Ikea Trip

This trip had been coming for a long time. All the excuses...we don't have time, we don't have space, our car is not big enough....had run out. Since moving into our new house, Rebecca was adamant about finally getting a real office. We now had the space, so she was going to make the time and reserve the work truck for hauling back the goods. I can't really argue with her. Her desks over our marriage have consisted of an old window on four Bed, Bath, and Beyond mini shelf things, a door on same shelf things, and finally my old desk. Having a good work environment is important and since she is full time at home, she needs to be super productive.

Having been several times before and being aware of the jokes about what this store can do to a marriage, we did not enter into the trip lightly. In my opinion there are only two ways to shop at/experience Ikea. You can either say we are going to run through to just see what is about and not buy anything (which is very difficult); or you can set aside a whole day and commit to getting through it section by section (also difficult). If you try to put a time limit on yourself and still shop the whole store, you'll never make it. One person will end up alone in the cafeteria knocking back some meatballs and the other may attempt to choke themselves with the complimentary tape measures. Limited time with seemingly endless decisions just don't go together.

We headed over to Atlanta on Labor Day in the work truck, enjoying the barely double digit MPGs. We got to the store about 11am eastern time. The store was a popular holiday destination. Without really any time limit other than driving back to Birmingham, we began to leisurely stroll through the store. Before we knew it a couple hours had passed. We realized we needed to solely focus on office furniture if we were going to get anything accomplished. So we went to the office section and selected a layout. A feature about Ikea furniture is that is interchangeable, but can also add to decision making. So rather than just get a regular desk, you can get just the desktop and use other furniture as the legs. So we decided on his and her desks using a combination of drawer case things and bookshelves as the legs. We also got some accessories to go on the walls. The only other major piece of furniture we got was a shoe holder to go by the front door. Four hours later we were finally set on what we wanted and made our way to the warehouse to pick it up. We get to the desktop section and they are out of the left hand side of our desk. Rebecca being physically exhausted and now somewhat defeated just sat on the ground. I checked with an employee and it would be two weeks before they had anymore. Not wanting another color and not having time to come back anytime soon, we just got two right handed desks and decided to flip one over. The bottom side has a slightly different finish and lots of holes for leg and brackets, but it would work for the time being.

Now 5 hours later, we had the truck loaded and empty stomachs. Knowing this is a common occurrence, the store has a cafeteria when you come in and a snack shop when you leave. This particular weekend they had a deal where if you spent $100 on furniture, you could get your meal in the cafeteria for free. I was in the mood for some Swedish meatballs and so it was an obvious choice for me. I called Brad, who now lives in Atlanta, to see if they wanted to meet us at the store. We had planned on going out to eat, but the price was right here. Brad and Lauren met us there and we all got our food for free. If ever in the situation again, there is no limit on how much food you get for free, so stock up on the prepackaged stuff. It was good to catch up as we reflected on the long day.

It was a successful trip. I'm very happy with how the office set-up has turned out. It is a more enjoyable place to work now, and we have more space in which to work. Here are some photos of the day and finished project.

Before we went into the store. Rebecca's caption on FB, was "Ikea, where marriages go to be tested"

Entering the warehouse

Just to give you an idea of "Assembly Required"

Finished Product

Shoe Holder Dresser

My half of the office.

Rebecca's Half.

Weekend in Tampa Bay

Wedding season has begun. Last weekend started a string of 7 weddings in 8 weeks. This weekend was our furthest ever. A family I knew from church back in the day contacted us about shooting their wedding in Tampa Bay. We were flattered at the offer and got their date locked in. The wedding was on a Friday so we scheduled to stay an extra day and make a very mini vacation out of it.

After doing the math I figured it would be cheaper to drive even though the 10 hours one way was not appealing. Rebecca was also afraid at the possibility of having to get her gear checked. Lost camera gear could not be an option. So to spice up the drive down a little bit a decided to set up the camera and do a time lapse. I know I've been a little time lapse heavy as of late, but I think they're fun. We set up the camera in the back seat on the tripod. Photos were taken every 60 seconds except for a few certain scenes that warranted being closer together. Rebecca will be adding some actual photos of our trip to her blog in the near future.

We drove down on Thursday and got there just before dark. We got some seafood at a local joint then went briefly to the beach. I don't think we've been to the beach since Matt's triathlon nearly two years ago. Josh and Lauren's wedding festivities began at one on Friday. They had the ceremony at a local botanical gardens which was really pretty. Everything went real well. Once again, I'll let Rebecca give a more detailed account of that day.

Saturday we had to cut back on our per diem since we had gone a little high the first two days. So we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch and used some coupons. We also had to go to the Apple Store because Rebecca's laptop had quit working. Since she had planned on working in the car on the way home we figured it would be best to go ahead and get it fixed. She needed a new battery and a new charger. Glad to have that taken care of we moved on to activities we couldn't actually do in Birmingham. Next stop was Ikea. The 3 hour maze of home furnishings was overwhelming as always. I calmed my nerves with some Swedish meatballs in the cafeteria. Keeping the per diem low. Rebecca got a few small things. I think she's set on some new office furniture, but we didn't have room in the car. Maybe it was just a secret ploy on Rebecca's part to go back? After leaving we went to the beach and got there just in time for it to start raining. A little ice cream helped to pass the time and got back out for the rain to pass and leave a beautiful sunset.

The drive back today seemed to drag on forever. Rebecca managed to squeeze in three naps. She'll probably stay up most of the night now.

Atlanta 2010 - Part 2

With several big events as of late I have found myself like a kid on Christmas Eve, unable to sleep. This was no exception. After tossing and turning all night I decided to get up at an hour that on a weekday I struggle to get up. My wife gives me a hard time about it, but what can I say, I just get excited. It did give me time to get all our ticket stuff printed and spend some time with my parents on the back patio.

Mom came through with breakfast and we got on the road shortly afterward. David and I listened to the German slaughter of Argentina in the World Cup. Rebecca and Emily kept up their napping tradition in the back seat.

We got to Atlanta in the early afternoon. Our first stop was the world renowned eatery, The Varsity. I was introduced to the world's largest drive-in as a young boy through my dad. It is adjacent to the campus of Georgia Tech, so he allegedly frequented it 2-3 times a week. So if we ever got near the I-285 loop growing up we made the stop for a hot dog and fries. The girls were not as thrilled about grease with a side of hot dogs and onion rings, as me. However, it was my one request for the weekend, so we got to go. As always it was packed, even during non-lunch hours. I had one chili dog and one naked dog with an order of fries and greatly enjoyed every bite.

The Varsity

Standard crowd at The Varsity

We couldn't live up to our tourist mission without getting cool hats

They were pumped about the food.

That's not a sweat ring from her drink

Rebecca likes to degrease her food. On a related note, she also likes to employ foresters.

The grease didn't slow me down. 

Full stomachs and clogged arteries smiles are the best.

Our next stop was Atlantic Station, a newer shopping area on the north side of Atlanta. Our main reason for choosing this shopping center was the IKEA store. This Swedish furniture and home good store is only located in a few cities. Rebecca and I have been a couple times but have always been rushed. It really is a commitment to go to this store. You start upstairs, wind around though all the display rooms, organized by areas of the home, all the while writing down items you like. Then downstairs is the self-serve area, where you pick up all the things you liked upstairs. There's only one bathroom at the entrance and exit, so be sure to go before you begin shopping. We made our way through the store fairly leisurely. Our big purchase for the day was a new office chair for Rebecca. For better or worse there is more to that story to come in Part 4. When we finished there we made the short drive over to the other shopping area. The girls went in their stores, while David and I quickly made the lap around all the stores we wanted. I got a few shirts and some brown socks (I know, very exciting).

With the time change, it got to be much later than it felt. We left downtown and headed to our hotel in Marietta. We used my Priority Club points to purchase the hotel rooms. It took longer than necessary to check-in. There were two people in front of me, and I've seen people purchase cars quicker than it took them to check-in. I don't know what the hotel check-in people are doing on their computers, maybe a background check (there must be some government involvement to slow it down that much), but it takes way too long when they should already have my information from the reservation. We finally got our rooms. They ended up being adjacent with a connecting door. We unloaded all our stuff, then headed out for dinner.

David's request for the weekend was to eat at a Brazilian restaurant. Apparently there is a vibrant Brazilian community in Marietta because the hotel lobby guy gave several options. Unfortunately the first was a churrascaria, which meant it was only $40 a person. We continued on our Brazilian hunt only to find the next place was closed. It was about 9:30 by this point, so we just settled on the next place we could find, which was Spaghetti Warehouse. It was very good for a stumble upon place. Sorry about the Brazilian let-down David. They let me down in the World Cup.

We headed back to the hotel to enjoy some cable TV, since neither of us have it at our apartment. All four of us piled in the king size bed to watch School of Rock.

Day 2 continued the fun-filled weekend.