Monday, October 8, 2012

More Than Enough

That was fun.

We had our first ever adoption fundraising garage sale this past Friday and Saturday. To be honest, we weren't quite sure what to expect when we hit the garage door button that first morning. We knew we had stayed up extra late getting ready. We knew that a lot of generous people had helped us prepare for a successful sale. We knew the weather was "iffy". We just weren't sure what might greet us when we opened the door.



All set to go.

At 7 AM on Friday, we pushed the button and got our first clue. There was nobody there.

It was a bit chilly.
I don't know that our hearts sank right then and there, but there was at least some concern. After all, we'd had a garage sale in our neighborhood a couple of years before, and the first hour of Friday morning was the peak of our sales. Given that not a single vehicle was waiting for the garage door to open on this morning, we quietly wondered if the chilly, wet weather was going to deter most visitors. It wasn't exactly a beautiful morning.

A few minutes later, however, here came a car. Then another, and a few minutes after that, one more. That would prove to be the pace of the weekend. Never a huge rush all at once, but just a slow and steady trickle of people and the cash they brought with them. It was 6 bucks here, 50 cents there, and from time to time, 20, 30, or 40 dollars.

At one point, the rain actually proved quite beneficial. Around 9 AM there was quite a downpour that one would think might keep people from coming. Fortunately for us, it kept people from leaving. We probably had about 10-12 people at the sale at that time, and they were stuck in our garage. The longer they stayed, the more often they kept coming back to the front to pay for stuff. Funny how things we can sometimes perceive to be a detriment actually prove to be a blessing. Lesson learned.

 
It wouldn't stop there. After Friday, we had sold quite a bit of stuff, but the big ticket items hadn't sold. Weren't these items the big draw? Shouldn't they sell immediately? It was going to be hard to reach our goal of $1,000 if they didn't sell. Maybe these items weren't garage sale material. Or maybe I'm just not very patient.

The latter turned out to be true. By Saturday afternoon, most of the "big items" had sold, including the awesome antique dresser we pictured earlier. By Saturday night, the response had been greater than we even hoped for, and we had raised over $1,300. Beyond that, we still had a large enough supply of items to potentially host a secondary sale at the end of October. I was reminded that God's not only enough to meet our needs. He's more than enough. Like 12 baskets of leftovers more than enough. Lesson learned.

To say the least, it was a lot of fun. We also got to talk to a lot of people about our adoption and hear stories of their own experiences. Riley had a blast, and our excitement to continue moving forward has only been fueled. Thanks again to all the wonderful people that helped us prepare for the sale whether it was donations, organization, suggestions, etc. You all are great. A special thanks to Mema, Papo, and Annie for helping us out during the sale. We couldn't have done it without you!

Hot chocolate anyone?
 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Seriously, I don't know how people keep these things up to date. We had a modest goal of updating this blog once per week. This post comes two weeks after the last...and it's mostly a picture post.

Regardless, we are excited about it as it represents an early milestone in our potentially lengthy journey. This Friday is garage sale day. Not just garage sale day, but adoption fundraiser garage sale day. In the grand scheme of things, it's not the most significant step we'll take along the way. It is representative, however, that we are indeed moving forward and making progress. This is our first organized fundraising effort, and it's exciting.

Though it's been some work to put together, it's only served as affirmation that this is what we're supposed to be doing. We also have awesome family and friends who have done a lot to help make this happen...suggestions, donations, promotion, spending extra time hanging out in our garage, etc. A big thanks to all who have helped. You've made it a fun process.

In case you're interested, the sale is this Friday from 7-4 and Saturday from 7-12. For those of you in the area, feel free to spread the word. Below are a few pics of some of the items that ended up in our garage, many by way of the generosity of others. It should be a good time.

One last note...we will have our first home study visit in two and a half weeks. More about that milestone later.

Now, if only the rain will go away...