Our Temporary Setbacks: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

The time has come to finally get back to this blog. I've been on maternity leave tending to this new babe, but back to work on Monday. Oh man. I had a little over 10 weeks off and I'm so grateful! I don't know how I could have gone back any sooner than this, and my body didn't even have to recover. Anyways that is a different rant for another post. Today's post is something so special and cool that it needed to be shared a long time ago, unfortunately you all were counting on me to write it so you had to wait.

Let me start with a quick refresher; when Andy and I decided to start the adoption process we had a little money stored away, but nothing close to the amount that a typical domestic adoption runs in this country. So, we started fundraising and one of the most successful (and fun) efforts we did was a map guessing game. For a donation of any amount you could choose where you thought baby Salonen was going to be born in the United States.

My bff and her hubs decided to join in the fun. They did what comes first in their life though and prayed about what to give and where to pick. I received a check in the mail with an index card with their guesses:

Loveland, Colorado - Arieanna

I called her and thanked her for her sweet donation and then jokingly let her in on a little secret.

Me: We aren't looking at any agencies in Colorado just so you know. Just a little insider tip if you want to change what city you think the baby will be coming from.

Arie: Well shoot! But I want to keep my guess, I really did pray about this and I just felt like God was leading me to pick Loveland. Plus, how cool would it be if you got a baby from LOVE-land.

Me: Alright, well the prize wasn't gonna be that great, but now you are going to lose because it's pretty impossible to get a baby from Colorado when we are applying to agencies in Florida & Texas.

Fast forward a few months: in Loveland Colorado on March 10th, our sweet baby Abel is delivered into our arms. Man, how cool is that?

I love this story because it is such a powerful display of what it means to prayerfully give. To think about what you are giving to, who you are giving to, and how you are giving. My bff Arieanna does this well, and she shares what God lays on her heart.

Because of her sweet faithfulness she wins the big bucks. Okay, no big bucks involved but what better way to say thank you & I love you then a fun photo shoot with my bff, her adorable baby, and my sweet kid born in Loveland?! Enjoy these totes adorable photos of that day courtesy of Captivated Photography!