feel quite strongly about. I hope you're able to take something from my post today, whatever it may be!
Take care everyone, I hope you have a good week.
Kathryn.