Without fail, every month for the past eight years our one and ONLY credit card has been temporarily suspended due to suspected fraudulent activity. Regardless of how many times I informed the company that we were living outside the US, how many emails and letters I sent, or how many times the company SWORE that it would NEVER happen again, it did. Like clockwork. About four weeks later. And it always happened with the most frivolous of charges and at the MOST inopportune time.
As frustrating as it is when your credit card is continually suspended, you begin to get used to it. You just know that once you make a $4 charge at AliBaba's Schwarma House in Oman you're going to get the red flag on your next Nordstrom internet order back in the US. You also know that the minute you touch down on your month-long R&R trip in California, you have four, maybe five minuscule charges at Target, Old Navy and the nail salon before you're faced with your card being held on contempt. You can't help but get upset. Get angry. Shake your head in amazement ... every single time it happens. But after a few years, you no longer yell (as loudly) at the poor fraud alert customer service person who asks you repeatedly inane questions about the county you lived in back in 1993. Instead, you just add the 1-800 number to your speed dial as you know you'll be calling monthly for them to unlock your card.
So imagine my surprise this week when the phone calls from "said" credit card company DIDN'T come. When I went into store after store charging several of the big ticket items on the card for our new house ... spending FAR more than I've EVER spent in a three month period ... all in a three day period.
Because over this past weekend the girls had the time of their life, as THEY picked out their new beds ... for their new rooms ... in their new home.
No Drexel Heritage brown headboard for them for the next several years. No sirree. It is all about the white washed, bead board beds. The finials. The funky legs. The frilly flower inlays. And the canopies that made their hearts swoon.
Three visits to the kids bedroom furniture store that my cousin recommended. Including a scouting trip to take pictures, a two and a half hour trip there on Saturday afternoon with the kids to choose and pay for the bedroom sets, and THEN a follow up trip Sunday morning to change the bed that the eldest daughter decided she wanted the previous evening to an entirely different style of bed. And we are done!
These are the beds that they chose. For the beginning of their new lives. A small decision that mattered far more to them than it did to me. And I couldn't be happier with their decisions. Because they owned them. And my credit card too.
I'll just hold my breath for the next few purchases. Because I know what's coming. And my speed dial is ready ...
L to R ...
Sheridan's bed shown as a sleigh bed, though the one she chose is the same design with a higher, straighter headboard and finials. Grady's bed (shown in brown but we ordered it in blue).
And Riley's bed. Shown w/o her because I had to go back and order THIS one instead of the one she chose and photographed on yesterday.
13 comments:
I hear you on the cc thing - mine went tilt trying to buy a freaking pair of socks one time! I went mental on the poor bank clerk since I had my entire retirement account there too and could not possibly have been over my limit. Turns out, since it had "international activity" they'd put an arbitrary 6 swipes/day limit on! Umm, not really okay for my big US outlet mall shopping spree. Took another 3 days to get it removed though, I was NOT happy...
LOVE the kids beds - they (or is it you ;)) have great taste :).
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this was our weekly life when we first arrived in germany. after a month of prepping them. Such a hassle. Hope for your sake they have figured out that you aren't always in one stationary place.
Oh the CC headaches that come with a global life. As many people that travel, live and work overseas you think they could figure it out.
I LOOOVE the beds, I dream of choosing our own furniture again someday. How fun. I can't wait to see what it all looks like when it is in the house.
Those beds are beautiful. And I hadn't thought of it this way - you guys FINALLY getting to live amongst your own furniture after so many years not. Wow. Awesome. Can't wait to come visit your new house and all it's fab furnishings!!!
It is frustrating to have your card shut off like that. My husband is active duty Navy and travels quite a bit, and we've lived overseas as well. We've also had our card shut off at the most random of times. Right now, he's deployed overseas and I'm in the states. But I won't complain as much any more, because just a couple of months ago, they did actually catch fraudulent activity on our card. We have no idea how how these people got our number, but they charged $1000 worth of shoes to our card. So just so ya know, once in a while, it actually does benefit the card holder. :) Good luck building your house and getting all moved in. Exciting stuff. :)
How fun for the kids!! My husband and I are always total cheapskates when it comes to buying furniture for the kids' rooms (or, really, any room) so that looks like it would be a blast for me, too. :)
How aggravating about your card, though! Hope you don't get held up at Starbucks... ;)
Yeah, we always get those calls when we travel to Bulgaria to visit family even though we always warn them of our impending travel early and often. As annoying as it is, I have decided to ignore it because my cc number was stolen twice and they caught the fraudulent activity too.
The whole time we were in Bujumbura, argh. There was a South Africa company that post would order consumables from quarterly and without fail the cc company denied the charge every time, no matter how many times I told them we were making regular, legitimate orders.
Every time we go to Brazil we charge a LOT of money, and over at least three weeks time, and it never causes a problem. But every time we drive to Phoenix our card ends up getting frozen, because of a gas charge. We just shake our heads and do the annual call to get things back in order.
As for the beds, furniture shopping for kids is SO MUCH FUN!
What great beds! Furniture shopping is the best - and can only be made better if they came free of charge :)
Time to find a new credit card company??
Love those beds and I love even more that they got to pick out exactly what they wanted.
Our English roe turned 4 recently and she got to chose her bedroom furniture. Very cute watching her in action choosing her furniture.
Nice beds!
I told hear you on the credit card thing. I used to get so embarrassed about it, but now I worry if it dosent have a block :)
The girls have their mamma's great taste. Their furniture is adorable.
BTW....love love love the new blog.
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