Thursday, October 8, 2009

Ikea Fevah

Over the course of the last twenty-five years and seventeen days, I have been to Ikea once. It. Was. Amazing.

Today I found out that my mom hates Ikea. Is that even possible? AND she gets to go tomorrow! The day is actually about spending time with her sister and their friend, and they're wonderful, she would go anywhere with them, so that's what's going on there.

So I tried to be an adult having a conversation with another adult - any adult with whom I can have meaningful conversations (not like, you know, MOM). I told her she would probably have fun if she wasn't so negative about Ikea furniture, that the day isn't really about her, and to try to make the best of it. She goes, yeah yeah... same as I'd say had our roles been reversed.

Since that didn't really ignite a spark, I tried plan B: share MY Ikea experience, which would surely end with some form of "you are so weird." But oh, well. I spent the next few minutes raving about how cool it is that they have sample rooms all set up where all the furniture matches and everything is always perfect and cool-looking and expertly-designed. Here, you play the Ikea game: you go find a nice, sterile example room, sit down, and pretend you live there for a while. When you get sick of it, find another one! Pretty juvenile, but when you are trying to have fun at a store where you don't particularly enjoy shopping, every remotely fun alternative is going to be juvenile. See: 50 things to do at Wal-Mart, a popular e-mail forward back when people actually forwarded that shit.

And here's the part you'll never believe. She totally went along with it. My mom, who thinks I have the STRANGEST sense of humor and an even weirder taste in just about everything - who knows me better than anyone in the world, yet still has some pretty WTF moments with me - she chimed in about camping out on a comfy couch (her favorite way to unwind at the end of the day) and I was all, yeah, maybe they'll turn on some HGTV for you! And we had a moment.

What's the point of this story? For a while, I don't think my mom very well liked who she thought I was becoming. She's always loved me in that mothers'-unconditional-love kind of way, and she's always been good to me. LATELY, however, we talk about stuff and connect and at times ARE just two adults shooting the shit. Like maybe she would enjoy my company, even if she wasn't obligated to. And... cue the sappy soundtrack... it means the WORLD to me.

5 comments:

  1. Yay for good mom moments! Yay for feel 'normal'! before i moved here, i had only gone to ikea with vicky and her family. she and her mom would spend the entire day there, while her dad would find a couch and nap the whole day, haha!
    as it turns out, a lot of the stuff in my apartment is from ikea now. enjoy your affordable swedish crap!

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  2. p.s the food at ikea is cheap and awesome! $0.99 breakfasts on sunday mornings!

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  3. LOL yes!!! she got me some AMAZING stuff - a comforter with the softest duvet cover i have ever felt (pillowcases included), a little table that i oh-so-desperately needed, an awesome apple-scented candle, and then this ADORABLE little lamp - http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90130479

    LOVE IT!

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  4. i saw the lamp photo. that must be new, it wasnt there a month ago. next time (if/when) you come to the cities, we can spend some hours hanging in pre-made rooms pretending we live there.
    whats the table like?
    i remember vicky always had those ikea comforters. they were warm.

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  5. the table is very simple - like a wooden box without sides.

    i'd love to ikea it up... but not for too long, last time i was there my stupid bf at the time took WAY too long (like he ALWAYS did in EVERY store and i hated it)

    i'd rather get drunk (ok buzzed) and head to the mall of america. that was probably the best idea we ever came up with. ever. i still wear the shoes i got at the vans store nearly EVERY day (i swear, this is no exaggeration)

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