Couches (what?!)

Ok, so I've never done a bloggie participation type thing...but my dear blog friend LeAnna mentioned this Friday Flashback from Confessions of a Redeemed Diva all about...yes...couches. And I thought to myself...hey, I have a couch story! So why not, right?

Its not actually my own couch. Well, ok, my own couch has a history too. Its a hand-me-down from my parents and I've been sitting on it since I was about 5. Its about 25 years old (uh oh, I think I just gave away my age...shhhhh), has been re-upholstered once and is now slipcovered because the re-upholster job was done in the 90's soooo...yeah. Dark green with flowers is not really the style I'm going for in my house, I'm afraid. Have I mentioned how much I hate slipcovers though? Why am I the only one in my house that ever notices it needs to be TUCKED...tuck, tuck, tuck...and why does it ride up the back of the couch until suddenly the actual couch is peaking out because the back of the slipcover has come all the way up and OVER the couch? What? How does that happen? Yes. Hate slipcovers. But we're getting a "new" couch. Ok, a "new" hand-me-down. But its only about 5 years old and will not require a slipcover, so sign me up! Its just a matter of waiting for hubby to have the time, on a non-rainy day, to go pick up said couch from his parents with his truck...because it just won't fit in the trunk of my car, believe it or not. Time + non-rainy day + farmer husband..hmmmm...yep, we'll be waiting a while.

So the "story" couch is my good friend Rachel's love seat (with a twin sized hide-a-bed, oooh, fancy!) When we were freshmen in college, she bought it at some sort of discount furniture store to replace the ridiculously saggy one that she'd originally procured from some second-hand store (hey, it was college, we were cheap). We were literally sitting on the floor on the first couch so...it had to go. The new couch/love-seat was NICE. Well, it was at least the nicest piece of furniture on the 3rd floor of our dorm for sure. Many an afternoon was spent on that loveseat, eating bagels with peanut butter, cheese cubes (we had an obsession with those pre-packaged cheese cubes for some reason, don't ask my why...I think it was a novelty thing), and making "executive decisions" as we called them, to skip Econ 200 and watch soap operas instead. Yep, we were good students (no, we actually were, we just got lazy on spring quarter afternoons). And I got an A in that class anyway so we must have done something right :) The couch moved into Rachel's house the next year (I stayed in the dorm for another year for some crazy reason...) and junior year it moved into the house that we shared (where there were 7 of us in a house meant for 4 people. Again, it was college, we were cheap). That couch was witness to a lot of Saturdays watching football games, studying now and then, and maybe, just maybe a couple of parties ;) But my biggest memory of that couch happened on Dec 30, 2000. I had come back from Christmas break a day early (we always came back on the 31st so we could spend New Years Eve with our friends) so that I could go on what turned out to be a date with a guy who had been one of my best friends since freshman year. Yes, I had no idea at the time that it was a date...I was a bit oblivious. I honestly was just going to dinner and a movie with a friend. Apparently to everyone else (him included) it was pretty obvious that it was a date. He tried to hold my hand during the movie...I didn't let him. I'm mean. Ok, I did actually like him. A lot. In fact, I had for 2 years. I just never would admit it to anyone and in fact I denied it for so long that I started to convince myself. I think I was trying to "protect" myself and our friendship by pretending it wasn't a date and trying not to let it "become" a date. Anyway...after the movie we went back to my house. Since it was still the day before most people would come back from their break, I only had maybe one of my six roommates there, so my non-date and I sat on "Rachel's couch" in the living room and talked (yes, all we did was talk, get your mind out of the gutter!!) and we talked...and talked...and talked. Until about 2 in the morning. I have no idea what we talked about. There wasn't a single kiss, or even an attempt at a kiss. But it was one of the best nights of my life. Because 3 years, 1 month and 1 day later....I married that guy. Oh yeah, like you didn't see THAT one coming! :)

Oh and by the way, Rachel still has that couch. In fact, a couple of months ago a group of girls from college, along with our kids, all spent the weekend at her house. Guess where I slept? Yep...on the hide-a-bed of that very couch. As I laid in bed that night, listening to the soft breathing of my sleeping son next to me, I couldn't help but think back to the night of December 30, 2000. I sure am glad I came back to school a day early for my "non-date" :)

A Short Midweek Funny

Conversation between me and my hubby one night as we listened to the cars zoom by outside our window (we live maybe 50 feet, if that, from a state route):

Me: There sure is a lot of traffic for 10:45 on a Thursday night. You know what, in my next life I'm going to have a house way back off of the road.

Him: Well, it wouldn't be that bad to be this close to the road if it weren't for all the cars.

Me: Yep, you're right, it wouldn't be bad at all if the road wasn't a road.

:)

Planting corn (aka: the most exciting thing ever)

Last weekend (not this past one-it was rainy) was beautiful and a perfect weekend to get some crops in the ground. Farming is often a 7 day a week job, but especially so when it comes to spring planting and fall harvest. If the weather is good, you better be in the field no matter if its a Tuesday or a Sunday. Being a full-time working momma however (boo), Saturdays and Sundays are our only real chance for some family time. So when Daddy's working in the field, you just get your family time wherever you can...which usually means hopping in the car to go have a picnic with him!

Eating some goldfish (actually I think these were bunnies) with Daddy. Its all he would eat on the picnic. Apparently the whole eating outside/on the back of the truck was just way too exciting to actually take the time to EAT anything. We had to have a "2nd lunch" when we got home. Don't mind the fabulously mismatched outfit...we were going to the field, I didn't figure he had to match :)

After lunch, we stayed to watch Daddy start planting corn.

There he goes!

I wish I had gotten a picture of Riley's reaction to the corn planting. I have honestly never seen the kid get SO excited about anything in his life.

Every time the tractor came around, he would get a huge smile on his face and start pointing and waving his hands in the air. I think I've got a future farmer on my hands. Good thing we re-did the interior of our cab tractor last year...I know a little boy who's likely going to be spending a lot of time in there....

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my little Momma's boy now before he's big enough to be Daddy's shadow.

Because you know, with Mommy you get to do fun stuff like climb in and out of the magazine basket repeatedly. And it just doesn't get much better than that, does it?