"What a Zin..."

Well, I guess the Saskatchewan vs. China wasn’t “sure” to be anything. As you probably know, the event was cancelled. Interestingly, word has it that the Chinese government withdrew endorsement of the trip after a large group of their athletes decided to defect last month after visiting Canada.

The cancellation means I will have no tune-up fight before provincials, but all is well anyhow. Now, I get to focus on just enjoying David and Megan’s wedding this weekend and all of the fun that the event will bring. Also, Carly’s been gone down to Regina for a full two days! So I’m getting anxious to see her again.

Life has been good as usual in Toon Town. Last weekend, we actually mustered the energy and organization to have a garage sale. Well, people were trying to break down our doors on the opening day, and our entire advertising effort consisted of a giant neon sign on the Jeep out front (thanks, Dad, for that gem of an idea). It pays to live on a busy street, as we had a steady stream of customers on a freezing cold Saturday. We sold our couch, our old TV, clothes, books, towels, dishes, appliances, etc.

But that’s not all. We also sold some items that we never thought would sell in a million years. In fact, we placed them out as jokes more than anything. One of the items was a half-empty bag of terrarium woodchips. I thought Carly was insane when she priced it at 50 cents and laid it out. I’ll be damned if it wasn’t among the first items to go. Other sales of note include a sweaty old pair of boxing hand-wraps that were ready for the dump (although, to be fair, those were placed in the “free” box). Still, I sure surprised Carly when someone decided they were worth taking.

That was our weekend. On Saturday we froze but made a killing, and on Sunday, we were a bit more comfortable but had a slower day. By the time we closed the big steel door on Sunday, we had made almost $400, and could easily park both vehicles in the garage (an improvement, no doubt, from the zero vehicle capacity prior).

Carly and I have also been “church shopping” up here. So far, we’ve spent two Sundays at the big Circle Drive Alliance church with our friends Dave and Cesia. We do like it there, but have resolved to keep shopping around. Here’s to hoping we can keep this up; it sure feels good to have a reason to get up before noon on Sundays.

In other news, I’m now sitting at a steady 135 pounds, so I’ve three more to go before provincials on the 13th and 14th of this month. I’ll need to keep it up for the following weekend as well as I’ll be going to the Western Canadian championships in BC. No doubt, I hope to get an invitation to Nationals in November as this is an Olympic qualifying year (a guy can dream, right?).

One last note: the thank you cards are coming! If you haven’t received yours already, please be patient as they will all be sent out in the coming week. Carly and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to you all. Thank you so much for being a part of our big day and for your generosity at our wedding. We were truly humbled by it. Love to all.

Much love especially to David and Megan, my brother-in-law and his bride-to-be! It all happens this weekend! So let the good times roll, 'cause love is in the air!


- Khodi

Recommended wine of the day: Dancing Bull Zinfandel (Sonoma, California). 3.5 stars from both of us. Full-bodied and bold, with a spicy finish.