the "garbage" sale

Today we had a garage sale. Or garbage sale as we like to call it. You know what they say...one man's trash is another man's treasure. But let me back up because this sale was quite the last minute decision.

Shocking, I know.

Luke's mom, better known these days as Austin's Grammy, came down to visit this weekend. She was so sweet to offer to spend some quality time with Austin so that Luke and I could enjoy some much needed quality time ourselves. Whenever either of our parents offer to take care of Austin for any length of time, I immediately start making a massive to do list. And of course, Date Night is a must! With that knowledge, it should be no surprise to you that I saw this weekend as my big chance to accomplish many things while Austin was acting as Grammy's Number One Fan. One of these things just happend to be our garage sale. In fact, when my mom asked me what we were doing this weekend and I replied,

Having a garage sale.

She gave me a very surprised look and said,

Really?! This weekend?

I guess since we've been talking about doing this for the last 2 years, they thought it would never happen. I know. It's so weird that they would draw that conclusion.

So we got the permit {yes, you need one}, priced our "garbage" {yes, I almost had an anxiety attack trying to decide what was too much, too little, or just right}, and prepared to begin our big day at the very early hour of 9:00 {no, I had no idea that you couldn't start at the crack of dawn like my parents used to do back in the day}.

There we were surrounded by piles upon piles of junk while people milled about looking for their Big Find of the day. Let me tell you, there are ALL KINDS of people that come out of the wood work for a good garage sale. Here are some highlights:

One older gentleman took a serious turn to Creepy Town when he wouldn't quit talking about how much he likes eating breakfast at McDonald's and telling me stories about the time he spent in Burma. I'm not entirely sure where Burma is. All I know is that it exists across the ocean and they're not too good at expressing their emotions. Or so he told me. He also told me to "look at that little guy tearing it up in the park." The little guy was my son and I was not about to disclose that fact to Sir Talks Alot And Acts Creepy. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to but all the references to McDonalds and kids and Burma left me feeling a little unsettled.

Later that day, a Hispanic woman walked up wearing a t-shirt that still had the $1.00 price tag from the last garage sale she visited. I felt a little sorry for her until she kept insisting that Luke's polos were "little boy" sizes. When we told her no...several times...she asked us if we were sure...several times.

In Spanish.

Cool.

Then she wanted to know if she could have about 5 for $1.00. {I'm sensing a theme here.} We told her yes mainly because we wanted to get rid of as many clothes as we could, but also because we felt like it was time for her to move on to the next sale and insult someone else. It worked. Her parting words were, "I'm sorry. Thank you."

I'm not even sure what to make of that so I won't try.

During one of the slow times, Luke decided to organize the piles of clothes. Some lady took that moment to comment on how well trained he was and I got the death stare.

From Luke.

Go figure.

The good news is that Luke and I got to spend some quality time together AND get paid for it. SCORE! We passed the hours with a plate of apples and string cheese while we marveled at the fact that people will park anywhere with their doors open and cars running all in an effort to claim their find before anyone else does. They should probably be more careful because someone might claim their car as their own steal of a deal! I'm just sayin'...

After it was all said and done, we made some good money and took the stuff left over to Goodwill. Then we celebrated the end of our long day with dinner at Saltgrass.

Tomorrow I plan on doing absolutely nothing after I go to church and listen to my husband teach the class about passion, intimacy, and committment in marriage. That's right my parents chose this week to be out of town. Luckily, this is a topic that is near and dear to Luke's heart, and I am 100% positive that he will do a great job! Not that I have anything to base that statement on other than my complete confidence in my husband. He's decided he wants to surprise me with what he says tomorrow.

Because every marriage needs a little mystery.

I'll be sure and let you know what he decided to go with. Hopefully you'll be able to get some sleep tonight even though I've left you in suspense. At least you know you're in good company. And by company, I mean everyone but Luke.