OUR STORY Part 63: FIRST DAY OF ESTATE SALE

Well, today was the first day of our three day estate sale. We are a little off the beaten path but did have a pretty good turn out considering. But what do we know? we've never had an estate sale before. We still have so much stuff for sale we are just praying for God's mercy with the weather and a good turnout over the next two days. People were encouraged to spread the word and apparently were willing to do so.

Susan and Joe of "Lori's Estate Sales" told us that everyone who came through was very compassionate regarding our circumstances. We actually spent a little time speaking with one woman today, but tried to stay out of the way so as not to make anyone feel uncomfortable. I don't know, perhaps we should be autographing bottles of flood water and passing them out with a tip jar on the table "Support Our Camper Fund!" =)

The transition of leaving this life behind and beginning a new one has officially begun; and as Mike put it, "we are just absolutely numb."

For the first time in years Mike and I didn't sleep in our bedroom, and this had me crying off and on (more on than off) all night long. Often ending up in my husbands comforting arms. Then to add to our fun, one of the cracked tiles on the floor (a result of settling issues) shot up a razor sharp blade of ceramic flooring that sliced my foot open with a pool of blood puddling everywhere. Mike, horrified at first, played doctor and fixed me up and we went on to finish moving ourselves upstairs; storing our personal items away in preparation for the sale. We took our coffee maker and creamer upstairs with us so that we didn't walk out in our pajamas in the morning and frighten away any of the estate sale visitors who showed up. We were up until 1:00a.m., absolutely exhausted!

In a couple of days we will make the next big transition (or should I say small transition) into our new home; a used 2000 Dutchman travel trailer that we located on Craigslist. We are a bit stressed at the prospect of shifting into such a small area, but what can we do? We have pursued and exhausted just about every avenue we can think of. The queen camper bed is a standard RV bed that is 6 feet long; Mike being 6"4" has added to the stress level of this difficult transition. He will have to create a make-shift temporary extension that doesn't block the breaker box but accommodates his length.

Our roasting pans won't fit in the camper oven so they are being added to the sale items; and the glass/ceramic dishes won't travel well either in the smaller cabinets and create an issue with shifting during travel. Our space has really become compacted now; so we will have to completely change the way we live and eat.

The sale items continue to grow, now we just need buyers so that we can clear out and raise enough funds to get us to our destination and keep us afloat as we enter the next phase of our surreal lives. The clock is ticking away.

The camper we finally found is an eleven year old Dutchman. I uploaded the photographs from the Craigslist ad to our Photobucket account (see below). We are nervous and hope that it holds together and serves are needs; short showers, a toilet, a bed, mini kitchen and a roof over our head. God forbid we find that this piece of "real estate" has issues. I pleaded with the guy and told him our story. He was real good about coming back over today and repairing a brake light that wasn't working.

The stress wouldn't be so great if this was simply a matter of looking for a used recreational vehicle; but this is our permanent home until we are able to get our feet back on the ground; which considering the economy and our ages, may take some time. But praise God for our little travel trailer, many others are in worse shape!

Right now Mike is wandering around the place looking for a wooden box that we think got sold with his prescription glasses inside. (sigh) We do so look for a day of rest, just one would be wonderful.

"Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.  
The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. 
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling"
Psalm 116:5-8

P.S. If you are a blog follower and happen to see Mike or me walking around the estate sale taking care of things, please feel free to say hello; we don't want anyone to feel awkward. All we ask is that you do not approach us with a question about the pricing of items in the sale. We are under agreement with Lori's Estate Sales and have the utmost confidence in their professional experience in handling our situation. Besides, if we step on their toes then Mr. Joe might take back Duke's stuffed squeaky toy he bought for him today; and that would be very traumatizing for little Duke.

OUR STORY Part 59: LORI & JOE

I just wanted to take a moment to thank Lori & Joe of "Lori's Estate Sales."

Our estate sale is scheduled to be held next week; and since our first meeting with Lori and Joe we felt a tremendous burden lifted from us in the passing the baton of this overwhelming task of trying to figure out how we were going to advertise, organize, research and price our personal belongings for sale. Needless to say, this is a very difficult time for us, and the thought of having to carry on the sensitive task of dealing with individuals on a personal level, and such an emotional issue was beyond our comprehension. Mike's career has been in sales for over 28 years, but it's an entirely different matter when you are selling your personal belongings under such unpleasant circumstances.

During our first meeting with Joe and Lori I had to go "toe to toe" with Mr. Joe over the issue of selling my wedding ring. "No ma'am I can't do that!" "Yes you can." "No ma'am, I won't do it!" was Joe's first response, bless his big Texas heart.

The evening went on with Mike and I feeling a true sense of compassion from both Lori and Joe equally. Since that time we have remained in constant communication regarding the details of sale and new items to be listed; and each time the response has been pleasant, personable and timely.

A perfect example of this precious business relationship is communication we had with Joe today. He contacted us with some potential "great news" about an inquiry he was making on our behalf. I was feeling in the dumps at the time and sent off an email to Joe. 

"Thank you very much for everything. Sorry I wasn’t more upbeat. Feeling a little defeated today."

Joe's response?

"Don't know why!!!!! Loving husband, not on the street, your alive, God loves you, 2 great dogs that love you, sun is shining, IT'S NOT RAINING, in and out burger is now in Texas."

My response . . .

"IN AN OUT IS IN TEXAS?!"

Good ole Joe! Just for that, Mike ended up taking me to In-n-Out Burger for dinner tonight! First burger we have had in about four years.

By the way, Lori and Joe were successful with getting me a very fair price on my wedding ring. And by the way Joe, I know about the stone. ;) What a sweet caring man you are!

My days have been increasingly difficult, and as much as I hate the pity party mood slumps it is a battle that God has been working with me to get through over the past several years. I know that God's grace has been extended to Mike and I both at this time through bringing this very precious couple into our lives to help us through the most difficult stage of our transition.

We love you both dearly. Thank you for everything you're doing and will be doing during the sale next week.