Today we went to an antique market in Stratford, Ontario. They can have true antiques, but often times, it is a ton of collectibles and memorabilia. It is something fun to do and great exercise if you have a husband like mine.

Andrew loves going to these kind of places and wandering around at a very slow, turtle like pace. He checks out every single booth and inspects various types of things. He’ll light up like a kid on Christmas day at least a handful of times when we go to antique markets.

It can be brutally frustrating at times though.

I move at a quicker pace, peeking in at booths and I look for something to jump out at me. Sometimes it is an actually item that I need to look at better, or it is just a feeling. Usually it is a Cherished Teddies collectible that catches my eye, but sometimes, it is gems, marble, jade, or unique glass work.

While I run ahead, Andrew falls further behind. Unless I find a hidden gem, or something I think he will like. I will wait around then in hopes he will catch up so that I know he saw it. Whistling is how I indicate this to him, but it doesn’t speed him up any.

While we used to spend quite a bit at these places, it has calmed down since I have given him the lens of practicalness to view through. It helps keep the necessity of tidying and purging items down.

However I am reminding by a find this week that his habit of collecting can be quite useful (if we remember where things end up).

Years ago we were at a fair and came across a vendor that sold wooden roses to us. It was couple of years before our wedding, but we took their card (a little paper with info really) and stored it in a nook.

That nook was found a few days ago.

Andrew proposed the year after we found this vendor, and it would be two more years plus two months til we tied the knot. We both loved the wooden flowers (the scents you could add were faint and lovely), and we both wanted them for decorations at our reception (maybe as a bouquet too). However we lost the sheet and so we kept hunting them down at the fair without success.

Sadly we were unable to have those flowers for our wedding (though we were quite happy with the decorations we created ourselves), and it is quite funny to me that we found almost three years after we got married.

I have followed them on facebook now and will be able to find their services when needed in the future.

I guess it can be fun(ny) to have a husband who holds onto every tiny thing, and I’m glad I have him in my life. While he is working on that tendency, at least he knows I see its benefits from time to time!

Anyways, take care of yourselves and make sure you enjoy the fun that can be sorely lacking in life!