the coffee table that could

i had a game in milwaukee on saturday so jp and i decided to make a weekend of it. my parents are in town next weekend so we treated this as a sort of early valentine's day treat for ourselves. so we pricelined a hotel and to the hyatt downtown for fifty bucks.
we were off to a good start.

i'm always harping on jp about my 'need' for surprises and spontaneity in our relationship and, let me tell you, this man sure knows how to make something special even special-er. we left early saturday morning and our first stop was riverview antique market where we drooled over the mid-century furnishings and i coveted the oil paintings and oleo.
i am a geek when it comes to antique malls and estate sales and jp has always, first obligingly and now enthusiastically, tagged along. this stop was his first surprise for me.

we have decided--in the names of fashion and environmentalism--to not buy new as much as possible. our furniture consists of items either picked up on the side of the road or purchased for a steal at thrift stores. (the couch is an exception; twas a wedding gift from grandparents).

we've been using an old trunk for a coffee table and have been deeply dissatisfied. do not underestimate the emotional affect your interiors can have on you. so when we found this little guy in the back corner at booth 21E, you can imagine our delight. look at that wood! it's so sturdy and thoughtfully crafted and, well, the most beautiful coffee table in the world.
see for yourself:

we didn't buy it right away. we slept on it, mulling over the wiseness of making this purchase when i had just lost my job. but when we both woke up we said: we ARE buying a proper coffee table today. and we felt good about it. so we stuffed it in the car, miraculously, and drove it home back to chicago where it fits perfectly in our teeny living room.

the rest of the saturday consisted of the milwaukee art museum, reffing a 50 point blow-out at wisconsin lutheran, surprise champagne and chedder popcorn in the hotel room, hazlenut cutlets and micro brews at comet cafe and free nightcaps at the hotel bar.

sunday morning had more good meat substitutes in store for us at beans and barley for brunch.

i know. i sure am spoiled by what jp does for me and with me. but more importantly, we both have lots of fun doing what we do and doing it together. i can't think of a better field trip buddy.