A Couch to Build A Dream On

We started blogging as soon as we found out we had been selected as a contestant, not realizing that the contest officially started in June. So here is a repost from March to make sure it counts. This will be our last repeat post...



14 years.

Well, over 14 years. That's how long Jamie & I have been together. Just kids then when we met for the first time at 13 and still when we started dating at 17. With less than a year together under our belts, we made the decision to stick together through college despite the distance between Nashville, TN and Salisbury, MD. Those were the days when long distance meant long distance. There wasn't Skype or Facebook or Twitter or whatever is being created as I type this. We had PHONE CARDS that we tore through at dangerous speeds and worried our parents at the mounting cost of maintaining the relationship. But we made it through (despite a brief hiccup when Jamie lost her mind Freshmen year, her return was inevitable) and mercifully graduated to come home and finally be in one place together. Christmas Night of 2002 we were engaged and thusly the hurricane of planning began. In among the litany of plans, there was a seemingly innocuous purchase made. It turned out to be the first thing we ever purchased as a couple. It's one of the few things we have from that time that remains with us. This thing I speak of is a couch.

Ah yes, few things are as romantic as furniture. In fact, I believe Jamie may have said once before that "Joe, you're about as romantic as a couch". Laugh if you must, but normally the commitment to purchasing a couch is similar to that of adopting a pet. Additionally when you think about it, that couch has endured more than most things in our life. It was in our first, second, and now our third home. It's been upstairs and down. It's seen more "crashers" than I can count. It takes spills with dignity and cradles various rear ends with aplomb. The couch has lasted longer than some friendships. It's been a welcome respite from a long day at work and a comfy spot for a nap on Sundays. It's difficult to personify an inanimate object, but let me ask you this; If I asked you whether you wanted something in your life that was forever comforting and never asked for anything in return, naturally you'd say yes. Well my friend, you need a good couch.


As the sun slowly sets on our reliable old friend who has been with us for so long, I want to thank you couch. You held us from young married kids, to seasoned adults, and now parents. It only seems fitting that as we embark on a very new journey in our lives that we get a new couch. Olivia needs a place to curl up with her parents. Something to lean against when she starts to walk. Somewhere to watch her first Disney movie. An anchor for the fort she builds with her friends. Maybe one day she'll tell us that she's engaged while sitting on that couch. Maybe one day that she too is having a child. As silly as it sounds, a lot of our lives happen from the couch, they bare witness to a great many happenings in our life. I've forgotten a lot of things I've bought over the course of my life, but I always remember what buying that first couch represented and I now I will be grateful to Su Casa for the chance have another fond memory of just a plain old humble simple couch.