If I were to die and ascend to some sort of afterlife, I’m pretty sure it would look like an IKEA showroom. I’d spend the rest of eternity navigating my way through beautifully designed layouts and marveling over the pricing of furniture with names I have trouble pronouncing. It would be amazing.

What I’m saying is: I love IKEA.

I remember my first trip to the blue and yellow nirvana like it was yesterday. It was September, my mom and I were returning from a campus tour of San Francisco State University, and we stopped to look around and maybe find some furniture for my room. I’d devoured the catalog year after year, but never had I stepped foot into the actual store beyond the realms of imagination. When we left that day I’d acquired not only an beautiful duvet cover, but also a LEIRVIK bed frame which since then has become famous as ‘the’ teenage girl bed and some other infamous things as well. I love that bed even though I no longer sleep in it. Sigh.

About two years later, The Captain and I went on a journey to buy me a dresser. I’d budgeted money from my Savers paycheck for a fancy one since I’d traded rooms with my sister and went from two closets to one. However, after seeing the dresser I had in mind and seeing another one with more potential I went with the TARVA 6-drawer chest and painted it a beautiful shade of blue. I miss is every time I put my clothes away in our white MALM dressers.

So, when The Captain and I began discussing buying a new mattress, we talked about getting a new frame too. We originally considered IKEA due to its affordability, but we also looked around Reno for bed frames that matched our specific needs. And there were many. But despite checking out Ashley Furniture, Furniture Discounters, Consign Furniture, and RC Willey’s we couldn’t find one.

Our list of requirements was long. It had to be a) available in a queen size b) tall enough to fit storage underneath and also allow us access if we had to reach under to get the cats c) easy enough for me to either climb over The Captain at night or the end of the bed and d) had to have an open headboard to allow air circulation from our window and also so the cats could go in and out to their hearts’ content. The current fashion of headboards is all tall and solid so we needed something out-of-style, but not outdated.

So we just decided to get another LEIRVIK in a queen size, because it fit all the criteria and I loved the style. We took The Captain’s truck, picked up his grandma to go along, and made a day of it. We went to the Arden Fair Mall and had lunch at In and Out before going into the beauteous wonder that is IKEA.

After this trip I have come to a realization: the only way I’m ever going to get to be in IKEA how I want to be is if I am alone. I need time to look at the design and layout choices in the showroom even if I’m not going to buy any of the things in the space. I need to sit and think and enjoy the interior design. I do not need to be hurried along and cajoled from my happiness. So eventually (I hereby promise) I will take a day trip to IKEA by myself and will spend as much time as I want in every section.

The Captain, his family, and I went through the showroom in seemingly record time. When we came to the bedroom section The Captain and I came to a choice. There was the LEIRVIK, shining white in its beauty, or another bed that beckoned a closer look. It had all of our requirements and was only a measly two inches shorter than our original choice. We debated, thought on, and discussed the merits of both of the beds, but it was a strange thought that made the decision.

The LEIRVIK was the bed of my past, feminine and innocent, perfect for just me.

But the SVELVIK was the bed of our present, masculine yet soft, perfect for us.

So we decided to get it.

We went into the marketplace and went straight to where it was listed. There were the sides, black and straight, but where were the headboard and footboard? I asked and it turned out that they were out of stock, but a new shipment was supposed to come in on the fourth of September. I shared the news and The Captain and I decided to wait. We bought the slats, sides, and a beautiful lilac ǺDUM rug.

So we waited and called on the morning of the fourth to make sure that the frame was in stock. They said the shipment was delayed from the distribution center, but that it should be there the next day. So we shrugged it off and went out to order our new mattress. We bought our Tempur-Cloud Supreme from Sears and scheduled delivery for the 12^th of September, sure that we would have our bed by then.

But when we called Saturday they said that the shipment would be coming in on Sunday.

When we called Sunday they said that the fire near the distribution center had delayed it even further and that it wouldn’t be in until the 18^th…six days after our mattress would arrive.

We can’t return the pieces we bought and just order it online, because the shipping costs more than the bed itself ($299!). So we’ll just have to be patient and wait for the bed that’s perfect for us. I’m planning on making another day of it with The Captain and my mother, and hopefully I might get a little more time to enjoy one of the most magical places on Earth.

But who knows? This is IKEA we’re talking about, place of vague instructions and DIY hipster edge, so anything could go wrong.

…TO BE CONTINUED…