Not all addictions are bad...

There are certain habits and addictions in my life that I am not proud of. When I was little, I picked my nose. I still struggle to not bite my nails. In recent years, I have had a serious obsession with watching HGTV home improvement and design shows.

In the coffeeroom at work, I would try to sidestep questions regarding my plans for that evening or weekend. If unsuccessful, I would ho-hum about playing with Marsh and desperately try to change the subject.

This all changed last summer when, after an evening of non-stop HGTV programming, a brilliant idea flashed before me. I was sitting on the couch, gazing at our stark white walls and trying to figure out what we could do to make the place feel like home. I saw such potential in the room, but could not get past the binds of our rental agreement. And then...why not embrace the benefits of living in Los Angeles and apply for someone else to do the work?!

A few Google searches later and I found myself vigorously typing my answers on a Design on a Dime application. I was in full Sales-Kristy form.

Being the apparent persuader that I am, we were interviewed, taped, and finally chosen to be on the show! Dates for filming were set and now all we had to do was wait. For 4 months. I spent many evenings staring at the walls and wondering what they would do with our place. And suddenly the date arrived and we were standing outside our apartment, handing our keys over to the producer--bags in hand and Marsh on leash. As we walked away, feeling strangely of being evicted, reality began to sink in. We just handed our apartment over to complete strangers. That night I dreampt that they painted our place bright, sunshine yellow and over that had painted the city of Florence in metallic gold paint.

That next morning, as we waited in the hallway outside our apartment, my brain replayed the images from my dream over and over. I wasn't nervous, I was just quietly sitting there, half-expecting to be disappointed. The reveal of our living room was incredible. It was all more than we had ever imagined--and no gold paint, nonetheless!

I guess that not all addictions are bad...