A Piano

The family piano. We had one growing up, courtesy of a gift from my uncle's mother. Not sure exactly how  that piano ended up in our living room, but we were grateful nonetheless. I started lessons around age nine, using those large, colorful  piano books filled with songs that string six adjacent notes together and call it something vaguely appropriate, like "up and down the hill" or "the dancing cat". I, for the most part, greatly disliked practicing said songs. 

The family piano

The piano and my distaste for metronomes followed us from "the red house" to "the green house" and finally to "the house". My parents attempted various piano teachers, and I countered with predictable charges of gross mismanagement of our family finances. After all, I had neither the time, talent, or tenacity to make a career out of the piano, so why invest? Having made my case, I quit.

Temporarily. Enter Cakewalk, a music program for the PC. Used by more intelligent people to do things I still couldn't begin to understand, I used it to bring to life the songs in the various piano books I owned. Seriously. I would sit in front of the computer with a song and put it into the program note by note--clearly my dating life was quite robust at age thirteen. After actually hearing what these songs could sound like when played with some modicum of skill, I decided maybe it wouldn't be so terrible if I could do this after all. 

We didn't dive back into lessons--I wasn't going for Chopin--but I did spend more time at the piano. Dad taught me the basics of chords. Band class (upping the nerd factor) kept me reading and thinking about music. Choir class (warning, warning) and our occasional lack of an accompanist put me in the position of having to learn to sight read, in front of 30 people, quickly. Throw in playing keyboard for worship band and I was in front of a piano almost daily. At least through high school.

As you may guess, a piano is a difficult thing to take to college and grad school. I still played some in college--wooing my eventual wife with some quality musicianship--but lost the opportunity once I moved away for grad school. After all, one bedroom apartments are not exactly the greatest places for a baby grand. And so for the last five years, with the exception of holidays at home or keyboards at a wedding (sorry Amy), I lived sans piano.

  

A couple of weeks ago, all that changed. My grandmother, recently remarried and suddenly the owner of two pianos, had one to pass down the family tree. The piano arrived by van a couple of weekends ago, a van strategically loaded with sound dampening foam, plastic lawn furniture, plywood, and blankets. It took us around 30 minutes to make it the length of our sidewalk, up onto the porch, and into the living room. Along the way, I gave it a quick test. 

Surprisingly, it still sounds pretty good. It needs a bit of a tune up, but the keys still have a familiar feel and tone. 

Like the piano I grew up playing, we are not sure exactly how this piano ended up in our living room, but we are grateful nonetheless. Honored even. 

More than Christ

Is there anything I want more than Christ?
The answer should be no and every day I desire it to be so, but in the reality of sin the answer too often is yes. Our culture puts high value on things that have no eternal significance, baiting a tantalizing hook that's difficult not to nibble at. I'm making a choice when my DVR is full and I haven't done my devotions, when I hear the baby crying in the middle of my quiet time, when I'm obsessing over the design of my house during church, when I start the morning by turning on the TV and pulling out my smart phone. The little nuances of life start to take over and before I know it I'm desiring them more than the relationship I hold with my Creator. It's a reminder that evaluation in our lives is key. 
I have found myself caught up in the busyness of life going and going until I'm feeling lost and disconnected, and it's here that I finally stop to evaluate what's happening. Have I been praying, reading, and communing with God or have I been placing the pleasures and chores of my daily life higher on my to-do list than I should? In truth I shouldn't wait until that moment when I'm feeling most overwhelmed to do an assessment but instead evaluate more frequently, weekly and even daily. 
What’s keeping me from wanting Christ the most? In my weakness alone the answer is everything but in His strength the answer is nothing.

Goodbye Scion, Hello Outlander!

It was time to trade up...in size that is. Since 2008 we've been fortunate to have two vehicles in our family, the Civic and the Scion. 

new in 2007

new to us in 2008

The only problem, they're small and smaller. Now that we have a little one it's not quite as practical to have a car (the Scion) that he can't even ride in. 

unless of course he rides with no carseat...but I don't think that's allowed just yet

Enter the crossover SUV: Mitsubishi Outlander. Our backs are already thanking us, as it's a hundred times easier to get Oliver in and out of his carseat from a standing position rather than stooping down in the Civic. 

new to us in 2011

And the trunk space is awesome! No more packing everything loose in the trunk of the civic. And fitting two carseats into the Outlander will be so much easier...when it comes time to that is ;)