We picked up a paper from the corner bin, got everything programmed into the GPS and were on our way to hit the first yard sale at 6:30 (which turned into a "drive by" because it looked like, as my grandma would say, "nothing but junk").
After the fifth or sixth house, we hit an estate sale on the "upper-class" side of town and this stop turned out to be the golden ticket of the day. We walked through the house and when I walked into the master bedroom fell in love with the bedroom set. The bed was on a pedestal with drawers underneath, the headboard was more like a wall unit complete with mirrors, lighting, drawers and shelves, and the set included a matching dresser with mirrors that was just as impressive. The pieces could not have been very old because the tags were still attached. After asking the woman in charge what they were selling it for (thinking it was going to be some outrageous price because it was, after all, on the snobby side of town), I think I heard angels singing when she said $300 for the ENTIRE set. Without blinking I said, "I want it". I ran back to the bedroom again to double check the quality and without concern as to how I was going to get it home, I said I would take it (I phoned the Hubs and made sure he was on board afterward).
Being in the construction industry, I know quite a few people with trucks so I called one of my co-worker buddies and asked if he could help us out. He couldn’t help us move it but he graciously agreed to let me borrow his truck and trailer. However… since his truck was one of our company trucks, I had to drive it. After he reminded me of this little tidbit, my first thought was not, “Oh Goody!”…it was... “OH SH!T!” I figured that since our house was less than 10 miles from the estate sale and there were not too many turns to make that I could pull it off (which I did quite well and didn’t even run over any curbs while turning corners).
The next "OH SH!T moment" came when the our neighbor got called out to work and couldn't help us load and unload. The furniture is made of solid oak and since we had to pick it up that same day, I had to flex my muscles (or little potatoes as one of my co-workers called them) and embrace my inner Scrappy Doo. In other words, I had to go into "P-P-P-PUUUUPPYYYY POWWWEER" mode to help the Hubs load and unload the trailer.
After we unassembled the pieces, we carried everything out by hand. I think I used every muscle in my entire body including some I did not even know I had. We only "debated" over how to properly load and unload the trailer a few times and in the end we loaded, unloaded, and got the bed assembled in about three hours. It took me another three hours to clean out the crap from the old dresser and bookshelf and put everything back into place in the new furniture.
Later in the evening, I assembled the dresser all by myself - which, for the record, was the heaviest piece. I do not like to toot my own horn very often but TOOOOT, TOOOOT. I was surprisingly shocked at how strong I have become and how much energy I have gained over this past year. Twelve months ago (and 131 pounds heavier), I would not have made it past the first piece. After all that lifting, pulling, holding, pushing, carrying…and bitching…I even had enough energy left over to finish some early spring-cleaning in other parts of the house. I ended the day around 11:00pm with a much-needed hot shower around and I fell fast asleep in our new bed.
UPDATE - I checked the price on the furniture from the dealer and the pieces we purchased are valued at $4,000.
