Hand-Me-Downs

Jay's parents recently moved into a smaller home, and didn't have room for all of their furniture.  We totally scored!  They were kind enough to ship us a bedroom set, a buffet, and a 500 pound piano that's been in Jay's family for three generations.

Before everything arrived, I was most excited about the new bed.  For years we've slept in a bed that once belonged to Jay's old roommate, and it creaked and groaned every time we made the slightest move.  Getting in and out of bed made such a fuss that Ilan, who sleeps in our room, would often stir and wake.  

The new bed is incredible, and it's so nice to have a matching dresser and and end tables.  It's almost as if we are real grown ups now. But I am most happy with the piano.  It was initially slated for our basement,  but the movers couldn't get it down the stairs.  Now it sits in our kitchen / dining room, dominating the space.  It came with a ton of sheet music, so we are learning to play everything from children's folk songs to Billy Joel to the Beatles.  Jay and I do a moving Heart and Soul duet. Roan does scales and calls out the name of each note. Even Ilan takes pleasure in pounding the keys.  How is it that Jay's two older siblings passed on the opportunity to own this?

Also great about the piano: we have now become those people who put framed portraits on it.

I have a thing for hand-me-downs.  My engagement ring belonged to Jay's maternal Grandmother.  My wedding ring was my Grandma Em's wedding ring.   Though I rarely think about it anymore, I love having this little bit of history on my finger.  It makes me happy to repurpose things.

In addition to the large furniture items, the Lyons also sent us small pieces of memorabilia, like photos from Jay's childhood, and this poster they had made from one of our wedding photos:

This last photo is for my mother-in-law.  Barbara, I want you to know that we are making good use of all those napkins you saved from Jay's barmitzvah.  From 1989.  We are using them for special occasions, like Shabbat.