The Couch that Almost Died

For the past couple of months, Scott and I have talked non-stop about the changes and updates we are planning to make in our new home.  For a short time, we were thinking about purchasing a sectional sofa to fit in living room.  The layout is kind of wonky and a sectional is really the only answer to making things flow more easily and look more aesthetically pleasing.  We even had ‘the one’ picked out.  And although it seemed a bit silly since we already have a nice young couch on which to rest our tired bums, the sectional just made sense.  

But then I started thinking about the couch we already own.  Sure, she’s a bit grimy due to the filthy gorgeous London air, but that can easily be taken care of.  And while she may be a bit broken in, she’s perfectly molded to our bodies.  

Not to mention...

...it was the first big purchase Scott and I made as a married couple, just days before moving across the pond to London.

...it’s where we sat, excitedly opening gifts from one another, as we celebrated our first Christmas as husband and wife.

...it’s where we would curl up on those quintessentially rainy London days and watch hours of television, veg out and grow old together.

...it’s where we watched football - either very late at night or the morning after - and longed to be back in the US where we could watch in real-time, tail-gate and cheer our teams on with our family and friends.

...it’s where Scott and I sat, drinking our morning coffee, as we made the big decision that he would stay in the Navy and that we would shoot for a tour in Hawaii, then settle down in Norfolk and start a family five years down the line.

...it’s where I was sitting the very next day when Scott walked in the door with two bouquets of flowers after the phone call he received at work with the news that I was expecting.

...it’s where we discovered Mad Men, Cougartown and The Vicar of Dibley.  And watched countless episodes of Law & Order: SVU and House during the weeks leading up to Eliza’s long-awaited arrival.

...it’s where our friends would gather - with their kids and a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in hand - and share the frustrations and joys of being an expat.

...it’s where my mother-in-law taught me to knit.

...it’s where we collapsed, in a state mixed of excitement, exhaustion and shock, when we brought Eliza home for the very first time.

...it’s where Scott would give Eliza her 4am feedings while telling her magical stories of fairies and dragons in far away lands.

...it’s where I took loads of naps with my newborn baby girl, both of us exhausted from this new world into which we were thrown.

...it where’s my friend Pamela and I sat, both of us brand new mums, and chatted endlessly about our love for new daughters and how they were going to be the best of friends one day.

Our couch joined our family at the very time we became a family.  

It's almost as though she's an actual part of us.  

And we’re just not ready to part with her quite yet.