Ode to an old friend.

Sam and I rented an apartment in the ghetto of Provo for six months, right after we were married. It was a couple of months into our marriage when it dawned on me that we could afford to build a home...and oh yeah, my dad was a contractor.

So we built our home in 1995.
We still happily live here.

Back one day in 1995, on the way home from work, I drove past this furniture store, and outside, in the tent sale in the parking lot of the store, I laid my eyes upon the most perfect couch/love seat set that I had ever seen.

I brought Sam back to look at it.

I was a little upset at it being outside, in the elements, and my concerns were validated when I brought Sam back, and a whole family of Mexicans was sitting on MY! COUCH!

Sam hated The Couch.
(Incidentally, a few years later, he chose a horrible navy blue car seat fabric covered sectional and I let him win on that purchase. We still have it.)

Anyway, back to The Couch...
I had my own money, so I kicked the Mexicans off of The Couch and love seat and bought them.
Our first furniture purchase for the new house!


Oh how I loved them!
Floral tapestry. Navy, maroon and greens. They matched everything.
When we brought our first-born, Jayden, home from the hospital, and he was a floppy plaything, I took roughly 5,126 photos of him propped up on The Couch.

As babies do, Jayden spit up on The Couch many times.
The Couch cleaned up well, and hid stains.
It was perfect.
It was also comfortable for afternoon naps.
Pretty soon, Brendan joined the family.
And The Couch.

This is Brendan on his blessing day.
Sam woke up with the flu, and chucked all day long.
You can see from the photo how happy I was.
And yes. I am wearing Khaki overalls.
This was 1998.

By this time, I had around 8,798 photos of various shots including The Couch.
Sometimes The Couch cropped up in family memories of say...
Christmas:

Or tender moments, such as the father/son nap:

And as a scrapbooker, I was getting tired of looking at The Couch.
Have you tried to match Floral Tapestry to a paper line?
It is very hard.

But...The Couch was in great shape!

I was pregnant with the twins, and secretly wanted a new backdrop for my photos.
I actually considered trading couches with a neighbor, for the first few months after bringing the babies home...just for something new to look at.

But alas, that didn't happen, so I just covered The Couch with blankets.
You can see The Couch still making an appearance in the top left corner.

(Hello, Couch!)
And here was our most recent family photo.
Taken with a tripod.
On.
The.
Couch.

Well, I know you can see it coming.
After FIFTEEN years of faithful service...
I replaced The Couch.
Sam didn't think they needed to be replaced.
"They are still in great shape!" he said.
And they are.
I believe after many years of him sleeping on The Couch when we would fight formed a strange sort of man-bond.
Perhaps the comforting smell of his own trapped farts?

But I was so sick of looking at The Couch, and I was willing to concede that maybe...just maybe they were a tad bit out of style?

I had my own money. And, had found the perfect replacements.

So, Sam went with me, and I bought the new couch and love seat.

We placed them, in all their new leathery smelling glory--into the living room.
"You have some pretty big shoes to fill," I said to the new couches,"I just thought you should know that."
Sam carried The Couch out to the truck, and I can't be sure, as it was a pretty windy day, and it could have just been dust...but we both may have shed a tear or two when we put 'em down.

They were very good Couches.
The best! (sniff)

So, without further ado, I present to you, The New Couches:

And just to prove that I am not completely heartless, and severely lack in sentimentality, you can clearly see that we kept the throw pillows to The Couch, to live in honor on The New Couch.

And hopefully The Couch will find love in a new home.