Once upon a time, I bought a bed at the Washington State Fair. A very expensive bed. One that made me duck my head under my armpit like an ostrich when signing go ahead to the final invoice price. My strategy had actually been to not buy it and to bail after pretending to use the restroom just outside the pavilion. But when the salesman met me outside, asking where I was going, I buckled instead of standing my ground and following through with leaving.
I could buy ten, wait, more like fifteen beds at today’s price for the amount I spent on that bed. And if math isn’t your thing, I’ll just say the shameful number: $5,800. But wait, did you know it could vibrate, massage, do head and feet incline, and like the salesman said, “Last a lifetime”?
Well, thankfully, that lifetime ended today.
Four years ago, shortly after Evelyn was born, the bed transitioned to the guest room bed. It hung out in the often-flooded basement, and unfortunately, the power cord hung out a little too long in the wet. Its turning into a mere mortal bed made it difficult to sell. Believe me, I tried.
Even though it moved with us to our current house, it was relegated to the guest room again and was rarely used. Its rich history and super heavy frame have been on my mind lately, and I knew I’d have to deal with it at some point.
So, in drawing up a master plan for our upcoming move, the unchecked checkbox next to the guest room bed motivated me. Seeing it’d cost $130 for a recycling center in Auburn to take it, I knew I’d need to get my Dad’s truck and also be okay with spending the money. Because what other choice did I have?
After peeling back the sheets and blankets on it, I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the mattress was. Having kept a protector on it all these years, it was as pristine white as the day I bought it at the fair. Which was a nice confidence boost leading me to putting it up on Facebook Marketplace for free.
Not to worry, I fully disclosed the electrical issue, and within five minutes of posting it, I not only had someone interested, but they said they were coming in fifteen minutes.
The guest room now sits empty. It was such a relief that I invited the couple who took it back to have their pick of our outdoor furniture. Plus, their daughter, who’s a similar age to Evelyn, was pretty bummed to leave, so I’m hopeful they will come back so our girls can play longer.
In other moving news, we purchased ten small and two large moving boxes at Walmart today. The mediums were sold out. After watching a video on packing strategies and the U-Haul pod, I noticed the knowledge paid off when actually packing them. Even though the pod will be a four-wall of cheaply made wood, my boxes are packed tight, not leaving any glass anywhere a place to jingle.
De-staging happens tomorrow. With all the items’ colors being white, cream, and extra-white, I’ll be glad to have them gone. Goodbye, white fabric bar stool chairs at the island, and hello, non-worrisome wooden ones.
I better hit the hay. I hope your day is a good one.
Love,
Jaclynn
Going On 40 