The Long Version Part I: We did not get the green couch/We bought a new couch

Before I start this story let's get one thing straight: I don't say sofa. It's too snobby. That's all.

When we moved here almost three years ago... (oh my could it be three years already?) we left our couch behind for several reasons-
- more space in the moving trailer without it
- we weren't terribly attached to it
- it was plaid
- we got it for free anyway
- we passed it onto some newly married friends who needed a free couch just like we had a couple years earlier

Thus, when we arrived here in St. Louis, Misery, we had no couch. After spending just about all of our savings on the expenses of moving half-way across the country and Jonathan's first semester of graduate school (I am not sure when we will ever be so rich again that month before we moved and had that amount of cash in our savings.. ah those were the days... just kidding... being poor is fun!) we didn't have a whole lot of extra money to spend on things like a new couch (like brand-new from a store). So we looked around, scoured newspaper ads (this was before I knew about Craigslist, apparently) and somehow ended up in a scary part of town at some junky used furniture place called Kathy and Son's or something like that. They had an old-fashioned, the kind you would find in your great-grandmother's house, couch with wood legs and everything and it was a lovely greenish-goldish color with a pretty flower pattern. I probably have a picture of it somewhere but I am too lazy too look. Heck maybe there is a picture of it on this very blog- that's a challenge, readers!
Anyway, it wasn't it in the best of shape. The cushion covers were ripped on one side and it stunk like an antique store or St. Vincent's, but it was comfortable (Jonathan is extremely picky about furniture comfort) and it was 80 bucks. What could we do but take it home? (with the help of Kathy and Sons.)

Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the couch didn't hold up long. The foam in the cushions was aged so badly it was that nasty dark orange color old foam becomes, and the rips in the cushion covers were getting bigger. And bigger. And bigger. We still didn't have the money for a new couch (or the time to look for one) So what did I do? I took an old bed comforter (that consequently itself was ripped on one side) and fashioned it into a cover for the couch. This was a good temporary fix. It looked decent and made the couch usable again. However as most couch covers have the tendency to do, it never wanted to stay in place, and me being the obsessive compulsive person I am, was constantly re-adjusting the thing to the point that I wouldn't even let Jonathan sit on it because he always mussed it up. So for a long, long, time I wished and longed for a couch I could just curl up on without messing it up and that was actually comfortable (the couch cushions were so worn out they were no longer comfortable). However, we still didn't have the time or money to get a new one so we just dealt with it.

Then it just so happened, my brother and sister were coming to town, and there was no way I was going to have a cruddy old couch around with company in the house. It was also looking especially cruddy lately because I had gotten fed up with the constant readjusting and took off the blanket and just taped up the big rips with many a layer of packaging tape. Nice. So I started looking on Craigslist (that's where I found the awesome green one, it just wasn't as great in person as it was in the photo); I looked especially for a couch with a hide-a-bed (no, not a
sofa sleeper; still too snobby) since that would come in handy with company coming (we don't have a guest bed or an air mattress), but to no avail. Not finding anything used, I tried the furniture outlet store Weekends Only, but I had no such luck, and it was just a couple days before my siblings would be here. On the way home from Weekends Only I saw Value City Furniture* and decided to stop and check it out. They had a much better selection and a few couches I liked so I dragged Jonathan back the next day. After sitting on just about every couch in the store we finally decided on a plain, brown (or is it grey?) suede (or is it faux?) hide-a-bed couch that looks like just about any other new couch. It doesn't look as cool as our old one did and it isn't the old fashioned style you find in your great-grandmother's house, but it's comfy and new and our second major furniture purchase, so we better just like it. Honestly though, I really do like it. I have already spent many an hour curled up on it watching movies and the telly, reading good books, or just spending time with Jonathan.
If you are are asleep you can wake up now. That's the end of Part I: We did not get the green couch/We bought a new couch (like brand-new from a store!) Check back soon for the next big snoozer- The Long Version Part II: I survived the end of the semester.
p.s. If you are wondering what happened to our old couch; don't ask. It's too sad.
*Those of you who know of Value City Furniture, please do not tell us that they are a rip-off or that they sell high-priced, low quality crap. We don't want to know. It's too late to take it back.