I once broke down and cried over a broken blow dryer.  Like, full-out sobs.  Now before you go thinking how shallow that is, here's the reason behind all of the baby-like bawling.  That hair dryer had lasted a lot longer than most hair dryers.  It had been with me through college graduation, my first "so I have some money" job.  It had seen me through a move to another state, my first "finally got my dream job" job, my engagement to the Big Dog, my wedding day, and the birth of two of three of my babies.  I had held it in my hand to dry my hair while getting ready for most of the most important days and moments of my life.  I can only imagine all of the thoughts that had been going through my mind as I got myself ready to walk into my first classroom and meet my first class, to walk down the aisle, to go to the hospital and welcome our first child.  So, when that hair dryer broke, for some reason, maybe it's a part of being a "highly sensitive" person, the thought of throwing it away set me into a full-fledged breakdown.  Yep.  Thought I was going crazy.  Really?  Who cries over a hair dryer?  At the time, I had been on the journey of taking a picture a day for the year.

I knew I had to have a picture of the blow dryer.  It was like my calm.  Knowing that even if it was thrown in a garbage can, taken far away, I would always have a picture of it to remember it.  To remember all those times it got me ready for some of the most important moments of my life.

So, when I broke down at the thought of giving our kitchen table away, I really shouldn't have been surprised.  I'm finding it interesting to analyze myself.  We ordered new furniture back in April and finally found out that it's coming this week.  So this weekend we began preparing for the new stuff.  We moved the furniture from the living room down to the basement, scrubbed the carpets, etc.  When I overheard the Big Dog talking to his brother, who was helping to move the furniture to the basement in the 85 degree heat, wearing his work clothes, I suddenly got very angry.  Did I really just hear him offer our kitchen table to his brother?  He can't take it!  He just can't.  In fact, no one can have it.  I'll find somewhere to put it.  It'll fit somewhere.  And if it doesn't, I'll store it somewhere until someday when I need it.  Nothing wrong with that, right?  (um, hoarder.)

Our kitchen table.  It was the floor model at Wal-Mart.  We had found it when we first moved into our new house 5 years ago.  We needed a little kitchen table, even though we'd probably eat most meals in our dining room. (right.)  We needed something high so that the chairs could also be used at the counter.  We found this set at Wal-Mart and the price was fantastic because it was the floor model and one chair had a small crack in the leg.  However, it was perfect!  Not high-end, but heavens we just bought a house, for crying out loud, and it really just was "for now".

Well, of course, that table ended up getting more use than probably any other piece(s) of furniture in our house!  I mean, if you're anything like me, when you have an event coming up at your house, or you're having people over, you may envision everyone hanging out in in the living room, sitting around the dining room table, etc.  But, again, if you're anything like me, everyone always ends up hanging out in the kitchen.  I remembered our last house.  The kitchen was the smallest room in the house, next to the bathroom.  Yet everyone always seemed to crowd into it.  After all, they do say that the kitchen is the heart of the home.  Well, that poor little table got a lot of use.  It held Snip's first birthday cupcakes and smash cake, it is where we were sitting for our first dinner together in our new home, it's where many of my first-attempt-meals have been served.  If it could talk, oh the conversations it's heard.  The pumpkins that have been carved there, the eggs that have been dyed.  It's where the boys have painted and crafted for the past 5 years.  It's where they've blown out their candles on their actual birthdays.  So, yep.  When I thought of it going somewhere else, I waited until no one was at home, and broke down sobbing.  Immediately grabbed my phone and sent off a text to two of my best-friend-sisters asking if something was seriously wrong with me.  I mean, who cried uncontrollably over a freaking table?  Apparently this girl.  And apparently I'm not the only one getting sentimental over inanimate objects.  Another good friend recently posted on Facebook asking if anyone else ever got really sad when buying a new car, and saying good-bye to the old one?  Well, heck, I thought I was crazy about that, too!  But that car brought my baby home from the hospital, and.....oh, dear God.  So, of course I replied to her with a resounding YES and the confession of my sob fest over my table.


In the end, my sister-like BFF texted me back reassuring me that I was normal.  She had the fabulous idea of taking a picture of the boys around the table so I can always remember them like that and look back on it.  Why didn't I think of that?  Good idea.  So I leave you with some pics of our dear beloved Walmart table, (um, it's at my brother-in-laws, not like we're never going to see it again!) and the question of "what strange things do you find yourself being sentimental about?" 


























Ya gotta love the pieces of hot dog under the Puppy's chair.

Bye for now~~~~~