finally

I have always missed being able to just sit and the piano and unwind whenever I have a few minutes.  I used to play several times a day growing up.  Not that I'm all that great (I taught myself to sight read when I learned to play the flute), but I enjoy playing and it's really destressing for me.  I am told that less stress is pretty crucial for my health right now, and I am taking that advice to heart completely.

My sweet mom got me a keyboard for our first Christmas as a married couple.  I was delighted and had bog plans, but I had to keep moving it and putting it away due to space issues and it falling on babies.  Finally, I found a permanent home for it in our bedroom right next to poor Wes' side of the bed.  He didn't mind because he comes in and falls asleep whenever play.  It's been wonderful, but it's an 80-key (instead of 88-key) and the keyboard is slightly wider than the piano which makes some reaches for notes impossible.  I'm also an acoustic girl, and the more organic sound of a real piano just really feeds my soul.

A few weeks ago, I started clearing our basement to prepare for our move, and I started selling unwanted items on a local website.  I had also started looking for a piano, although wasn't really sure what would be functional and still fit in my price range of the $300 cash I'd earned through my sales.

Then I found this beauty and I knew it would be perfect:

I was able to haggle $100 off the price, which was fabulous!  I think it has a certain charm about it with all the chips and the scroll-y music holder and such.  I obviously need a better decor on the top, but  think  did pretty well considering that everything was already somewhere in the house and I spent no money jazzing it up. (I'm planning on sewing a runner for the top, and I have a few other things in mind, but I'm saving for the tuning first.) It definitely needs a good tuning but I was told I needed to let it "acclimate" for a month before tuning it, so for now I am playing it out of tune and just happy that I have one to play.  The great thing is that it is small enough to move into a very small place (which is what we are gearing up for) and also charming enough for me (I really adore the look and sound of the antique pianos....someday I will own one.).  It makes our living room feel so cozy. 

I have already given Kolton his first lesson from this system I came across at an expo I did last year.  The lady there had taught piano for 40 years and had complied her favorite books and methods together.  Her system was well-rounded, fun, and she was a doll!  I have been waiting for Kolton to get big enough to try it out.  Wes and I are going to try out the Professional Chord System by David Higginson, followed by lessons from a local musician.  We are all very excited about the piano around here!

It's so nice to have a piano around while everything feels like it's falling apart.  I am a big believer in music and I am glad we are finally in the process of beginning to embrace the power of music in our lives.  Nothing can replace good music and the coziness of a room with a musical instrument in it.  I am excited to see the music part of my goals finally start to unfold.  I think it will be good for me to feel like something in my life is progressing since right now I just feel like everything is going backwards.  (Maybe not everything, but sometimes it feels that way.)

All in all, it's been a great thing for the whole family, and hopefully starts me down the road to easing all the terrible anxiety I've been experiencing with my stinkin' thyroid issues.  (Wes and I talked to a few people with my same health issues and every single one is on anxiety meds. We looked them up and the long list of side effects and decided we'd really, really like to avoid them at all costs.  Cross your fingers for me.)  Either way, I'm just glad to finally own a piano!