We have a winner to announce! As many of you know, we ask a handful of women to be the judges for our Running on Empty contest. A number of these women are also former winners. We enlist their help because there is no way Brian and I could ever choose. And even with this contest, every woman emailed a message of struggle on picking one winner. Every story was amazing. Every woman nominated deserves to be recognized. So again, I want to thank all the beautiful women who were entered or entered themselves. I am amazed at your strength and love. Thank you for sharing your life with us here. Thank you for being so strong and not giving up. You inspire me more than words can say.

The votes were collected, and we have a single winner. The winner for the November Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is Natalie Teabo! Natalie, Brian and I want to welcome you this weekend to the Seattle CONFIDENCE workshop. Your story brought tears to my eyes, and I would love the honor of pouring into your creative spirit this weekend. I know this is cutting it close for you to make arrangements. We hope all the logistics can work for you. Can you email Genie (genie@fioria.us) by tomorrow at 12 noon to confirm your coming? If it doesn’t work for you, we have beautiful Runner Ups. Thanks Natalie, and I hope we get to meet in person this weekend!

For those of you who missed Natalie’s story, here it is from her own words;

I am going out on a limb here and nominating myself. I feel bashful about doing this. However I have nothing to loose except an amazing weekend finding confidence!! I giggle when I see the topic running on empty. I find myself there so often. I am on a different path of life that I ever imagined. Three years ago I birthed my third son Hudson Sawyer he was a tender soul and the sweetest thing you ever have seen. Hudson came into the world with many challenges and our lives had change drastically. We spent three months watching him fight for life, surgery after surgery of praying hard for healing and preparation for a child that would need care for probably his whole life. Hudson died in our arms at Seattle Children’s, he never made it home to his own crib. We held him and he past away right there in my arms, something that I would not wish on my worst enemy. Heartache and suffering that I have never felt I didn’t know a heart could hurt,literally hurt!

Our dream of having more kids did not die with Hudson however my husband and I were freaked out of having another child die and so we began praying about option number 2 adoption. Amazingly a year later almost to date a sweet little girl was placed in our arms in Ethiopia she became a healing for us (nothing can replace Hudson)but a new vision was given to us. If we have lost a child, perhaps we can be the answer to moms praying that God would help them keep theirs alive. We are now waiting on two more kids from Ghana, West Africa. I picked up a friends camera while working in South Africa at an HIV home this past December and I fell in love! I have found life through the lens. My hubby bought me a Nikon D90 for mothers day and I decided If I love it this much I should begin to take picture for profit or at least to help with our adoption expense. A friend introduced me to your blog and I saw your weekend, however with our adoption cost I knew I can never go. Then today like a beam of light your post about winning a spot. As silly as I feel nominating myself. I would be tickled and honored to join you. I just thought I would give it a try!

Natalie, I really hope we get to meet you! You are an amazing woman and mother.

Also, a BIG THANK YOU to all the beautiful babies that have flooded, literally FLOODED, my Inbox! My Inbox has never looked so cute and squeezable! Wow, the Northwest has some serious sweetness going on! We will be in touch with you by the end of the week!

xoxoxo,

Me Ra

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TWO NEW Photo Contests, TWO WAYS to WIN! Deadline is December 1st! To enter and WIN, read the details HERE !

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