Piano!!

I started taking piano lessons when I was about 5 or 6.  All of my brothers were taking lessons and the time had arrived for me to jump on that train.  I don't remember much of my younger years of taking lessons other than having my mom constantly reminding me to practice and that it became a part of our daily chore chart that was expected to be completed. 

As I got a bit older (somewhere between the ages of 8-12) I remember having to ride my bike over to my piano teacher's house having my piano books in the bag on the handle bar.  I never did figure out a good way to balance the book bag on the handle bar without it making me swerve all over the road.  Why I never thought to put my books in my backpack and ride over that way is beyond me, yet I struggled for years with those cloth piano book bags as I dutifully continued my piano studies.

I remember during this time frame only one major experience where I completely detested playing the piano and wanted nothing to do with it.  If I recall correctly, 1 or possibly 2 of my older brothers had reached the age that they said "No more" to piano and quit, while us younger kids had to continue taking lessons.  I resented the fact that they were able to make that decision and it would stick where as my mom wouldn't let me quit no matter how many times I told her I wanted to be done.  I believe her response was something along the lines of "When you get to be their age you can quit too, but until then you have to keep playing."  My oldest brothers are 7 and 6 years older than I am... you can imagine how many lifetimes that seemed to me at my young age.  "I have to wait till I am 17 (or 16)?!?!  That's not fair!!".  If only I had known that life really isn't fair.  Nevertheless, on one particular occasion, I was so upset at the fact that I had to practice the piano that I decided that I was going to throw a tantrum until I got my way and not have to play the piano.  In a fit of temper, I decided to throw my piano books down the hallway, and that was going to show my mom!  Well, being the good little girl that I was, I didn't really want to get into trouble, nor did I want to ruin the books by throwing them (causing them to rip or get damaged) because that would only give me a harsher punishment... so instead of "throwing" my books down the hallway, it was more that I lightly tossed them a few feet from me making sure they landed right-side up.  I remember waiting maybe a whole of about a minute before I went down the hallway, picked up the piano books, went back to the piano, and started practicing again.  I was obviously not very successful in my attempt that day of "showing my mom just what I thought!"

I look back now and I am grateful that my mom didn't let me quit, no matter how many fits I attempted to throw or what way I argued my point of view.  Being a proficient piano player has been a blessing to me in my life in more ways than I can count.  Thank heavens my desires to quit never had any real effect upon me and that I was able to continue to take lessons up and through high school.  I was even able to audition and get into a piano class during college that continued to help me further my musical education.    I don't know how many times I have been blessed with the opportunity of using my piano skills to benefit the lives of others, especially within the church and on the mission.  Playing the piano is just a part of what defines me as me.  I love being able to play and I know that it will always be a big part of my life.   

This bit of history I hope helps to set the mood for the exciting news that Eric and I bought our first official piano!  Well, that is a bit of a lie because we, well I, already had a piano.  Long story short, the piano should have gone to my brother Tyler (he wanted to have it for his wife AmiCheri to play), but he had no way of transporting it.  So I jumped on the opportunity and had that piano for a while.  Eventually I asked AmiCheri to babysit the piano while I went to grad school.  I am obviously not in grad school anymore, but I have had access to a piano since I withdrew, so it wasn't really necessary to get my piano back.  But once Eric and I moved into the condo (last August) I have felt very strong feelings that I needed to have a piano.  The feeling persisted and never relented and was always a constant in the back of my mind.  Sure, I could take "my" piano back from Tyler and AmiCheri, but I felt like a spoiled brat saying "I want my piano back because I want it!" when AmiCheri was using it for her church calling as Primary Pianist.  Plus, I know how much she enjoys playing it too.  So, I never felt good about that option.  In the end Eric and I decided that we would just look on craigslist and find another piano and let Tyler and AmiCheri keep that one, since technically, he would have taken it in the first place. 

After looking at a number of pianos across the valley we happened to stumble upon a diamond in the rough.  Eric and I feel so lucky to have found our piano.  It was advertised at such a low price that we expected so many other things to be wrong with it.  We showed up at the owners house in a lower-income part of town, with run down houses all around and cigarette buds covering the entire lawn.  In that moment we decided the piano was going to be either a huge break, or a major bust... more than likely the latter.  The owner has us walk around to the backyard where he has his business being run.  Whether this business was legal or not, I don't know, nor do I want to.  Lets just say, his entire backyard was full of stuff - bikes, strollers, stereo equipment, electronics, hardware, etc... - and he said he bought stuff, fixed it up and sold it.  I have to wonder if he really did acquire all this stuff by buying it or by "getting it".  Like I said, it seemed really shady.  And there in the dirt sat this piano.  We walked over, I sat down and started to play checking out the sound of the piano.  And it sounded fabulous!  I couldn't believe my ears it sounded that good.  I felt that this had to be too good to be true, but it wasn't.  We had found ourselves a true gem among the rocks, and the price was just right.  After recruiting some muscles to help us pick it up the next day, that piano was ours!

We recruited my brother Jason to come up from Tucson to help us pick up the piano.  Talk about a huge blessing!!

Jason helped Eric in getting the piano initially cleaned and fixed up a bit.

Thank goodness for men with big muscles.

It took me a couple of weeks to clean it as deeply and intensely as it needed, but it was worth the effort.  This piano was such a great investment for us and our future.  I know that it will only be a big blessing as Eric and I move forward in life.  It is the perfect piano for a young family, one that our kids will be able to learn and grown on.  One day, I will have my baby grand, in a room built just for its sweet songs to serenade the entire house.  But until that time arrives, I have my piano!