Where did I get all this stuff?

Yesterday was the major packing day at our house. I had 12 people from my church come over (10 at one time and two later) and we emptied out my attic and transported most of it to a friend's attic.

I've been packing non-stop for two weeks and had 12 people pack all day yesterday and I'm not done yet! Why do we have so much stuff? One of my friends who was helping me said it's good to do this once every few years. You got THAT right! You could probably house a small village on the stuff I took to Goodwill alone yesterday!

Teeny Updates

• Our passports are here and the plane tickets bought. We leave June 19th, get to Japan on the 20th, stay in Osaka until the 21st, go to Kurashiki that day and start shadowing the person I'm replacing on the 24th. I will do that for a week and then I start working on July 1. WE'll be in a hotel for part of that time so Rachel can move out of the apartment.
• Here in the U.S., I still have to work two days next week: All day Monday(finals) and half a day Thursday. I need to be out of the house by Saturday. WE're going to stay with a friend that last week.
• A couple from my church who just got back from a year in Switzerland are coming to look at my condo on Tuesday. They are interested in leasing, possibly buying it! Please pray.
• I found out that childcare will cost me$10 per hour in Japan (that's less than min. wage there!) No progress on that yet. NO time!
• Also found out that the weight limits on luggage have changed since the last time I flew internationally. We can take 2 bags weighing no more than 50 lbs per bag for each person flying. That's 4 suitcases for a year of living in a foreign country. And I'm homeschooling so I need to bring lots of books andmaterials for Bonnie. Needless to say, I won't be able to get it in Japan!When I lived there before, I would pay $25 to get the latest paperback novel in English (something that would cost $6 here). So I wanted to take a lotof that stuff, but it weighs a lot so . . . The last time I flew, the bags could weigh 80 lbs each. :(
• Bonnie is doing surprisingly well. She is not thrilled, as you can imagine.We pray every night that she will find a best friend in Japan. I think that would be great for her.

Now I have to get back to packing, packing, packing. I feel like there is a tenacious bacteria called "stuff" living in my house and the more I pack it up, the more it multiplies. Or the seven-headed (or however many heads it had) Hydra waving her tentacles around, waiting for me to cut one head off so three more can grow in its place! The sad thing is that when I get to Japan, I will, once again, accumulate more STUFF that I will have to deal with when we leave. OR maybe I'll break the cycle this time! Anyone want to lay odds on that one?