My very first visit to Ikea happened back in 2008 on a trip down to Texas. I was very awed by the store, but as an unmarried college girl, I walked in and out without buying a thing. I did not make that mistake on my most recent trip to Ikea.
Quite the opposite really. Since my visit back in Novemeber, where I picked up a few small things and one LARGE item (our sectional), I've been slowly compiling a list of things to purchase at Ikea when I next got the chance to go. I had also saved all my Christmas and birthday money for the future trip. I was ready.
One day after sharinng the wonders of Ikea with friends, I was inspired to plan a day trip the first Friday Jason was out for springbreak. Ikea is always really busy on the weekends, so I thought a Friday would be a better day to go. Jason agreed. I have a wonderful husband, and I quickly invited a few friends to join in the fun.
It quickly became a whole girls day with Ikea, Trader Joes, shopping and dinner out. It was on the calendar and it was happening.
I kicked my planning into gear. I measured things. I explored their website. I wrote down colors, and sizes and crazy Swedish names. And then their outdoor furniture went on sale!! It was a sign. Since getting married, we've almost bought outdoor furniture every summer, and then just ended up being shocked at how expensive it is and didn't follow through. Not this time, at Ikea pricing, we would make it work and enjoy it for years to come.
Finally the day arrived. We were off a little after 8am and joked about not having a day like the movie Mom's Night Out. Luckily, we didn't decide to leave our cellphones in the car, and nobody stole the minivan! That's right, we were cruising in the minivan. How else would we get all our goodies home? We even laid the backseat down.
It been so long since I'd been shopping with friends, that I forgot how fun it is to just leisurely browse, discussing all the possibilities of certain items and pointing out your favorites. We took our time making it through the showrooms, had an Ikea lunch, and headed down to the Marketplace.
I had found everything on my list, (and a few extra add-ons :) ) And then it was time for the outdoor furniture. Too bad for me, a lot of people must have had our same thought process, and the set I was wanting was sold out. If I had been thinking, I would have come down and bought it as soon as we arrived at the store, but I wasn't. Instead of walking away with no outdoor furniture, I decided to get a different table in the same line, that wasn't on sale, but was a little bit bigger and still a really good price. I also picked up a couple of benches to go with it for now. Maybe next summer we can add the rest of the chairs.
After squeezing everything into the van, we met up with my older sister and headed to Trader Joes. We couldn't pass up some of their well known goodies like cookie butter - yum yum! Our last shopping stop was Charming Charlies where we moseyed around trying on jewelry and other accesories.
On the way up we had quickly agreed upon the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We met up with one of my friends from highschool and enjoyed a dinner without anyone sharing off our plates, or someone needing something cut up, fed or wiped. It was very nice to linger over our dinner and DESSERT with good company and good conversation.
It was hard not to unpackage my new bedding as soon as I got home, but it was late, and I was tired. I saved that fun for the next morning! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I've still have lots of plans for this room, but little by little things are coming together.
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