THANK YOU!

Some images of before and after yard sale setup!




Well, we survived the yard sale.  Actually, we didn't just survived--we had an amazing day.  Thanks to all of our friends who: donated items, helped price items, made baked goods for the sale, brought doughnuts (Krispy Kreme, no less), and came at the crack of dawn (honestly, there was no light because it was still dark!) and help us set up the overwhelming amount of clothes and special yard sale merchandise, and to those who came and helped throughout the sale (folding and re-folding clothing... you know who you are:) and provided moral support.  It was so humbling to have our good friends, most of whom donated items, come to the sale and shop for other items to support our adoption.  

The sale was pretty much over around 2pm, and sweet friends of ours helped load each of our vehicles to the max with leftovers, which we delivered to Thriftsmart and Goodwill.  We finished cleaning up our driveway around 4 and our kids came in the house and crashed into naps faster than I've seen in a while.  Around 6 we headed over to some friends' house in the neighborhood.  They hosted a great outdoor concert open to the neighborhood and beyond. What a beautiful evening.  There was popcorn (fresh from a real popcorn machine), warm apple cider, lots of kiddos running around, blankets, lawn chairs, and a toasty fire.  Randall played a few songs, along with three great artists and friends of ours (Mandy Mann, Billy Cerveny, and Andrew Osenga).  It was so humbling (again) to see many of the folks who'd spent most of the day at our house during the yard sale-a-thon in the crowd as we sang a couple of tunes.  They also collected donations for our adoption.  We were truly overwhelmed.  So many folks were excited to find out "how we did at the sale."  By the way, we did just fine. We made $1028.80 at our "yard sale," thanks to our community.  We would not have that had it not been for all of them. So, thank you.

Our family didn't make it to church today, but I did end up going there this morning to return some tables.   Driving back home, I stopped to take some of the signs down we'd put up to advertise the sale.  I stopped in front of a church in our neighborhood, which has church bells.  They chime on the hour throughout the week, and we can usually hear them from our house.  I love them.  This Sunday morning though, when I got out of my car, they were playing the hymn, What a Friend we have in Jesus.  It was hard not to get teary, as I heard the last line of the melody, and I thought of that verse which says, "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."  

I thought about how much I worry and how much I have "worried" through this adoption process.  It was truly convicting.  And comforting.  When I got home, I came into the house seeing some of the stuff that didn't sell and lots of leaves which came inside with the many friends yesterday who were carrying stuff out of our house into our driveway to set it up and organize it.  It made me smile.  We are so blessed and so thankful for everyone who took their Saturday morning to put things outside for us to sell to raise money. Our new child/children (we still don't know if it'll be 1 or 2:) are already so loved. Thank you for loving our family!