The other day I bought a super cute draw organizer for all my silverware so I could finally replace a nasty plastic one that I wish I could say was from IKEA but I honestly can't remember where it came from which goes to show you just how old it was and how it was time for a replacement (I hereby declare today as massive run on sentence day).
So of course as soon as I pulled everything out of the "silverware, etc." drawer, cleaned out the drawer, and started to reorganize, I noticed that it wasn't just the organizer that was in need of replacing... I had to face the harsh reality that my actual silverware left much to be desired. We have quite the smorgasbord of silverware settings gathered from The Christmas Tree Shop (our nicest silverware), hand-me-down's from my parents, Wal-Mart and a couple random pieces from past apartments. All are old and rusty and while I like the mismatched vintage vibe we have going on, I have to admit that I cringe a little bit every time I pull out our silverware when guests come over. When we were getting married, we registered for enough silverware sets for 12 people at Crate and Barrel for our wedding. I knew at the time that the price was ridiculous - $39.99 for one setting (Yes, that's $39.99 for 1 salad fork, 1 dinner fork, 1 knife, and 1 spoon). I resisted registering for it until the last minute because I liked the pattern and thought it would go nicely with the place settings that we also registered for. In the end we ended up receiving two settings of silverware which was fine with me because we were given 12 sets of all the plates, bowls and mugs that are much more valuable to me. For a brief moment, I considered buying the remaining 10 sets of silverware or at least 8 sets so I could have a complete set of 10, but at $39.99-a-pop, which would total a whopping $400, I figured I could definitely find some less expensive silverware I liked just as much (can't be hard, right?) and save my money for some other projects around the house. In terms of the 2 sets I had, I simply took them back and added the credit to my C&B gift card.
After we got married I didn't really feel a need to race right out to the store to get new silverware since we have been enjoying all the other goodies that we got at our shower and wedding. But the other day, when I replaced the silverware organizer, I was reminded that I needed to get on that ASAP. I started my search online and of course found myself pining after the C&B set but kept reminding myself that there is a whole lot I can do with $400. I remembered that we were given a Macy's gift card so I went online to look at their patterns to see if I could find something similar. Sure enough I found a pattern that I instantly fell in love with and, much to my amazement, looks almost exactly like the one from C&B. A 50 piece set (enough for 8 people with some extra forks) would set me back $100, but Macy's is currently having a home sale so they were marked down to $79.99. I thought that was a pretty sweet deal and with the $50.00 gift card I'd basically be getting 8 sets for $3.75 per set. I was so beyond excited about that deal that I decided, what the heck, I might as well add a 20 piece set (another 4 settings) for $39.99 so I could have 12 full sets. As if my day could not get any better, when I added the 20 piece set to my online shopping bag to see what the total damage would be, a "Bonus Offer" appeared saying that if I bought a 50-piece flatware set from Oneida (the brand), I would receive a 20 piece set - FOR FREES!!! Knowing that there is a Macy's right down the street, I decided to hold my horses and see if they would honor the promotion in the store so I could save on shipping too (and have it immediately). Sure enough I went to the store, loved the silverware even more in person, had the promotion honored, and got my 12 silverware sets for $36.80 (including tax, and using my $50 gift card), which is LESS than one set at C&B!.
Final tally of the longest post ever about silverware:
12 sets of C&B silverware = $478.88, or $39.99 per set
12 sets of Oneida silverware at Macy's = $36.80, or, $2.49 per set!!!
And just because I HAD to show you how similar the patterns are, here is the C&B set:
...and here is the set I got from Macy's
I was doing some post editing today when I came upon an entry from April, 2010 that I never posted. There isn’t a lot I want to say about it because I think the post on its own is a lot to take in. I do have to say that I’m glad I saved this entry and that I’m posting it now rather than when I wrote it. So much has happened in the last year and a lot of the things that I mention below have already happened, which, in my opinion, is nothing short of a miracle. It's far too easy to forget being on the other side, before we bought a house, I finished my degree, and we got married. I needed to read this post today. It came at the perfect time and was the reminder I needed to help me appreciate all the things that have happened over the past year. It’s also a great reminder to me of how God perfectly orchestrates our lives and never forgets us even when we can't see the big picture.
4/2/2010
I'm feeling inspired today because for the first day in about two weeks, the rain has stopped, the sun is shining, there isn't a cloud in the sky, and I took a nice long walk during my lunch hour. The last few months have been weird for me. I started a new job at Children’s which is located out in the Waltham site. I also started grad classes again so I can graduate sometime within the next decade, and I've done a TON of wedding planning. It's been an exciting time but also a very reflective and isolating time for me too. I haven't been around my old coworkers who would constantly check in on me, go for lunch, and basically provide an hour reprieve from each busy workday. Now that I’m in a supervisory position, I feel even more removed since I don’t feel comfortable divulging a lot of personal information to my employees.
I'm learning these days that I really thrive off the excitement and interaction with others and when that interaction is lacking, I tend to feel a little depressed at times. I'm missing my friends who live about an hour away from me and are experiencing their own exciting milestones which I feel like I am missing. We love each other so much but the busyness of life has definitely taken over and we have very little time for each other at this point in our lives.
Needless to say, it's been a long winter but I'm starting to realize that dwelling on the negative is only holding me back from having a happy, fulfilling life AND having a fun experience with Ryan with our wedding planning. I think there comes a specific moment during the engagement period when you realize that you are going to be with this person for the rest of you life and when no one else is around, this is going to be the person you will turn to for support, companionship, and to just fill the void that you might feel at times. I had this moment about a week ago. I saw Ryan in a completely new way and it was definitely a great feeling. My love for him deepened when I realized that I am choosing him to be that person for me and he is choosing me to be that person for him. Often times I tend to focus a lot of my energy on what I don't have and what I want. I want a house and a Master's degree. I want to be closer to my friends both physically and emotionally. I want to have a family one day and to keep pushing my career forward. While it is good to have some long-term goals and dreams, I don’t want to let myself be blinded by ambition and goals to the point where I can’t enjoy what’s right in front of me and all the good things that are happening right now. Of course there are a lot of things that I still want for myself, Ryan, and for us as a couple. But as long as we are on the same team and he’s in my boat, I think we’ll find more happiness in enjoying the journey together rather than relying on objects, accomplishments, or selfish ambition to make us feel fulfilled.
