small.

It's not necessarily that I like things big... at least not all the time.

I love small babies, for instance.  I love small cards that you can tuck away in a drawer to surprise someone.  I like small animals.  I like small vases that can sit on the corner of a desk or dresser and look classy with just one fresh flower in them.  I love small titles on blogs.  I like small portions, because you always have room for dessert.  I enjoy small photos, because they are most likely antique and most likely have a story.

I do not, however, love small refrigerators.

I have never owned my own refrigerator, but I can confidently say that if I had, it would have been big (translated into American English = "average size").  It would have adequate shelf space, at least two drawers, and I most likely would not have to kneel on the floor to see the top shelf.

It would not have been something like this:

 Imagine my surprise on my first visit to Portugal when I enter the home of a man who LOVES food and find THIS fridge.  Imagine also that it is sitting in a space that comfortably holds a fridge almost twice its size.  Imagine my confusion as to why the space capable of something bigger would not, in fact, be holding something bigger.  Upon asking why, I received the answer that, "This is what everyone in Europe has".  And I rested.  At the time, my mind fast-forwarded to my potential future, and when thinking that large families with multiple members could survive with a fridge this small, surely I could! 

That was, until I moved to the aforementioned Europe.

Now, I don't really consider myself to be "high-maintenance" on a regular basis (though my husband may disagree!), but I can occasionally have "very specific ways of operating".  With each passing day, I became more annoyed with the fridge.  It was so small and always held cheese (fabulous!), so it always smelled strongly of cheese (not so fabulous)... not to mention that I am a planner and like to utilize my freezer, but was limited in this regard with such a small space.  There also weren't many bottles that could stand in such a small space, and the idea of squatting every time I wanted to view this fridge's contents did not appeal to me.  The only idea that appealed to me was the jogged memory of playing baseball in the backyard with my dad when we were kids.  I distinctly remember that after every ball we returned to him short, he would respond, "The pitcher should never have to bend down."  I digress.

Imagine, now, my delight when I was told that Luis's colleagues from his clinic had contributed to get one large wedding gift, and they bought us a fridge... and to my delight, an "average" size one at that!  Though the freezer is not open, but 3 big plastic crisper-style drawers, it still is wonderful.  You can meet him here:  

The actual refrigerator portion is the same height and only 3 or 4 inches wider than his little brother, but having the fridge on top and the bigger freezer makes all the difference in the world!

Who would have thought that a [big] fridge could make me so happy?!?!  :)