I Love My Besties

Oh! I'm a lucky girlie! This weekend I got to spend some time with my two besties, Andrea and Amy. They are such sweet precious women and every time we get together we laugh and laugh and share our hearts. These are my girls that I can be so completely my goofball, weirdo self, but also cry on their shoulders and whine and bellyache about life, and they just keep on loving me just the same. Obviously, it's mutual.

AND, it just so happens that Andrea is preggers with a little fella, and Amy and I haven't seen her to rub her cute little belly for months. Amy and I are officially his October Aunties since she and I have birthdays in October. [Side note: Amy is also the one that I am going to share my nursing home room with when we are little old wheelchair ladies, and we are going to insist on having six cats in there. So, calling us his Crazy Cat Lady Aunties is not out of line either].

Andrea and I got to Kannapolis mid-afternoon and had some nice chill/catch-up time. So relaxing! And folks, lo and behold, there was a Salvation Army right next to the hotel. A THRIFT STORE, FOLKS! You know me and a bargain. I am on the prowl right now for - and somehow this list seems to be expanding like crazy lately - an antique buffet like this one. I actually did find one there, but it was $200, which is more than I want to invest...especially from a piece from the S.A.

Anywho, Amy rolled in (flying in from a grandparent va-cay in Florida) around 7ish, and after some wonderful chitty chatty, we headed over for dinner at IHOP. And got to experience the service of the World's Most Spastic Server, Victor. Victor who has "Lillian" tatooed on his neck. People! Right on his neck! Bless his heart.

I tried to convince my girlies to follow Victor's example and get a "BESTIE" tat at the local "Pirate's Den Tatoo Parlor," but my chicks ended up being sticks in the mud. Poo! Maybe next time. Instead we had to stuff our faces with Stuffed French Toast. More's the pity.

Saturday morning, after Instyling and breakfast, it was off to our main mission: IKEA! Look at my little Andrea's belly! That's my little Julio in there! Andrea had been to IKEA before, but Amy and I had never been. Oh, the wonder that is IKEA. That place is amazing. And, yes, I want one of everything. Not kidding!
Although we weren't really looking for furniture, we did go up to the furniture section first. Y'all, Andrea found this awesome chair that she is considering for her nursery. It is so, so comfortable and had the nicest little rock to it. I love how comfortable, but unconventional it would be for a nursery.
Click on the picture and make it big! It's Cutie Andrea beside her Andrea rug! Ha ha! How fun is IKEA? There was a kitchen that I loved and a bathroom sink that I have been super on the prowl for. Alas, neither one fit into Bullet the Minivan, so I'm going to have to puzzle that one out later. No worries - there was plenty that DID fit into Bullet.

I love my precious husband for many reasons. Obviously. But he has been naggy, naggy, naggy about buying a memory foam mattress lately. So much so that the rebellious little side of me wants to just shout "no!" But, being the giving and loving wife that I am - especially when Al talks my besties into pushing this mattress, too - I have come up with what I believe is the perfect compromise: I get a new kitchen, he gets his dream mattress (click picture for visual). Seems fair to me.

Whew! We made it through the furniture section! Yay us! We had lunch in the little cafe, which had the most divine apple cake. Also known (to us) as Faux Apple Pie. Y'all, does that not look like pie?? By this point, my back was aching a bit from all the walking, but my little preggo friend was a total non-complaining trooper. And Amy wouldn't know a complaint if it up and bit her in the booty. So, instead of complaining too, too much, I just stuffed my mouth with more apple cake/pie. I'm so sacrificial that way for my girls.

And then it was off to the home furnishings side, where I literally would have liked to take one of about everything. How is it all so doggone cheap?? Do they have little Oompa Loompas making it all in a factory in a third world country?? Anyway, we found glasses! And shelves! And mirrors! And trashcans! And then, oh my. We found the kid section with baby stuff a plenty. Andrea looked at cribsets, and Amy and I checked out all kinds of other things. Look at this awesome plastic bib I'm wearing . I totally need that. For me! No more drippies!

Five and a half hours from the moment we walked in the doors, we had completed our mission and reached the check-out area. And look - Amy even found the same battery lamps that one of my favorite blogs posted about! How cool, and well, kind of stalker-ish are we?? You know, considering the size of the store, I was surprised at how quickly we were able to make it to the check-out point. And then I sabotaged it all. Andrea chose a self-checkout line for us. And while that may be just fine for her and Amy, it is nothing but trouble for me. Self-Checkout hates me and wants to provide all kinds of torture for me. The IKEA Self-Checkout Administrator had to come over and assist us and punch in her Special Top Secret Code about 38 times. Seriously. Thanks to me. And my special scanner abilites. Or lack there of. But at least I can rock the "Charlie's Angel" Pose (umm, while looking more pregnant than Andrea...I have got to lay off those potato chip and brownie lunches!!!) with back-up from Special Agent Amy!

And you know, we made out with shockingly low damage done to the old card. I'm almost a little disappointed in us. I really SHOULD have gotten the kitchen and sink!

And then sadly enough, it was time for the besties to go their separate ways. But not without a little special Baby Julio love.

We had a short little time together, but it couldn't have been better. My girls are rock stars!