Preparing & Keeping Occupied

We've got way too much stuff lying around! So in thinking ahead to clearing space for babies AND clearing our minds knowing there's not as much disorder hiding in the closets, basement, and garage...on May 31 we held a garage sale, which went really well - thankfully, as we found our first attempt last year to be pretty tiring & not always pleasant (I don't particularly enjoy the whole price negotiation aspect of things). Anyway, we sold a significant amount of stuff, and had a steady stream of customers from 7:00am to nearly 1:30pm, when the torrential downpour & hail arrived. It was a good day - we had signs about where some of the money is going (see Kids Alive & Blood Water Mission links), and were asked lots of questions. All the responses were positive, and there were a few fun interactions. First, one boy in a group of teens on bikes who stopped by asked about our signs, as his sisters have been to Zambia with Kids Alive. By his features, I figured out right away who he was (although he doesn't know us, being the youngest, Geoff & I were youth leaders at his church while his oldest sister was in high school). Later, a woman stopped by who had also been to Zambia with Kids Alive, and had her pictures in her purse! Turns out she is the aunt of some former classmates of mine. One customer told us about how she and her siblings are all adopted, after finding out in the process of conversation that we are adopting, and another man talked for a long time with Geoff about his experience adopting two children 20 years ago. Then my uncle from out of town, on a long haul to the States, showed up for a quick visit, which was fun! The next day, most of our remaining odds & ends in the driveway (a throw-away vacuum, two chairs, and some glassware left to fend for itself in the rain) were scooped up by some Mennonite folks who happened to be driving by...and who kindly gave a small contribution even though Geoff kept insisting all the leftovers were free. Being on a main rural roadway between suburban areas helped business a great deal, and with all the customers, it was a great opportunity to interact with pretty much every segment of Southwestern Ontario society! Another meaningful connection coming out of the weekend started when an old friend from university stopped by the garage sale & discovered our plans to adopt. She lives in town, and our only contact is brief and unplanned. She ended up calling on Sunday afternoon wanting to give us her remaining baby items in support of our adoption. We stopped by to have a look, and ended up visiting for a couple of hours & enjoying a lovely visit with her and her husband and children, complete with home-baked loaf & ice cream!

Other than trying to sort, organize, and downsize unnecessary "stuff", we're keeping pretty busy in general. I am somewhat anxiously watching time fly by for thesis work, and am finding that it continues to be such a slow process, but with increasing pressure to finish (both internally, and based on my official timelines). This is more than a little stressful some days...

We continue to have more after-work commitments & busy weekends than we usually aim for, so we're pretty much up & running all the time. I'm hoping to find some time to plant my flowers over the next week or so, before my second annual hike on the Bruce Peninsula! To cope with the pace, I'm trying to keep our lists comprehensive & prioritized as best as possible.

There hasn't been much chance to keep up with adoption reading over the past weeks, but it has been refreshing to keep squeezing in baby product research & thinking about our eventual trip to Africa. So, that's just a bit about what we've been up to lately, and where things are at for us. Thanks for your continued thoughts & prayers & support!