Oh, my goodness.  I can't remember the last time I was this tired and this happy!  Our garage sale this past weekend was so much work and so much fun!  Matt and I are so blessed by our fast friendship with Brian and Cindy (the other adopting couple).  They are the only couple we know that has not only been through this process before but is going through it concurrently with us.  They have been a great source of information, support, and love.  We are so thankful for them!

We are also incredibly thankful to all of our friends and family for their donations, volunteerism, and prayers.  I don't know how people go through this process without a support system like ours.  We are richly blessed.  How richly blessed are we, you ask?  Well, I guess if we had to put a number to it...Matt and I had been praying that we would have enough money from the garage sale to pay for our immediate home study costs which are $2500.  That means the garage sale would have to make $5000 because we split everything evenly with Brian and Cindy.  We didn't know it but it just so happens that Brian and Cindy were also praying that the garage sale would make $5000.  Who make s $5000 in a garage sale?  We do!  Yes, God gave us not only $5000 but $5097.09 to be specific!  Which is enough, we joked, to have our home study done AND celebrate with margaritas :)

I still can't believe I'm writing this next part....it still feels too good to be true but the blessings do not end there.  I opened up my email account this morning to find an email from our social worker, Katie, waiting in my inbox.  Lutheran Famiy Services chose Matt and I to be the recipients of the $500 home study scholarship!  We were shocked!  Now, not only do we have the money for the home study but we also have $500 to put toward other fees.  Matt and I both felt like the outcome of the garage sale was God opening the door but this is like God opening the door and rolling out the red carpet!