Christmas was a treat this year. We got to stay home, and we had enough of a budget that we could really have some fun gifting to each other. Jump back to September- having just finished our kitchen remodel, I was looking for the perfect piece of artwork to go on the tall wall behind the dining area- table. The challenge was twofold: 1) it had to go with the kitchen, the dining area and the family room because it is all one large open area, and B) I had to like it. A lot. A really lot. Suffice it to say I hated everything I looked at. I don't like weird art, flowers didn't say kitchen/dining to me, not to mention nothing seemed to be the right color scheme. UNTIL...
We were at Z gallerie one day in Sept and I saw the perfect painting. The color was perfect, it was a huge painting- perfect for the huge wall, and it was a theme that felt like it would work nicely for the 3 rooms. It was a painting of cherries, nothing fancy. It was a happy painting. I adored it. Problem was it was pricey, and having just had a b-day in August, and spending all the $$ on the house, I thought it could wait until Christmas- if I was lucky:) Around November I started looking for the painting online. Z gallerie was kind of out of my way so I never really dropped in to check, but the painting was no where to be found online. I had seen it and found the artist's name online months before, but now it had seemingly vanished- like, from the planet. About 2 weeks before Christmas I stopped in to the store and it was no surprise that the painting was no longet there. The lady even said "yeah, I remember it hung right over there for the longest time. She even went into her computer system and it had been "discontinued by the artist"- meaning that the artist would no longer support the sale of it ANYWHERE. How selfish of that artist, the big fat jerk! I was heartbroken and I whined all about it to Craig. He was annoyingly amused at my pitiful display of utter disappointment.
Christmas Morning. We had opened all of our gifts, and I was feeling so happy that Craig liked the things I had given him (a rarity) when he said-"Ooooh, what's that over there??" He handed me a tiny credit card- sized wrapped...thing. I opened it and it was a large nail taped to a piece of cardboard that read "I wonder what this is for, look in the spare bedroom?" I was dumbfounded. A nail? For what? Was he building me shelves? My mind was a blank. And then...
There it was. I actually cried- just a little, though. Craig was the one that bought the last one in existence from the gallerie. It was the perfect surprise. That's why he was so amused by my sorrow, he had already bought it. I love you Craig- Not because you bought me something, but because you were more excited to give me that gift than I even was to receive it- If it was even possible.
So now it hangs on the wall on the very nail that was wrapped under the tree, and I smile every time I look up at it. -Really, I actually do, ask Craig.
ps- the other great part was that the painting was like 70% off since it had been discontinued. What a great story. (pps notice the popcorn maker- another gift from Craig. its so awesome! come over and we'd be happy to share a little corn with you:)
