This is the conversation from 7:30 this morning.
[Phone rings.]
Me: Hello?
Mom: Let's go to Illinois.
Me: [Sigh] IKEA?
Mom: Yeah.
Me: Can I shower first?
Mom: As long as I don't fall asleep before we go.
Me: Fine. I'm driving.
[Note: Mom is an RN that works third-shift in a telemetry/cardiac ward. Today is her one day off before the weekend - her weekend to work.]
Why IKEA?
A few months ago, we jumped on that very large IKEA band wagon. It seems that they can inspire the design imagination in us more than any other store - ever!
We've been to the one in Schaumburg, IL and Bloomington, MN. Bolingbrook is only about another 25 miles south of Schaumburg, so we figured we'd high-tail it on over. Thinking we were slick, trying to avoid the toll-roads, we took the scenic route. A couple of misdirects, some u-turns, and three hours later we arrived. I think by then IKEA lost all of its luster. Still, we made our pilgrimage. We particularly like the "little house" set-ups they have. And of course, these are different in each store; we were curious.
After eating lunch, trekking through the store, being followed by a family with a child that had one very long tantrum through the whole thing, we left.
I guess we would always wonder what this one was like if we didn't go. But, I wasn't that impressed. I don't know if it was the kid or the fact that I was a little beat after the drive or the fact that I was practically dragging around my dead-weight mom. Whatever it was, I think that while I enjoyed myself some, it wasn't the same sort of experience I've had at the others. Go figure.
Why does the drive home always seem longer than the drive there? (I say that now, but when I'm dreading going somewhere, that drive there is the longest in history. Get it over with already!)
Speaking of long drives, when I was a kid, we lived in this town in ND for a couple years - Wahpeton. Whenever we wanted to hit the mall, it was a half-hour drive to Fergus Falls (in MN). That half-hour is the longest half-hour of your life - trust me! We still joke about that. It's funny. The land is so flat and you can see the town slowly getting closer, but it's like you'll never really reach it. In the summer, though, part of the drive was cool because of the sunflower fields. All you could see for miles around was these giant sunflowers. (That's if memory serves right. I haven't been up there in eighteen years.)
I might call it a night early. Six hours of driving and I didn't really get anywhere. It's almost a cruel joke. C'est la vie.
[Phone rings.]
Me: Hello?
Mom: Let's go to Illinois.
Me: [Sigh] IKEA?
Mom: Yeah.
Me: Can I shower first?
Mom: As long as I don't fall asleep before we go.
Me: Fine. I'm driving.
[Note: Mom is an RN that works third-shift in a telemetry/cardiac ward. Today is her one day off before the weekend - her weekend to work.]
Why IKEA?
A few months ago, we jumped on that very large IKEA band wagon. It seems that they can inspire the design imagination in us more than any other store - ever!
We've been to the one in Schaumburg, IL and Bloomington, MN. Bolingbrook is only about another 25 miles south of Schaumburg, so we figured we'd high-tail it on over. Thinking we were slick, trying to avoid the toll-roads, we took the scenic route. A couple of misdirects, some u-turns, and three hours later we arrived. I think by then IKEA lost all of its luster. Still, we made our pilgrimage. We particularly like the "little house" set-ups they have. And of course, these are different in each store; we were curious.
After eating lunch, trekking through the store, being followed by a family with a child that had one very long tantrum through the whole thing, we left.
I guess we would always wonder what this one was like if we didn't go. But, I wasn't that impressed. I don't know if it was the kid or the fact that I was a little beat after the drive or the fact that I was practically dragging around my dead-weight mom. Whatever it was, I think that while I enjoyed myself some, it wasn't the same sort of experience I've had at the others. Go figure.
Why does the drive home always seem longer than the drive there? (I say that now, but when I'm dreading going somewhere, that drive there is the longest in history. Get it over with already!)
Speaking of long drives, when I was a kid, we lived in this town in ND for a couple years - Wahpeton. Whenever we wanted to hit the mall, it was a half-hour drive to Fergus Falls (in MN). That half-hour is the longest half-hour of your life - trust me! We still joke about that. It's funny. The land is so flat and you can see the town slowly getting closer, but it's like you'll never really reach it. In the summer, though, part of the drive was cool because of the sunflower fields. All you could see for miles around was these giant sunflowers. (That's if memory serves right. I haven't been up there in eighteen years.)
I might call it a night early. Six hours of driving and I didn't really get anywhere. It's almost a cruel joke. C'est la vie.
IKEA is awesome ... or at least it was when I first moved out of my parent's house. The furniture is pretty cheap and durable. But I can never understand the directions, and there are never any words, just pictures!
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