Mirror Mirror

So.... I'm rehabilitating my house - not quite a remodel, mostly cosmetic stuff. The master bath has two separate vanity areas each with a large nondescript wall-mounted sheet of mirror. I was wanting to go for a different look, so I decided to remove those mirrors (hopefully reuse them somehow) and get matching framed mirrors for the new vanity tops.

I measured very carefully and determined the appropriate size. I was hoping to get 3 matching mirrors for not too much money. Garden Ridge is the place to go. As I was looking through their ramshackle display, I saw a mirror I liked, pulled it out from behind another one and held it up, deciding if I wanted it. Just then two old ladies came around the corner with an identical mirror in their buggy. With my peripheral vision I could see them spying me, and with my normal hearing I could hear them mumbling about "him getting it." I asked, "Oh, were you looking for a matching one?" The white-haired lady said, "Actually, that's the one we saw first. We have been looking for and finally found a matching one." Her gray-haired friend with a toucan on her blouse nodded in agreement. The mirror not being worth a Shopping Showdown in Garden Ridge, I replied, "Well, I'm not in love with it yet. Do you want me to put it in your cart for you?" They smiled, accepted my offer, and dawdled off, mumbling how they got there just in the nick of time.

I'm sure you're wondering, "Has Aaron ever been in a Shopping Showdown?" The answer is yes, but it was over something much more important than a mirror. It involved some Christmas Tree Ornaments at Wal-Mart. So.... last October (when all sane people buy Christmas decorations) I had picked out some small brass reindeer ornaments to go on my tree and had set them in my buggy. I then left my cart and walked down the aisle to look at something else because there was a big pole in the way (why do they put those poles in the middle of the aisle?). After looking at the tree toppers, I turned around to find some old lady (it's always me versus the old ladies - we're the only ones in Wal-Mart with good taste) starting to shop out of my buggy. I quickly returned to my cart and said, "those are really nice reindeer, aren't they? There are some similar ones over there that are sparkly." Realizing she had met her match, she begrudgingly removed her hands from my merch and decided she needed a fiber optic Frosty instead.

Anyway.... I did finally find a mirror I liked, and there were several identical ones (that's nice because you can find the least damaged ones). They looked big enough and the price tag stated it was a 30x40 mirror which would work out perfectly - one over the small vanity and the other two side by side over the large vanity. After purchasing the three mirrors and a bag of Crunch&Munch (why do they sell that at Garden Ridge), I went to the car. These were really big mirrors, and I tried several different ways to get them in the car (I occasionally "want" a little sports car, but I wouldn't be able to even carry groceries home). I tried the trunk, sideways in the trunk, layed the back seat down, slid, spit, and sweat -it was hot. Well finally I got all three of the mirrors in the car.

I had almost as much difficulty getting them out. And one by one I carried them into the bedroom, thinking these are really big. After getting them out of the car and into the house, I decided to measure them. 30x40 would be perfect. The mirrors themselves were 30x40. However, the frames around the mirrors add some serious inches (37.5x48 to be exact). Don't worry, I don't think I'll have to return them; I'll hang them horizontally instead of vertically.

So.... always take your tape measure to Garden Ridge, and never leave your Wal-Mart buggy full of Christmas decorations unattended. Watch out Old Ladies, I'm ready for a Shopping Showdown!