For Geoffroy, moving into my house was not easy. Not only was he moving to my country, but he was moving into a house where I was well established. In order to transition from my house to our house, we needed to make some changes – one of those being furniture.

Last week we blissfully headed off to Ikea to search for a bookcase/entertainment system. With the American dream glimmering in his eye, Geoffory has visions of a flat screen HD TV in his head. And then there are the 125 pounds of cooking books he brought with him from France – big luscious volumes costing in the $200 dollar range from famous and well-respected French chefs.

After walking the show floor three times, we finally narrowed down our choices to two different models. We both agreed on what pieces we needed, but color was a different story. Once home, we surveyed the living room, trying to decide what would look good with what we already own. Back and forth, we argued our case for our favorite color – he preferring a light birch and me wanting white.

See, I’m so used to making all my own decisions. Before getting married, I would make a decision and go out and buy what I wanted. But having to consult another person and actually agree is a whole new concept. I kept thinking, why can’t he just agree with what I want? It would just be so much easier. Ah compromise. We’re both learning a lot about it!

After several hours of debate, we finally made a decision (birch) and headed back to Ikea to make our purchase. Now I’m all about having someone do the work for me, especially when it comes to construction. But Geoffroy was confident we could do it together, so I reluctantly agreed. I have bad memories of trying to assemble an Ikea bookcase with my grandfather once upon a time. Let’s just say it’s an experience I’d rather forget.

I won’t bore you with the minute details of assembly, but let’s just say it included several French swear words, several cordless drill recharges, and two days of our time. When’s the last time you assembled complicated furniture with just a drawing and no words? But for the most part, we did very well. When problems arose like a stripped screw or confusion over parts, we quickly and efficiently solved them. If we got stuck on a certain step, we put the parts down a stepped away for a minute.

But by far the best part was watching as Geoffroy spent an hour adjusting the hanging glass doors. When I would tell him everything looked aligned, he would fiddle with the hinges another couple times making it almost perfect. I guess that’s what happens when you’re married to the son of a rocket scientist. Well actually Geoffroy’s father builds space telescopes but it’s about the same thing. The emphasis is on perfection and when just one edge is out of alignment, the whole thing must be messed with until it’s right.

Although I would have a tendency to just leave it alone, Geoffroy got everything to line up perfectly. Our entertainment center now looks fantastic, and we can be very proud of our work. We made it though, in one piece with minimal disagreement. I think if our marriage can survive Ikea furniture assembly, we’re well on the road to a long, happy relationship!

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