apparently..........
the Village is also more than happy to help send the child off to France.
Child 1, Lindsay B, is going on a school cultural/language trip to France in October of this year. They will be traveling to Normandy and will be making a movie of their experiences at the D-Day beaches etc to present at Remembrance Day ceremonies when they get home. They are also going to Mont St.Michel and Paris. They will also be staying with a French family for a few days (on their own......like only her and a French family...... I found this alarming.......I found it alarming none of the other parents found it alarming....... I had questions... lots of questions...... AND THEN they asked if she could be billeted with a family that only had sons .... only boys.... French boys... ARE THEY KIDDING!!!...... We said no...... so she will spend a lovely few days with a lovely French girl and her hopefully-non-criminal-caring-loving French family...... and then we will host the French child next April.......).
So this amazing and wonderful experience does not come cheap. Working 3 jobs certainly puts a trip such as this in the "Possible" column and we are grateful for that........ however we are also of the mind that the beneficiary (aka Miss Lou) should participate in the payment plan.... and we are SO proud that she has saved almost $700 since Christmas mostly from babysitting and some odd jobs around the neighbourhood. This has been a real test of her resolve as she went to the Mall several times with friends who were spending money on clothes and Starbucks and other things and she held on to her bank card ..... that stubbornness for which the Byres Clan is so famous, and no doubt helped them survive on the Scottish highlands back in the day, runs in her blood and she REALLY wants to go to France.
But as the final payment deadline looms she is a wee bit short of the $1000 she chose as her goal to raise so we are helping her put on a Garage Sale on Saturday at 9:30am at 6th and Steveston.......
Through the power of Facebook and a great network of friends (including the Branscombes who are hosting the whole deal) we have amassed a great deal of really wonderful stuff....... it will be a bumper sale!! In fact we are a tad concerned one of our friends may be robbing their neighbours to fill our garage..... 4 truck loads later.....no way this was all in their house???? I am also a bit concerned all their adult children will be at the sale on Saturday (at 9:30am at 6th and Steveston) to buy back all the things their parents have given away...... on the other hand they may pay a premium to get their stuff back!!
But honestly SO many people have dropped by and brought stuff over and we are so grateful!! In fact there is so much stuff I forgot most of it was not from this house and I was about to miss a huge opportunity to clean out a few of my own cupboards so I emptied some cupboards today and put a lot of stuff in a box. Lindsay has been putting prices on things for the last 2 days and there are still piles to get done but we are pricing for quick, no-haggle sales......... at 9:30am on Saturday at 6th and Steveston.........
So thank you Villagers for helping these parents and this child to make BIG dreams come true...... I am so grateful to be in this Village with you all.
Your job is not done....... other than coming to buy back your stuff on Saturday at 9:30am at 6th and Steveston you had all better be on your knees praying in October..... that I don't have a nervous breakdown sending my beautiful girl off to a foreign land without me....... and that those French boys keep their distance :)
Merci Mon Ami, Merci!
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