We Are Survivors

We made it through the wilderness that is the Minneapolis Ikea. After five hours, two meals, three bathroom breaks for Leah, and one offer of space in a U-Haul trailer, we made it out alive and pretty much intact.

We arrived at 9:45am, and decided to have 2nd Breakfast (a standard meal for hobbits). I ordered a Regular plate, which includes eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes and french toast sticks. While Aaron and I chatted with a co-worker of his (she's the one with the trailer) Leah ate about half of the food on the plate.

After about an hour of browsing the sample rooms, Ben started saying, "Done! Done!" and I knew it was going to be a long day.


Two things we almost talked ourselves into getting that weren't on our original list:
Dining room table + 10 chairs
table and chairs for the kids


Area where we spent the most time and I got closest to a mental breakdown: Media & Bookshelves. Finally, though, Aaron found a cabinet that he thinks will work for the projector and DVD player, and we decided against getting doors for it. This took approximately 40 minutes.

Items we DID buy that weren't on our list:
Rocking moose
Two kitchen chairs
Twin bed + trundle + mattress for trundle, all for Leah

Aaron saved my sanity by taking the children away to play for a bit. I cruised through the bedroom, work, and bathroom areas on my own, before getting some luxurious time in Children's to examine my obsession of the last few weeks: the Trofast storage system. I have grand plans for this baby, and hopefully it works, cause Aaron left it all up to me. Which means I can't share the blame with him if it ends up being garbage. Photos will be posted.

The scene as we attempted to leave the building was nothing short of a farce. I was trying to wrangle both children plus two carts, as Aaron was maneuvering the flatbed stacked shoulder high with boxes. We tried to get on the elevator and my rear end was keeping the door from closing as I was pulling the carts towards us. 2 of the chair cushions toppled onto the ground, so as Aaron was trying to keep the kids from pushing alarm buttons, I was trying to reach the cushions while trying to avoid having the door shut on me. One other shopper thankfully pushed them closer so we could make it.

Safely on the parking level, Aaron got the kids strapped into their seats and backed the van up to the loading area. Then I doled out the alphabet crackers I had wisely grabbed earlier in the store. And the true engineering started. To get Leah's bed in, Aaron had to open the box and take out one piece, with gave us the 5 extra inches we needed. Everything else fit in on either side. However, both of us were doubtful that we would be able to get our suitcase and Ben's pack n play back in to head home.

While we were piling things in, one lady was watching us. After a couple seconds, she asked, "Are you guys building a house?" I said no, that we had just bought a new one, although I think we could build one with the cardboard from all the packaging. Don't worry, greenies, it will be recycled.

I had noticed that as our circus moved through the warehouse area (where you pick up the flat boxes containing the pieces of your furniture, ready for you to construct at home) there were plenty of people staring at us. And not like, ha, ha, THAT has to be a handful! More like, geez, are those people disgusting American consumers. Or maybe it was just shock and awe that we were trying to steer those carts all while a preschooler and toddler were running around crazy.

Besides the bed, here's what else we came away with: 3 bookshelves, 6 bar stools, 2 kitchen chairs (trial to see if they'd work with our table - they do!), 4 frames of the Trofast system, 14 tubs to go in the Trofast system, the rocking moose, the projector cabinet, a playmat for Ben (town & roads) plus lots of random odds & ends. We were able to get all our luggage back in the van, with the suitcase under Ben's feet and the pack & play upright by Leah's door. I was getting pretty claustrophobic by the time we pulled into Fargo, but Mom and Dad came over, and by 8:30pm, both kids had been bathed and were in bed, and the van was totally unloaded. Aaron even constructed a chair and bar stool.

It was a successful weekend.