The best part of January is that two of my babies were born in this month. The next best part is.....well....actually not much; except that the next month is that much lighter and it's another of my baby's birthdays (Wyatt) and also it's the month of love and of our wedding anniversary. But then again, on the other hand, February is also the month that my Daddy passed. It's a real mixed bag I tell ya.
A few days ago the sun finally decided to makes it's presence known and warm things up a bit. We decided to peel ourselves away from the coziness of the fireplace and head into the valley to visit some of the grandies and do a little Costco run.
I used to have an incredibly comfortable pillow that was so amazing that Dave used to pack it for me on trips we'd take. The pillow even had it's own suitcase. I think I either wore it out, or it was lost. Either way my life has never been the same since.
Recently I've been on a perfect-pillow-finding journey, and it's been a brutal task. I lie awake night after night staring at the pitched ceiling, sleep eluding me. I know I'm not supposed to be on my phone while at the same time trying to fall asleep, but feeling despair, I turned on my screen anyway and typed into my google search bar "top reviews of bed pillows", reading so many testimonials until I got bored with my task and even felt a little sleepy.
Finally, making my way to the number one rated pillow, I silently gasped (not wanting to wake Dave although the man could likely sleep through an earthquake), at the price of it. "Heck if I'm going to spend almost two hundred dollars on a single pillow!" adding the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd rated to my online cart and pressing "buy now!". The irony of purchasing bedding while I should have been asleep isn't lost on me.
Week after week, I'd pick up a box from the UPS Store, excitedly take it home, unbox it, air it out, slip my pink silk pillowcase over it, and wait for bed-time to roll around. Is it me? Or is it the pillow? Is it just me being the post-menopausal, delicate flower that I am? More staring at the ceiling, fearful of waking up with a slight tension headache. I reach over to my night-stand and again, open my phone screen. Hovering my finger over the "add to cart" button, I tell myself, "some people spend money on expensive hobbies, or daily runs to their favorite coffee or soda shop, or even exotic months long trips to Europe! I just want a pillow that helps me fall and stay asleep and upon waking makes me feel like a princess!". Dave stirs and turns over away from the glow of my phone screen. Re-open my pillow search window, and press the "buy now!" button for the perfect pillow. The perfect purple pillow. The expensive perfect purple pillow.
Saturday morning I left some sourdough on the counter to ferment, and we ran our errands in the valley. Checking in with a few of the kids and their littles, and getting a little bit of lunch with my February birthday child Wyatt and his girls. We then did our Costco run where we try to keep the tab under $200. The trick is to not get a cart. But that's only for when I go shopping there alone, since Dave is inclined to put things in the cart that he sees me oohing and aahing over. Which is probably why, if he'd been aware of my middle-of-the-night pillow shopping, he'd for sure have told me to "Just buy the best one Allyson, and try to go to sleep." Stubbornness is one of my stronger characteristics.
As we headed back toward the canyon, he first pulled over at the Veteran's Memorial Park. Walking through the rows of markers, Dave called over to me, "Why do we never write down exactly where they are?" It's true. I always think I'll remember, but maybe deep down, I sort of like the little game of hide-and-seek we play, plus I like reading so many beautiful names of the people whose bodies rest here along with my parent's. "Here it is Dave." The fresh turned earth just above their marker shows that they must have a new neighbor. My heart has an instant ache for the freshness of the loss his family must be feeling this day. Dave joins me and we read the marker. So nice. That was one of Mama's favorite sayings. Dave says, "Eight down and seventeen across." I ask, "What?" He takes my hand and as we walk back to the car he replies "That's where their grave is so next time we can find it easier."
My pillow has arrived and it is worth it's weight in gold. I'm like Pavlov's dog. Except, instead of drooling when I hear a bell ring, I just simply rest lay my head on the expensive purple pillow, and magically I just simply fall asleep.
One morning, Dave asked me if I could feel a pea under the mattress. So sassy. I replied, "Hey! You know what? I think that same company sells purple mattresses too!"
Just think how much money we'll save by me making our own bread. From the cost savings we could probably buy one of those mattresses sometime in the next few years. Just call me "The princess and the pea. (with the expensive purple pillow. And hopefully someday, the purple mattress.)"
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