(Matilda modeling on my new duvet cover from IKEA.)
Hello, from a chilly house in Central Florida. Word on the street is we're supposed to get down in the low 40's tonight so I'm preparing my body for a cold Valentine's Day tomorrow. I have a t-shirt with hot pink lips I bought months ago to wear, so it looks like I'll be layering a bit.
This afternoon Harbor and I took a trip up to Orlando so he could furnish his new apartment. Neither of us had ever spent a significant amount of time in an IKEA before, so we were looking forward to the trip. I was especially excited because we've never furniture shopped together, and it just seems like a very adult thing to do. Feel like we really took this relationship to the next level today.
Anyway, we had our monthly photo adventure scheduled for this afternoon, but since we also really needed to hit up IKEA, I decided that we should just knock them both out at the same time. So, yes. We definitely took photos all around the Orlando IKEA store. And yes, that is a very 20-something-white-person-young-love thing to do.
However, I refused to fit the stereotype completely. I told Harbor we had to be sneaky so that we wouldn't be completely obvious that we were actually having a photo shoot inside of an IKEA. It only added to the challenge and made it more fun. And a hilarious sidenote: My roommate Linds said that she's surprised IKEA stores everywhere haven't posted a sign that reads, "Absolutely no recreating 500 Days of Summer in this store at any time. Thank you."
Here's what we came up with:
Harbor selects a fine wine in his living room.
Kaitlyn considers what she'll be making for the evening in her kitchen.
Kaitlyn and Harbor have a moment in the mirror in which Harbor looks angry but really is not.
And we used the rugs as giant backdrops! It was my favorite part of the trip. Here, Harbor can be seen with his brand new water pitcher.
All in all, it was super fun. I learned a lot about the way Harbor is able to use his money wisely and make this most of a budget. (Great life skills, if you ask me.) I also learned that you can't just "run in real quick" to an IKEA. You have to spend 2 - 3 hours there, minimum. As we were leaving, I heard a young child say, "Ahh, I love the smell of IKEA." Made me wonder how regularly they frequented the store. Must be a pretty trendy little fam.
On the way home I even got to work on my blanket, which is nearly completed, by the way. I wrapped up the evening cooking vegetarian Indian food with my roommates. It's one of our favorite things in the whole world to eat. We probably make it twice a month at least.
And here's a sneak peek at my nearly-finished granny square blanket! I can't believe how long it's taken me, but I'll be pumped to have it done. Matilda already approves of my handiwork.
I hope you had a restful weekend and that you're anxiously awaiting Valentine's Day tomorrow, even if you don't have a significant other to celebrate with. It's just a great day to care about others.
K
