The In-Between

Hello friends and family!

Here is a post just to say we are still here, and we are still kicking away at this adoption thing, along with a lot of other things:

 A quick note on adoption: we are in the end stages of our home study and then will be applying to agencies (fingers crossed) sometime in December! We still have fundraising to do, but have raised a little over $10,000 so far!! How absolutely incredible!!  We are still trying to come up with creative ideas for this process. So far, our friends Aaron and Minette put on an amazing poker tournament for us, I am still taking orders for Colorado flags, and of course we are playing our map guessing game! We SO APPRECIATE our friends and family and how they continue to step up.  They have given oh so generously to our adoption!

That being said, I'm going to take a page out of  Jesus Calling by Sarah Young - I was given this devotional by a friend, I had heard of it, but had never read it before.  I am so glad that she placed it in my hands. This is actually the passage from October 27, but it stuck with me:

"As you become increasingly aware of My presence, you find it easier to discern the way you should go. This is one of the practical benefits of living close to Me. Instead of wondering about what is on the road ahead or worrying what you should do if… Or when…., you can concentrate on staying in communication with Me. When you actually arrive at a choice-point, I will show you which direction to go, many people are so preoccupied with future plans and decisions that they fail to see choices they  need to make today. Without any conscious awareness , they make their habitual responses. People who live this way find a dullness creeping into their lives.They  sleepwalk through their days, following well-worn paths of routine. I, the Creator of the universe, am the most creative being imaginable. I will not leave you circling in deeply rutted paths.Instead, I will lead you along fresh trails of adventure, revealing to you things you did not know. Stay in communication with Me. Follow My guiding presence.

Psalm 32:8; Genesis 1:1"  - Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

With all of the excitement happening around us, I find myself being thankful for future blessings and sometimes forgetting the moment I'm standing in. This feeling has let a level of dullness and frustration with the current day creep right in. I needed this reminder we are led on fresh trails of adventure each and everyday when we stay in focus of God's purpose and promises. I hope it can be an encouragement to you, too! 

Now, can you believe it's November? Wowzers! I swear my friends just had babies last week not this spring and summer, Andy just started school, he couldn't possibly have already taken midterms, and I just started working at SF again a couple months ago so I shouldn't be coming up on a one year anniversary here!

Cheers to the last two months of one amazing year- here's to making it count! 

Andy and Mimi 

Here are a few of our favorite photos over the last month :) 

Murder Mystery Party at our house

Andy performs his first wedding ceremony and marries our neighbors!

Poker Fun with Minette & Aaron

Practice makes perfect? I think these babies are just forgetting to smile :)

My Lovely sister visiting 

A little Zombie fun...

Adoption Fundraising: Dreams Come True

Do you remember that map we used from our adoption announcement?  Well, we've set it up in our den as a constant reminder that Baby Salonen is out there waiting for us. However, now we want to add something to it: YOU.  Many of you probably know Andy and I love to play games so we decided to come up with one for our adoption, too.

For a $20 donation you can pick your place on the map; where do you think Baby Salonen will be born?  The person(s) who choose(s) the birthplace (or closest to it) wins a prize (it probably won't be a new car, or anything, but...).  Our goal is to get 500 pins on the map, meaning we would raise $10,000 towards our total adoption fundraising goal of $35,000!  It's a big goal so we need your help! We would love if you participated with us!

You can donate through the PayPal button on our blog (see the right sidebar), or if you prefer to send a check directly to us you can always do that. You DO NOT have to sign up for a PayPal account to donate through them. You can enter as a guest and use your own personal credit/debit card if you like. 

However you choose to donate, please be sure to include what city(ies) and state(s) you think Baby Salonen will be born in.  On PayPal, use the "Special Instructions" space to provide your geographic information.  If you decide to send a check, please go ahead and email us with your geographic locations.

We will be keeping a digital Google map (check it out in the sidebar) and dropping a pin on each city guessed.  Hey, did we mention you can guess more than one location?

One big question on everyone's mind as we ask for your financial help in this process is, "Where the heck is this money going? Are you essentially buying a baby?" Well the answer is "No! Adoption costs cover a wide range of things and baby buying is not one of them."  Take a look below to gain a better idea of where the money we raise will go:

U.S. Newborn Adoption  - Average Cost

Homestudy fee	$1,912
Agency application & program fee	$14,161
Attorney fees	$3,548
Document preparation & authentication	$1,114
Advertising/networking	$2,017
Birth family counseling	$1,085
Birthmother expenses	$3,076
Travel expenses	$2,198
All other expenses	$4,682
TOTAL	$33,793

Learn more about adoption costs here!

Sending a check?  Please email us, and we will send you our address (if you don't already have it).

Sending geographic locations?  Please use the "Special Instructions" space on PayPal, or email us.

Thank you so much for helping us bring home our baby!

With faith, love and a little bit of your help,
Andy and Mimi 

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.” 
– Proverbs 13:12