In an attempt to dump a few vacation days, David and I planned a daytrip to Minneapolis. Of course the trip was really a shopping trip to Ikea to pick up some more furniture, but a daytrip just sounds like so much more fun. We started the day by borrowing a friends pickup truck (Thanks Paul!) because the bookcases we planned to get were just a little too long to fit in the Corolla. We have been slowly working to increase what David likes to refer to as the 'adult furniture' that we have in the house. Mainly furniture that a) wasn't from college, b) wasn't previously owned/used by a family member, or c) is made from particle board with a veneer cover.

Furniture shopping is something that we haven't been all that successful at. Prior to moving into the house, David and I decided to check out a local furniture store. And of course we fell in LOVE with a table and chair set... a 2 tone birch table with 2 leaves that expanded the table into an 8 foot table. It was because of this perfect table that we learned our first lesson... furniture is frequently discontinued. Our table is no longer made and impossible to find, unless we try to build it from scratch. So with that lesson learned, we have decided that once we picked out a style of furniture we needed to buy then sooner rather than later.

Our excursion started pretty uneventful... we picked up the two bookcases and end table to match our set downstairs (we currently have a coffee table, entertainment center, and sofa table). But then we did what we always do when in Ikea, we checked out the 'As Is' section. Usually we find a thing or two that we would 'like' to pick up, yet don't have the ability to transport it (since they are already put together) and always say 'we wish we had a truck.' Well that excused wasn't going to work to out for us today. The dresser we planned to buy next year just happened to be in the section for $115 off the original price. We went back and forth and then decided that we should check out. So, we made our major purchase, spent  more time than we wanted trying to pack up the truck, and then headed inside to use the restroom before we made the trip back home. Somewhere between the exit and the restroom we ended back in the 'As Is' section. And about 15 minutes later, we were outside attempting to put a very large dresser in the back of a smaller pickup. Another 30 minutes trying to move things around we finally got everything in and headed home. It was an eventful day and it was an eventful night putting things together!

We love our furniture!

The end table to match the rest of the set!	Our entertainment center with the newest additions ofthe side bookcases.	And our steal of a dresser!