The First Bag I Ever Loved

I don't tend to like things like handbags. I pretty much have two or three that I switch between every few months, and they're all pretty neutral and boring. But functional. As I was doing my fall wardrobe cleanout, I found the old white purse that I bought at Sam Moon (the one and ONLY time I will ever go there) and saw how dirty it was. I tried to wipe it off with plain water which did not work, then I remembered a trick I learned when my mom and I were cleaning up some of my old dolls: hairspray. It cleans vinyl like nobody's business. So, I got out an old bottle of hairspray and starting cleaning it. It worked great, but as I was wiping away, I realized, "I hate this purse. I want a purse that I don't have to clean with hairspray." So, I went online expecting to find some passable purse that could replace my super cheap and ugly old one.

As I was browsing the Anthropologie sale page, I found the most beautiful bag I've ever seen. It's called the "Alabaster Crackle Bag." Alabaster. I like the sound of it. It was on sale for way more than I felt was wise to spend - just like everything always is at that store - so I put it in my shopping cart and decided to sleep on it. If I woke up still wanting it, I would talk to Jon about buying it.

Well, I woke up and still wanted it. I logged on to the website only to discover that they had sold out of it overnight. What? Seriously? Yes. I was pretty disappointed, but thought maybe I could wait a while then buy one on ebay if it was available. Skip to the next day when I went shopping with my mom. We walked into Anthropologie and lo and behold, they had the bag! I got to see it in person, hold it, feel it, examine the lining, and it just made me want it even more. I have never been so attached to a handbag before. I was still waffling on the price, however. I decided to leave it again. If I woke up and still wanted it, I would drive back to the store and if it was still there, I would take it as a sign that God wanted me to have the purse, and I would buy it. Good theology, I know.

I woke up the next morning, still thinking about the purse, so I called Northpark. The bag had been sold! Noooooo! So, I called Highland Park Village. No bag there. Then I called The Shops at Willow Bend. They had it! One left! I asked the saleslady to hold it and drove over there to pick it up as soon as they opened.

Today is its inaugural day. It's beautiful. I love it. I don't want anything to happen to it. I dread spilling my coffee on it or some such thing. The first bag I ever loved.