Cruisin'

New Jersey... the state of trash-picking. Did you know that trash-picking is common and accepted by even the wealthy where we live (albeit illegal I believe)? It has taken me years to accept this very odd "hobby" (to some) but alas I have grown used to it and have even been on the receiving end twice.

When Andy and I were dating he called me at my apartment to tell me to "hurry" because he was picking me up to look at a piece of furniture he saw curbside in Haddonfield. I was excited but nervous. It was my first go at trash-picking. I was too embarrassed to get out of the car so I gave him the thumbs up, shrunk down in my seat as he loaded a dining room corner cabinet into his truck and off we went.

Last Friday night Andy arrived home from work with another item picked from someone's trash (they actually put trash on the curb so that people will take it). This time he hit the jackpot!

It's a Barbie Beach Jeep Wrangler and it's even a Special Edition. It once retailed for over $300. And it was free. It looks like new. Andy and Lilly immediately headed out to Toys R Us to get a battery and charger while I scrubbed it down. Then Lilly proceeded to test drive it until 9:30 at night! She loved it.

The weekend was spent driving the Jeep. All the neighborhood kids have driven and/or been a passenger in the jeep. Kids of all ages; 8 months to 12 years old. They've all had fun in Lilly's new Jeep. Even Ella took a spin with her sister.

It's really cool. Lilly's been all over the neighborhood in the Jeep. It's so cute to watch her drive a car her size. And she's gotten very good at maneuvering the Jeep. She and Andy went all the way around the block and we took both kids to the park to feed the geese. Lilly drove, Ella rode in her stroller, and Andy and I walked.

Santa brought Lilly a beautiful new pink kitchen for Christmas. She never plays with it. Andy brings home a Jeep from the trash and she's played with it nonstop for 4 days.