Ikea Roses

When our fourth annual Bestie Beach Day was forecasted to be cloudy and rainy, we knew we had to come up with a back-up plan.

Me: "This is totally random, so feel free to shoot it down. A trip to Ikea? I've always wanted to go."

Kels: "I LOVE IKEA!!!!"

It was settled. And even more settled once she reminded me that there was a Cheesecake Factory conveniently on the way home.

Ikea was everything I hoped it would be- inspiring and fun. We walked through display after display, oohing and ahhing over all the fun kitchen, living room and bedroom items. We made our way down into the warehouse portion, and I quickly found a few items that grabbed my attention:

A blue and white patterned coffee mug to match my blue-themed kitchen (as I placed it in the cart, I realized it was the first mug I had ever bought myself!)

A simple, white tablet stand that I could use in the kitchen to see recipes better.

A trio of metallic cylinder-shaped containers, perfect for holding band-aids, q-tips, etc. They were white with a pretty pink rose design.

Always cautious with how I spend my money, I rarely pick up something I don't need and put it in my cart without thinking about it. These containers, however, were different. I couldn't really put my finger on the "what" and "why" that made them stand out to me so much. I made a spot for them on a shelf in my bedroom, and it looked like they've always belonged there.

I finally figured out the other day why I was, and still am, drawn to them.

Every day after school, the bus dropped me off at my Grandma E.'s house. She had many homemade baked goods to choose from for an after-school treat, and hot cocoa was the drink of choice in the cold winter months. I would go into her pantry, and pick out the mug I wanted to use that day.

There was a white one with a yellow rose design, one with a blue rose design, and one with a pink rose design. I'm sure you can guess which one was my favorite.

I can still feel the solidity of that mug in my hands, and the warmth of it once it came out of the microwave. I remember my grandma sitting across from me at the table, and telling me all that was new with her, and asking me questions about my day.

I remember feeling loved and special. Those simple, pretty containers from Ikea make me feel that way all over again every time I see them.