My husband once teased me for buying a small enameled egg at a flea market, but he was in for a surprise. I have always loved visiting flea markets, drawn to the idea of sifting through other people’s discarded items to find hidden treasures. This passion started when I was eleven, spending summers with my grandmother in New England. We would explore every flea market and street fair we could find, searching for what she called “preloved jewels”.
Even as a mother and grandmother now, nothing excites me more than rummaging through various stalls, hoping to find something special among the ordinary. My husband, Sam, is a kind and hardworking man, but he doesn’t understand my obsession. He often refers to my finds as “hoarder junk”, which sometimes causes tension between us. Despite his criticisms, I have no intention of giving up my weekend adventures with a budget of $20, determined to uncover a hidden gem.
Recently, Sam surprised me by asking to join me on one of my trips. It all started a month ago when I visited a nearby town’s street fair. I felt a thrill of excitement as I approached a modest display of knickknacks. Among the items was a small porcelain and enamel egg, roughly the size of a real egg. It wasn’t particularly beautiful, but I was drawn to it.
When I asked the seller how much it cost, he said $25. I gasped dramatically and offered him $5. After some back-and-forth, I convinced him to sell it to me for $10, and I felt a sense of victory as I tucked it away. After browsing a bit more, I headed home with my treasure in hand.
When I got home, I greeted Sam, who was skeptical about my find. He turned the egg over in his hands and discovered it was labeled “Made in Hong Kong”. He laughed and said I had been tricked. I felt a wave of disappointment but insisted that I liked it and heard something shifting inside.
With a quick motion, Sam pried the egg open, revealing a tiny bundle of red silk. As I carefully unwrapped it, I discovered a stunning pair of earrings nestled within. Although I initially thought they were just good fakes, Sam was convinced they were real diamonds after testing them with his breath, which didn’t fog up the clear center stone.
Excited, Sam suggested we take the earrings to a jeweler for appraisal. Despite my concern about the cost, we went to the mall, and the jeweler confirmed that they were indeed diamonds set in 18-carat white gold, possibly worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. My head spun when he said they could be valued at around three million dollars at auction.
Incredibly, the earrings sold for three million! We now have a lovely nest egg in the bank, and the porcelain egg proudly sits on the mantel of our new home. Sam, once a skeptic, has become an enthusiastic flea market companion, joining me in the hunt for more treasures. We may not have found that Van Gogh yet, but we remain hopeful!
This story teaches us that one person’s trash can truly become another’s treasure. It also reminds us to respect and support each other’s interests—Sam’s mockery of my hobby turned into appreciation when we discovered the earrings together.
Sofía Vergara Recalls Hiring a Dialect Coach to Get Rid of Her ‘Beautiful Accent’: ‘It Was a F—ing Waste’
Regarding the jobs she’s been offered, Vergara remarked, “It’s hard because this accent is beautiful, but it’s like, I cannot be a scientist, I cannot be an astronaut.”
Though actress Sofía Vergara has also been known for her beauty and melodious accent, she was initially resolved to get rid of the latter over fears her speech would limit the opportunities that would come her way.
The 51-year-old Griselda actor said, “I cannot take this accent away no matter what,” while talking about the parts she has been offered since her days on Modern Family. She also stated that she didn’t want to play her character “Gloria [Pritchett] again” in another comedy series.
“I tried when I first started my career,” she recounted during the drama actress round table hosted by The Hollywood Reporter. “I couldn’t believe Salma Hayek or Penélope Cruz didn’t change their accents—they would have had so many more opportunities—when I first went to Los Angeles. I’m going to carry it out.
Then, Vergara continued, “I wasted so much money and time with people teaching me, and it was a f—ing waste.”
The actress talked candidly about the challenges she had landing a serious part after playing Gloria, a Colombian bombshell and single mother, on the ABC sitcom for 11 years.
She said, “It was almost like playing myself.” “In my entire life, I never attended an acting class. It’s difficult for me to change my direction since, although my accent is lovely, I feel like I can’t be an astronaut or a scientist.
She did more than just hire a dialect coach as a preventative step to advance her career. Vergara said that she has never lied to “get a job,” but she did admit that she has “lied to my agents so they would take me when I moved to L.A.”
“I said I could sing and dance. Why not? She giggled, “I didn’t think they were going to send me out.” “After that, they sent me to a Broadway audition in Chicago.”
She was cast in the role of “I played Mama Morton in Chicago,” in spite of her first worries.
Vergara stunned viewers with her portrayal of Miami drug queenpin Griselda Blanco in Netflix’s Griselda, despite the fact that she may be best known for her comedic roles.
During an appearance on former costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, the actress remarked on having “a lot of similarities” to the drug lord and how her own family’s experiences with sorrow informed how she handled the character.
Sadly, Vergara’s elder brother, who had been in the drug trade for a while, “was killed in Colombia in the ’90s.”
Thus, I believed I comprehended a good deal of those topics. I understood that business, I understood that woman, and so I felt it was a really interesting character,” she said, noting that she didn’t approach the role looking for “a character to prove that I can be a tragic actress.”
She continued, “I felt that it had to be someone that I kind of, like, knew who she was.”
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