A lot happened in February of this year. In order: My parents blessed with me their old king bed, I met my boyfriend, and I met his mattress. Allow me to break down these events.

I hadn't been in the market for a king-size bed necessarily. Of course, the fantasy had crossed my mind because why wouldn't it? I'm only a human who desires what she doesn't really need, but ultimately I was fine with my queen. She was sturdy. Trusty. Had enough room for me and Cece plus a special guest here and there. But when my parents mentioned wanting to upgrade their sleeping situation and were willing to hand down their king to me, I couldn't say no. A free, 15-year-old king-sized mattress?! BEGGARS CAN'T BE CHOOSERS, Y'ALL. So, I took it and suddenly, my bedroom got a lot smaller but my world of comfort burst wide open.

The difference between a queen and king is truly life-altering. So much room for activities! A castle made of clouds! A throne on which to lay for too long every workday morning, wake up in at 7am on weekends because you can't sleep in anymore, and set up shop in with food, drink, and movies when you're feeling extra uninterested in participating in life. My world was instantly bettered.

But then, I met my boyfriend by happenstance a few weeks later. And a while after that, I met his bed (we're all adults here). I played coy for a while, but I distinctly remember one morning when he left early to workout and granted me the delight of staying put until he returned home. Now typically, I'm not one to sleep in. Not anymore. Once I hit my late 20s, sleeping-in past 8am became a thing of the past. But on this morning, he left and I was out like a light for the rest of the morning. When he got back (with brunch might I add), as I woke from my close-to-a-coma slumber, the first thing I said was "How the f@$! do you get up in the morning? This bed is so comfortable." And that's when he told me about Leesa.

I was privy to the whole bed-in-a-box thing, of course — I just had never bought into it. Truly, it had never crossed my mind. But when I actually slept on a Leesa, everything changed. I knew I had to have one. Sure, I felt guilty retiring my parent's hand-me-down, but life is all about evolving, right? And it was time.

I ordered a standard king-size Leesa, opted out of the foundation setup (this is for those who don't already have a bed frame and box springs OR if you're looking to update yours), and patiently awaited its arrival. And let me tell y'all — it's been bliss ever since.

Setup is stupid easy. You literally take it out of the box, cut the plastic covering, roll it onto your bed and wait. Since it's an entirely foam mattress that was decompressed when packaged up, it has to do its thing — you know, EXPAND. After a few days, it's usually good to go in terms of firmness, but I'd say a good solid week is when it has reached its full potential. And once it does, good luck getting up in the morning.

It's the most comfortable mattress I've ever slept on. It's somehow firm yet cushy all at once, it sleeps cool (meaning I don't wake up in a pool of sweat or spend most of my night desperately searching for cold spots or sleeping with one leg out), and don't worry — the smell goes away. With all foam mattresses and any foam anything really, there's always a bit of a chemical smell (especially since it's been packaged up, waiting for you), but it shows itself out the door after about a week, and then everything's perfect.

So, in short: Would 10/10 recommend a Leesa mattress if you've been flirting with the idea of buying a new bed setup. AND if you decide to go with Leesa, my special promo code EMMASTHING will take $160 off your purchase through Labor Day! After that, my code will be in effect FOR-EV-VER but for $130 off instead of $160. So either way, it's a win.

If you need me, I'll be burrowed into my bed for the foreseeable future. Send snacks and wine and maybe a dog bone for Cece. We'll be here if you need us.

xox,