The Fancy Flea

 

I came, I saw, I FLEA'D!

Yes, indeedy, I attended the first Fancy Flea Vintage Market of 2023 and it was glorious just to be back among my people.

You may recall that I've been absent from the FF for a couple of years now just because my life is hella busy with stuff that everybody else wants to do and I haven't made myself a priority.

Before that I tried to Flea by myself the year after Taz died and it just wasn't the same without him. The first event I attended was the July indoor event (my very favorite because of the AIR CONDITIONING!) and I walked around just getting sadder and sadder until I needed to get out of there because the tears were literally spilling down my cheeks and people were giving me funny looks. Who the heck cries at a vintage fair?

Chris made sure we headed out to the market just as soon as his basketball game was over so we got there in plenty of time to browse. The weather was perfect (ok, maybe just a tad hot for February) and there were so many vendors. Chris found a cute gift for his business partner's baby who will be 1 in May and I found a few nice things but nothing that I really needed. Our house is pretty crowded so unless I have a specific need or place for something I'm pretty content just to enjoy it from afar. We hiked up and down the streets and enjoyed some of the live music coming from the courthouse lawn.

I'd never been to this particular town before but it's charming so I hope to go back one day and enjoy the shops and restaurants.

I can't even explain how great it felt to be back doing something I love. And I'll tell y'all a little secret - one day I want to be one of the vendors. I would love to collect pretty things that I love and then sell them to people who would love them as well. Chris would be great doing that too because he'd have a whole crowd of people to talk to and entertain, I could see us partnering in a business like that. 

I'm going to put that down as a goal.

And now a little something for the "better late than never" file. You might have noticed that in my previous post where I talked all about Valentine's Day, I never mentioned what Chris got for me and there's a very good reason for that - he did nothing for Vday.

I wasn't upset to the point where I questioned his love for me or wanted to throw something at his head but I was not happy about the whole thing because he seems to have time for everything else in his life but didn't have time to run into Dollar Tree and get a 50 cent card?

I had also mentioned, more than once, a particular necklace at the local drug store and asked for it for Vday. I reminded him a couple of times and even let him know when I'd received an email coupon that he could use for it and it still went in one ear and out the other and I didn't appreciate that but I didn't make a big deal out of it. One night while washing the dishes I did say that I don't ask for a whole lot but when I do, it's because I really want the thing I'm asking for and I left it at that and, frankly, pretty much forgot about it. I mean, get real, I'm a woman so I didn't totally forget about it but I didn't bring it up again and I consider that a victory.

I was on the verge of buying the necklace for myself once or twice because it's something I really liked and wanted to wear every day but something always held me back. I can, and will, buy my own presents but I really wanted this necklace to come from him.

So imagine my surprise when Chris came home Friday night with a bag filled with chocolates, my necklace AND a bracelet he picked out by himself. He apologized for having gotten so caught up in some drama at work that he had overlooked the opportunity to let me know how much I mean to him.

He's really under no obligation to do anything for me, but it was a lovely gesture and I love both my necklace and the unexpected bracelet.

One of Chris's basketball players has a younger 4 year old sister who comes to all the practices and games and in an effort to keep her from being bored, Chris has appointed her his "assistant coach" and lets her help with practices...even though her 8 year old sister objects to being told what to do by a 4 year old.

This past week Chris decided he wanted to do something special for the little girl so he bought supplies and asked me to make her a hat with her name on it so that she could wear it at games. Since the team's name is the Celtics and St. Patricks Day is right around the corner we went with a green theme.

I was getting ready to make the hat when the kids descended on me and proceeded to do all the work. They did a much better job than I would have so I was happy to let them. They ended up making a hat for Chris as well and he and his assistant coach proudly wore them at the game this past weekend. It was a bright spot in, what has been, a challenging season. I'm not going to be sorry to see it end in a couple of weeks and will enjoy the 2 week break before the next one begins.

valentine's day and other stuff

 

February - the month of romance. 

I never really liked Valentine's Day in high school, I even wrote an essay on how much I hated it and I got an A on it although I think the teacher thought I was too young to be so jaded. LOL

But then I got engaged on Valentine's Day and suddenly I loved the whole idea of love and romance. Taz, who was not the most romantic of men, actually did a pretty decent job with Vday. I've never wanted bouquets of roses (I much prefer daisies) or fancy dinners or presents, I'm truly not the least bit high maintenance, but I loved the fact that he made an effort, even on the years when I didn't care, to get me a card, some chocolates and insisted we go out to dinner because we were celebrating not only Vday but also the anniversary of our engagement. I always started my Vday shopping early and usually got him something Darth Vader  related (you would actually be surprised at how many Vday Darth Vader products there are) but one year I got him a robot that pooped candy and that was a big hit. I know lots of people think Vday is too commercialized but so are Halloween and Christmas and we still go all out for them. I enjoy Vday now and I never want anybody to feel neglected so I make an effort.

I started my Valentines plans early this year because it was going to be on a Tuesday which meant we had the kids. I planned a special dinner, bought cards and a little gift for each kid and for Chris and even got a few balloons and flowers to decorate our porch.

Oh, I haven't told you about our porch! We decided to switch furniture around a little and moved our sectional couch out to the porch the weekend before Vday. It looks awesome out there and Chris put up some weatherproofing so that the furniture would stay nice and dry. 

So when the kids got home from school they had a good time opening everything and then I brought dinner right out there so we could eat on the porch. It was wonderful being unplugged and not watching TV while eating. We all talked about our days and enjoyed some great family time. It wasn't a romantic holiday or anything (which kinda sucks since it was our first as husband and wife but whatever) but it was sweet and I know the kids enjoyed the effort.

Then a few days later we finally hit some warm temperatures so we all went to the pool at the YMCA where we are members. Up until now the kids had not been able to pass the swimming test so an adult had to be in the pool with them at all times (and it was usually me because Chris doesn't love swimming) and they couldn't go in the deep end but this time they both passed! I'm very proud of them and VERY happy that I can enjoy a little pool time and then enjoy a little lounging time while they keep playing. I miss my old house and I really miss my pool especially on weekends when the temperatures soar so the YMCA is going to be the next best thing and I look forward to grabbing a good book, sipping on a cold drink while I relax poolside as the kids play on their own. This summer is going to be sweet!

This next weekend is the first Fancy Flea vintage market of the year. I LOVE the Fancy Flea shows and Taz and I made it a priority to attend all of them but for the past couple of years I haven't been able to go because there have always been other plans that took priority. This year I made a promise to myself that I would attend all of them (there are at least 6 of them throughout the year in various towns around the area) and it's a promise that I intend to keep - nothing and no one is going to get in my way. I will go with Chris or I will go by myself but either way - I'm going. Plus it's a payday weekend so I'll even have a little spending money. I usually set myself a very modest budget of only spending $20 which can sometimes be a challenge but I've found some really cute things for only $20 over the years. This time I might give myself a little treat and go all the way up to $30 so I could possibly get more than 1 thing.

I'm excited especially since it's being held in a town I've never visited before but I've heard has a lot of charm - Brooksville. I can't wait to come back and tell you all about it!