14 years ago, on what amounted to a "first date", Mrs. Brian I. had to bum some money from me. Specifically, she needed money to take the ferry back over to Bainbridge Island from downtown Seattle, where I lived. I gave her a twenty, we shared our first kiss and parted ways. About a week later I got an envelope in the mail. It contained a check in the amount of 20 dollars.
I never cashed it. I never even endorsed it.
Honestly, I thought it would be cool, at the time, to keep it as a memento of her, because she lived in Portland at the time. Little did I realize that the check's significance in our lives as that memento would increase substantially as the years passed.
So, the check has survived in various places (incredibly intact) from 1997 until now. It was in my wallet for years, until I came to the realization that it should probably be better protected. For the past 3 or so years, I've kept it in a plastic folder in my day planner.
Last year, on May 1st, 2010, we finally got married. Recently, one of our close friends suggested that I frame the check and present it to my wife on our first wedding anniversary (4 days from this writing).
Enter... Frame Central! A quick search on Yelp (duh, where else would I start?!) yielded a frame shop conveniently located for me. I had the opportunity to swing by around lunchtime today. I was instantly greeted by an employee who stopped what he was doing to help me. I was grateful, for more than a few reasons. Not the least of which was the sheer volume of available frames in the store. Seriously, everything from the smallest frame you could imagine (including my check) to shadow boxes for sporting memorabilia... they've got it.
Anyway, he took plenty of time to show me a few options, including varying sizes of frames (I settled on a thick, black 8x10 frame) and matting options. Once I'd picked the matting, he measured the check carefully and whisked the matting off. Approximately 30 seconds later he returned to the desk with a perfectly formed mat board. Toss in an 8x10 easel and the grand total came to $22 and change. Entirely reasonable.
All told the whole visit took maybe 15 minutes, and that's stretching it. Granted, my needs for picture frames and mat boards are few and far in between, but at least I know where I'll be going for those needs. Now, and in the future.
To bring it full circle... Happy Anniversary, Ashley! Hopefully you don't read this between now and Sunday, because I'm trying to keep it a surprise. read more