So 2003

Kevin's mom gifted us her old (amazing) vacuum cleaner. As I hauled our old one to the curb, I was reminded of how we'd had it for almost 12 years. It was a replacement for the one we bought off our wedding registry. Kevin used the original to clean up broken glass in the bottom of our apartment dishwasher a few weeks after we got married. That's how we learned that dishwashers have standing water in them, and water kills vacuum cleaners. We also learned, though, that Bed Bath & Beyond has a great return policy.

That reminded me of when I was a kid, and my mom and dad would always say things like, "we got that toaster/towel/pillowcase/bowl" as a wedding present. I would be all like, "geez, this is 15/20/25 years old? Are you going to keep it forever?" I couldn't imagine owning stuff that long.

But as we approach our 12th anniversary, I can look around and see that most of the stuff we own is about 12 years old...and that doesn't seem like a long time! Our towels are frayed, the shower curtain has been retired, and the vacuum is no match for four kids and three dogs, but the rest of it is hanging on. I love our Christmas decorations, most of which we received as wedding and shower gifts. I'll admit that I surveyed our mantle today and thought how outdated it looked compared with the pictures my friends are posting on Facebook.  It's so 2003. The stockings don't match and I noticed mine has a tear at the bottom. The stocking hangers Kevin and I bought on our first anniversary are a little tarnished and there aren't enough letters in the word "Peace" to hold all our stockings anymore. (Nor does the word describe our general Christmas experience!) 

But it's our outdated mantle decor, and it's perfect.