Dumpster Diving

I'm not the type that will see something set out by the garbage and decide to load it up and take it home. But I couldn't pass up the PIANO I saw out by the trash! So, with the help of a friend who is brave enough to talk to strangers (I hate doing it) we made arrangements to get the piano for FREE. A free piano! And it's not too bad. There's a few keys that don't work but they are mostly where you rarely play anyway. The mirror along the top is also really tacky but still not horrible.

Ben was wonderful for getting it for me. He doesn't even really want it but he put all the work into moving the piano just because he loves me. He is the best husband. We're planning to get it tuned but that will have to wait until he save up some money for that. If you know of anyone who tunes pianos for relatively cheap let me know! Heidi's goal for this year is to learn to play the piano. We even had piano music to sing along with during our Family Home Evening last night. It was great.

A new year, new goals!

Christmas was odd this year. Fun but just lacking that whole Christmas feel since I spent the two weeks prior working on a wedding and then missed a flight home. I got home in time to unpack, do the laundry and run out late at night for stocking stuffers. Thank goodness Rite Aid was still open. The cutest part of Christmas for me was watching Daisy sit there only interested in her cup full of gummi bears. She looks so old and grown up!

Ever since then I have felt like I was in a funk...not quite my normal self. But then today something happened to kick me back into action. My friend asked me to speak in Young Women about setting goals. This got me thinking about goals for the year 2010. I LOVE to set goals and LOVE having the new year to pick some new things to work toward. I also realized today that I have exactly 3 months until Blake is born. Remember what goal I set last time I had 3 months? That's right! To run 100 miles before the baby was born. I've been so excited to have this goal again. Tomorrow morning I will get up and get started on my next 100 miles. Tomorrow night is also our Family Home Evening where we review our last year's goals and set new ones for the coming year. I'm excited to say that we accomplished most of our goals this year. In fact they became such a habit in our everyday lives that I forgot they were even our goals to begin with. So tomorrow night we will set new goals and have them posted around our house to remind us. I really encourage you all to set goals. Write them down and put them somewhere that you will see them each day. It really does help you feel better about yourself as you work towards these goals and accomplish them. Happy New Year!

Christmas Parade!

Our ward did a float in the Christmas parade and for some reason that fell under ward activities. Our float was Bringing the Joy of Christmas into your Home. Pretty much we just wanted to emphasize that we were Christians and read from the Bible.

We had to line up two hours before the parade even started. It was not fun with the girls stuck in the truck (it was FREEZING outside). As you can tell from Ben's expression and Heidi, who is crying during the picture, that is was a long two hours.
Our float was just a living room scene. We used our Christmas tree and it will be thrown away after Christmas. It broke and is leaning against our wall for Christmas this year.
We used this parade as a chance to pass out pass-along cards. We gave out about 700 and ran out half-way through.

Our float actually placed! We took third place with religious emphasis. We even received a trophy. We all sort of laughed at it because it has a big cross on the top of it. For those who don't know we are one of the few Christian faiths that does not use the cross as a symbol of our worship so it is a little funny.

We lit up the float by using two extension cords, a surge protector and a car adapter. We made it through the entire parade with lights but as soon as we turned the corner to end the parade the adapter blew.
The girls insisted on walking and handing out the cards. They did alright but both ended up back in the truck and when it was over we let them ride on the trailer.
My good-looking husband saving the day and driving the truck for me (not to mention all the other stuff he did during the day to help me get this float done).
I just have to say that I am so glad to be done with my calling for the year. I love my calling but it is a stressful week whenever I have something going on. Now we are getting everything packed for tomorrow's plane trip to CA. Is it really supposed to snow in Oroville tomorrow? That would stink. The last thing I want to do is fly home to somewhere even colder than it was last night.