Out of the Darkness and Into the Light

Dear Readers,
Confession time is here. Almost three years ago, I made a decision that would've destroyed a weaker marriage... I bought a smaller television for the living room simply to fit in a media cabinet that I liked. Yes, I did it - I sacrificed screen size for furniture aesthetics. And, to top it all off, I passed off the smaller, 32" television as Saunders's birthday present. He took it like a man, moved the 36" television down into the basement, and we've enjoyed the 32" (and the pretty armoire) since we moved into the "new house" about three years ago.
Another confession... when Saunders asked if the armoire broke down into two pieces (which meant we could use only the base as a support for a bigger television), I simply shrugged and avoided the question. Did I know that the armoire came in two pieces? Not exactly. Did I have my suspicions? Maybe. Did I want to break apart this brand new media cabinet that I loved and had searched for weeks for? No way.
However, when we rearranged our furniture almost a year ago, Saunders realized that the armoire did come apart. He realized that the bottom could be a base for a big tv, and the top could be the base for the wet bar of his dreams in the basement. How could I argue with that two-for-one recycling deal? Then, the dream of a bigger television was reawoken in his heart, and I knew that he'd done his time with a 32" television. We've been talking about it since last fall, and this weekend, we went to Sam Franklin's and picked out the big boy tv.

Out with the old ... 32" Sony Wega (aka a fat butt tv... no HD, no bells, no whistles, but still quite servicable. I know - we were still in the Dark Ages over here.)

And in with the new! A 52" Sony LCD tv. HDTV and all those other fancy things that I don't know that much about.

Sam Franklin and Saunders working on the new set up.

I'll have to admit... I really like the new television, and I have been excited about it. I didn't have a problem with the smaller one, but it was kind of hard to see after we rearranged the living room. Our couch is 17 feet away from the tv, so it is kind of a long way away in terms of normal tv viewing. That 20 inch screen increase makes a big, big difference. However, right now, the new tv is making me a little motion sick. I'm used to a blurry screen! It will take me a little time to get used to it, but it is really awesome. Katie Anne likes it - she squealed out loud when she saw it. And, of course, Saunders loves it!

This purchase also comes with two fringe benefits for me and Katie Anne. Fringe benefit one... the old but still working fine 32" tv has now moved to the playroom/craft room, so we've got a tv in there.
And, I've wanted a Tivo in the bedroom for a while now, but Saunders thought that wasn't necessary. Now that we've had to order an HD Tivo for the living room, the old regular Tivo is at home in our bedroom! Sweet! Now, I can lay in the bed and watch my shows at night, and Katie Anne can watch Dora in the morning while we're getting ready for work instead of going into the living room by herself. She'll love that!

In the famous words of former Atlanta Brave Otis Nixon, "I just got three words to say. It don't get no better than this!"
Here's the real reason we got the big tv.
How can you top Dora in HD?
That's right, people ... you can't. :)