In the world, but not of the world...

2014-08-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well hello!

Once again I've failed at keeping up with this blog. Lol. Hope everyone reading this has been well. We've been busy! Between our girls, summer time fun, family stuff, my dog grooming and DoTerra and then of course interview/book stuff............life stays fun :) Dreading our oldest going back to school in a few weeks. She'll be in first grade, and we miss her terribly when she's gone. Luckily our youngest does well by herself and is good to entertain herself and find things to do if I'm busy. I got into DoTerra oils back in November and I've started teaching oil classes, so that's been fun! I enjoy it and I have been amazed at all the things oils have helped us with. Last week Sloan started on my groom shop. I've been grooming out of my laundry room for the last few years and am happy to say that I'll soon be in my own little shop. Hurray!!! I even got an official website for my grooming finally!:

www.sarahsgroomcloset.com

Also in case anyone wanted to follow me on Facebook (which is where I better keep up with stuff and post often usually):

www.facebook.com/sarahmchurman

I know it sounds silly.........but I just don't seem to take the time or find it to sit down and blog. Anyway, hope everyone is doing well!

xoxo

Megadeth Experience...

2014-04-21T15:11:00.001-07:00

I recently got to spend a few days in Vegas thanks to Megadeth front man, Dave Mustaine. It was our first trip to Vegas, and my first rock concert. It was loud, but good!!! We were impressed with his guitar skills!!! Here are some pictures, articles, interviews, etc.

http://www.vegasmorningblend.com/videos/254960511.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/17/megadeth-sarah-churman-death-first-rock-concert_n_5168729.html

http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/doug-elfman/megadeth-flies-born-deaf-woman-vegas-her-first-rock-concert

Proud to be a part!!!

2014-02-01T16:28:00.001-08:00

Thankfulness...

2013-11-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

On Facebook there is a huge following of people who are doing the "30 Days of Thanks". Every year I'm all 'oh, that's a great idea, I'll do it'.......and halfway through I fail miserably and forget to post. You know why??? Because there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. From the major to the minor......these last 3 years have taught me to appreciate every little thing. Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows, you have to make a mental decision every day to be happy and look for the positive. It's hard. We all fail at times. So here it is:

This month (like every other) there is so much to be grateful for. Other than the obvious things like the love of the One who gave His all, and my awesome group of great friends and family.......I'm once again reminded this morning of so much more.

1. My ability to make money from home and spend my days with my children. Ya'lls dirty, shaggy, smelly (Just kidding. Kind of.) dogs provide me with income. I'm grateful to be able to groom dogs from home and I'm thankful for everyone who trusts me with their fur babies :) It's fun to make your pet look pretty and get paid for something I enjoy.

2. On the 7th of this month, my oldest daughter, my 'China Doll' (we lived in China when we got pregnant with her), Ms. Olivia Li will turn 6. While this saddens me because it means she's growing up.....it also fills me with joy because I can't wait to see the woman she becomes. Sloan and I were married for 6 years before we had kids.....we often wonder what the heck we did before then?!?

3. On the 17th Sloan and I will celebrate 12 years of marriage. Who would've thought that at 19 years of age I would marry such a man. I am daily thankful for him. I could fill a book with my feelings on this subject, but I'll spare ya'll :)

4. This month, along with all the other months before, I have been absolutely amazed at the people I have been able to meet due to interviews I never could've dreamed of. Sloan and I will remember these times when we are old and gray......we have been incredibly blessed to be able to go from one coast to another, and even across the Atlantic to meet some really neat individuals. People we have formed friendships with that will last a lifetime. This all started with China, and who knows where it will end. This particular month we get to travel to Spain and I could not be more excited.

5. The one thing I always think of when people mention 'being thankful'.....but certainly not the least. I'm continually thankful for the man who sat at his kitchen table 30+ years ago and drew up the design for the Esteem Implant I have. Sadly, he was killed in a car wreck before ever seeing the fruits of his labor. His daughters tried to get the implant off the ground but didn't have enough funds. They ended up selling the patent to their Father's design, and after millions upon millions of dollars, much testing, research, blood, sweat, and tears spent.......the Esteem came to fruition. I met these ladies at a shareholder meeting and was brought to tears as they told me their father would've been so happy to see his device helping others like me.

I hope everyone reading this has a great week. Tell everyone today what they mean to you. Smile often.

Summer...

2013-07-24T07:23:00.001-07:00

I have once again failed miserably at keeping this blog current. Life has been busy lately :) Vacations, road trips, etc. I've done a few interviews, only one was televised. I was invited to go on D The Broadcast TV last month, it was fun! The ladies I spoke with were all very nice and the whole set had a great vibe, I really enjoyed myself. Awhile back I did an interview with Science Care that was really good, they asked some different questions and the interview was published online. They have since asked me to come speak at their event they host in October in Long Beach. I'm honored to be a part and looking forward to it. Other than that, I have some speaking/signing opportunities coming up at a local Lion's Club and then a women's group at a local country club. Things have slowed down this summer. (Or at least I'm hoping its due to summer) One really cool thing that has happened though, my book 'Powered On' is now available in e-book format! Whoo HOO! It reached best seller status on Amazon shortly after it was released.

In other news, my oldest daughter starts Kindergarten this year :( Sloan and I are sooooo sad and Olivia is sooooo excited. Ha. She's been begging to go to school since she was 2. It will be a big chance for the Churman household for sure. We just returned from Port Aransas last week, one last trip to the beach (that we know of) before school starts. The kids had a blast, they definitely got their 'water lovin, sun soaking' DNA from me :) We went to Destin, Florida at the beginning of the summer, and that really spoiled us because Port Aransas isn't nearly as pretty. Before that, Thailand spoiled Sloan and I! We backpacked for 3 1/2 months around SE Asia and Thailand back in '06-07 while we lived in China. Those are the prettiest beaches in the world and we're itching to get back! Maybe next year?

Well, I'm about to roll out of bed and start my day. Hope everyone has a great rest of their week. If you are willing to take some time to help me out......go rate my book on Amazon or Goodreads! I greatly appreciate it. I also have a public Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sarahmchurman that I manage to keep up with a lot more than this blog unfortunately.

Xoxo,
Sarah

Wells Fargo Commercial...

2013-05-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

So the latest thing that I've been a part of is pretty neat. Check out the newest Wells Fargo commercial :)

http://www.wellsfargo.com/conversations

It's humbling to be in the lineup with The Wright Brothers, Rosa Parks, Jane Goodall, etc. I'll try to find the link to the Jeep commercial I'm in as well. Hope everyone is doing well!!!

Please read...

2013-05-02T13:32:00.001-07:00

PLEASE READ.

"Go Rest High on the Mountain" (Was gonna post the YouTube link with Vince Gill singing this at the Grand Ole Opry for George's funeral, but it was taken down)

I fail daily. We ALL fail daily. George Jones loved his women and booze...........but he loved his Creator as well. I just saw this clip and sobbed. I had 'heard' this song before, never knew the words (only the chorus) but loved the melody I felt. Listening to this today and understanding each lyric broke my heart.

EVERYONE on my page, please take the time to listen to this song......take time to think on it. God loves us. All of us. I have many friends and family who aren't aware of that. I have many who think that being a 'Christian' means sitting around, holding hands, leading a perfect life, and singing "Kumbaya". It's far from that, and yet envelops so much more as well. Do I strive to be a good person? Yes. Do I succeed? Not as often as I'd like. Life can be hard, people can be cruel, bad things happen.............but there is always a reason to go on. George Jones may not have been a role model in many ways.....but I guarantee you he touched many because he didn't throw stones. I can only hope that my time on Earth is well spent. I want to go to my grave worn completely out and having used all that He gave me. I want to be that person without judgement. I want to love those in my life with all I have. I want to sit and watch my children, spend as much time with them as possible, not miss the moments that make me smile. I want to be a vessel to help others. I want ALL that He has for me.

You should and can too. This is for someone, maybe many. Ultimately, we'd all like to enter heaven hearing Him say

'Go rest high on that mountain,
'Cause, Son, your work on earth is done'

Giving...

2013-04-16T13:51:00.001-07:00

So awhile back I posted on my Facebook that I was looking for good organizations, places, etc. to donate money to. I had been feeling the tug on my heart to start researching and thinking about places to bless with a donation. I did all this even though in my heart I knew where the first donation was to go. Several people suggested some wonderful places and I was educated on many of them. Our oldest daughter, Olivia Li, will be starting Kindergarten (**tears**) this coming school year. Many times a week we drive by the elementary school where she will attend, oddly enough it's the same elementary I attended as a kid..... I have fond memories of the place. Since she was 2 years old, no lie, she has begged to go to school. We kept telling her "When you turn 5 you can go." The morning after her 5th birthday she came downstairs dressed and ready and promptly stated "I'm ready for school!" Bless her little heart, I made Sloan be the bad guy and explain that she was gonna have to wait a bit. Lol. Anyways, back to my original thought. The Lord laid it on my heart awhile back that I'd soon be giving to Tarver Rendon Elementary. I of course said I'd gladly do so when the opportunity presented itself (a.k.a. MONEY). I called and spoke with the principal and she asked that I come in and speak with her. I set up an appointment and met with her a couple days later. She's a very nice lady, and happens to live just down the road from me. (The world gets smaller and smaller every day in case you weren't aware). I told her in a vague way that I felt led to give to the school, but I wanted the money to go to needy students. I asked about paying for lunches, buying supplies, etc. While there I gave her a book and we briefly talked about my journey this past couple of years. This all ended with me speaking to the counselor and being invited to come speak at Career Week at the school. She took me on a tour of the school (I hadn't set foot in the building since 5th grade). My girls were excited and asked many questions about my time there as a child. Some of the same teachers are still there! I walked out of there knowing that I would indeed give money when the time came.

That was several weeks ago........and yesterday I felt the Lord remind me as I went to the mailbox. Opened the mailbox and got what I like to call "mailbox money". I know the amount I am to give, and was going to talk to Sloan about it but got distracted. I was on my way to take Olivia to art class today, and as we drove by the school I was reminded again. I texted Sloan while sitting at the stoplight "Hey, I feel like we are to give Tarver Rendon xxxxx amount of money. You pray about it and let me know what you think." He promptly responded "We're spooky. I had that exact figure in my mind yesterday. Do it." I was relieved to have the confirmation.

Sooooo, tomorrow I'll go up to the school and talk with the principal again and give her the money. Those of you who are praying folks, please just pray that the money goes to the kids who need it the most. Tarver Rendon is currently building a new school and will be moving before the new school year. I realized the irony in my timing by thinking "they are getting a brand new school........they don't need my money" but was quickly reminded of the kids. We're those 'hippy' parents who aren't happy with any educational choice for our kids. I'm not a fan of homeschooling, I'm not a fan of public schools, private schools, charter schools, etc. In a perfect world we'd live in a community/compound where different people taught our children different things. They'd go to you for math (sure as hell wouldn't learn any math from me! LOL), they'd go to Sloan for history, they'd come to me for English, they'd go to so-and-so for science, etc. So, until we win the lottery and can hire a scholar like Sloan wishes we could do, I'll settle for helping my kids as much as I can. Working with them. Enrolling them in whatever outside things I think they should partake in and would like. Being present and making sure I feel they are getting as much as they can from our public school system. We hope to push them, propel them, encourage their spirits, and go for what they are good at.

Anyway, I'm rambling on. Hope you all have a great Tuesday. I'm fixing to groom some dogs!!!

Monday!

2013-03-25T11:29:00.002-07:00

Returned home yesterday from a wonderful weekend in Palestine, Tx. We were guests of honor at the Palestine Community Theater, and got to see 'Ghosts' the musical. It was my first musical since being activated, and it was great! I had a book signing, sold some books, made some new friends, hit up the local thrift store, ate some yummy food, and took the girls to see The Croods (it was really good).

Last night we had a meeting to go over the Advocare 24 Day Challenge we started this morning. I'm excited about this venture. Days 1-10 are 'cleanse' days, and I know my body could use it. The girls and I have been running errands and decided to stop for a pedicure :) We are getting our garden ready, so we're heading to the feed store to get seeds afterwards. Both our girls have gymnastics tonight.

Tomorrow, my oldest daughter Olivia starts art lessons. she is so excited. Tomorrow night I speak at a DynaMaxx meeting in Arlington.

This is my Monday in a nutshell!

Schedule...

2013-03-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, several have asked that I post my schedule on here......I'll post what I know so far. There are several things that are 'in the works' but I don't like to post until it's a sure deal ;) I'm open to speaking gigs and signings, just holler at me for details.

March:

Thursday, March 21st: I'll be at a "Meet the Authors Night" in Cleburne at Wright Plaza. 5:30 to 9. There will be several other authors there, as well as a wine tasting and snacks. I'll be signing books and speaking.

Saturday, March 23rd: I'll be in Palestine, Texas at Old Magnolia Mercantile starting at 11. I'll have books.

Tuesday, March 26th: I'll be speaking and doing a signing at 'Setting the Pace, Team DynaMaxx' in Arlington, Texas. Starts at 6:30.

There are some other possible things for March, but it's looking like they'll be moved to April.

April:

Friday, April 12th: I'll be in The Woodlands for a book club that's hosting me. I'll be speaking and signing books there at 1 at the Country Club.

Friday, April 19th and Saturday, April 20th: I'll be at the Super Stakes in Fort Worth! I'll be at the Justin Insurance booth on both days. Stop by!

There are some church things that may pan out, and a signing at a local beauty salon, as well as a few other things. I'll post once they are set in stone. I appreciate you all following along :)

WOW!

2013-03-18T09:45:00.001-07:00

Ok, so yesterday I did an 'AMA' on reddit. WOW! I was completely overwhelmed at the response and still have not gotten through all the questions. I'll do another one when I'm more prepared and schooled on the whole thing. Thank you guys!!! I've offered to do a 'Q & A' type thing here on my blog, but it never took off, so I assumed the reddit thing wouldn't fly well either. I was wrong!

Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to remind some of you folks that I do have a public Facebook page at:

www.facebook.com/sarahmchurman

If you are a 'Facebooker', go check it out :) I try to keep it current with interviews, upcoming signings, book news, and just general stuff. I do giveaways from time to time too. I really appreciate all of you out there. I wanted to thank those of you who have left a review of my book on Amazon. If anyone else that has read the book would like to help me out and leave a review, the link to do so is:

http://www.amazon.com/Powered-SOUNDS-Choose-Hear-NOISE/product-reviews/0985603356/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

I GREATLY appreciate you guys!!!!!

If anyone is wondering where to buy a copy of my book at, go to www.indigoriverpublishing.com, or you can purchase a signed copy from me as long as you pay shipping.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday so far, I plan to make it a good one. I have groom dogs coming, and then I foresee a pedicure in my future :)

2013-03-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

Some have suggested that my Facebook posts are worthy of my blog......so I'll give it a go! Today is Friday! It's a beautiful day here in North Texas :)

Ellie May Clampett post #296: I should be cleaning my house and getting ready for 'Girls Game Night'......but my new Kitchen Aid mixer was screaming to be sent out on its maiden voyage.....so what's a girl to do? Bake up a batch of organic dog biscuits of course!

I'm sure my dogs are thrilled......but I really should bake something for all my friends coming over tonight ;) Im off to do that!

Best Seller & Mover and Shaker!!!

2013-02-10T14:42:00.003-08:00

Sarah and I just wanted to shoot out another e-mail saying THANK YOU to all who participated in yesterday's best seller launch on Amazon. By 8pm last night, 'Powered On' earned the best seller title! Sarah's book started out the day ranked #381,773 out of all books on Amazon. She went all the way to spot #361! She got 'best selling biography/memoir' coming in at #64 out of the top 100 best sellers, and eventually earned #1 'mover and shaker' on Amazon books. We are so excited, but more importantly, so grateful for everyone who helped make this happen. We hope everyone who ordered books will enjoy them and return to Amazon to leave a review.

Indigo River Publishing is a great group of folks to work with, and we greatly appreciate them and their heart. We are excited to see where things go from here, and we are prepared for whatever else God has for us.

Sarah has a radio interview this Tuesday with a station out of Philadelphia that has 3 million listeners, as well as a book signing in Marshall/Jefferson, Texas this weekend at Books and Java. She has news interviews, radio interviews, and paper interviews lined up for Shreveport for this event. March has several things lined up at churches, health fairs, meet the author nights, etc. Your further prayers are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Sloan & Sarah

Whew!

2013-02-05T12:08:00.001-08:00

Well, not gonna lie........I once again have gotten behind on here :( Lots has gone on! I am in the works of starting a video blog, maybe I'll be better about that. We shall see. Lol. Anyway, our main focus at this point is the 'best seller launch' that is happening this Saturday, the 9th. I previously posted about it, but it is now 4 days away and I'm getting SO nervous. Here's the link to the Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1259389100867831/

Hope that some of you guys will feel led to share, invite your own peeps, and be a part. I greatly appreciate it. Also, today an interview I did with a fellow blogger is posted today! Here's a link to that:

http://lipreadingmom.com/2013/02/05/meet-sarah-churman-youtube-star-and-author-of-powered-on/

In other interesting news, I was contacted by a Korean TV station wanting to do an interview, I'll post more info when I get it. There are several exciting things that are 'in the works' for us......but I'm not one to count my eggs before they hatch, so more on that as it comes to fruition.

The last few days have been pretty warm here in Texas, and my girls have been enjoying it to the fullest. We have a new miniature horse named 'Macho', and Olivia rides him every chance she gets. Elise prefers the bigger horses and rides with Daddy a lot. This Saturday Ms. Elise will have her 3rd birthday party. I've rented a monkey to come do a show, and the girls have no idea. Sloan and I have managed to keep it a secret all these weeks and we are so proud of ourselves. Lol. Anyway, they are gonna freak when it arrives Saturday :)

I hope everyone is having a great week so far, hope this nice weather holds out.

I need your help!

2013-01-27T13:46:00.004-08:00

Friends, family, and supporters,

First I want to thank you all again for all the support you guys have shown Sloan and I lately! Coming to book signings, buying the book, spreading the word, etc. It all means so much that you have taken the time to do these things. We realize folks are busy, as we get busy ourselves and have to make time for certain things. That being said, I'll get right to the main reason for this current e-mail. As you know, my book was officially published late November. My publishing company, Indigo River Publishing, is a small publisher out of Pensacola, Florida. When they first initially contacted me, they explained that due to being a small company, they only deal with authors they feel had potential to be 'best sellers'. Those words were crazy and foreign to me, and still are, but going off of the last 18 months of history........we know anything is possible! Indigo River has a program called the 'Best Seller Launch'. It's a 12 week process. It's slow and boring. Just being honest. The basic principle to the program is researching and reaching out to everyone you can and getting them to buy the book. The key is getting folks to all buy the book on the same day, that's how you become a 'best seller'. Once you are labeled a 'best seller', you have that title forever. Your book is forever known as a 'best seller' and book stores, websites, organizations, etc. all list your book at the top of their recommended reading lists. That in turn gives your book more exposure and potentially snow balling the success of the book. I won't lie.........the thought of being known as a best selling author is utterly exciting. However, even more exciting is knowing that 'x' amount of people are reading the book and becoming more aware of the hearing impaired, the disabled, and the Esteem Implant. Not only that, but those same 'x' amount of folks are getting a dose of hope. I genuinely feel like the platform I have been given is solely to reach out to as many as I can and somehow affect them. Whether that's making them smile, giving them hope, encouraging them, educating them, or giving them a better outlook on life in general...........I want the opportunity to do so.

With all that being said, here's 'the catch'. My publishers are hoping that I can send this e-mail out to everyone on my list, and at least half of those people will send it out to everyone on their list, and so forth and so on. The assignment? To get everyone to purchase a book through Amazon.com on a certain day. The goal? To sell enough books in one day in order to obtain 'best seller' status.

Sounds somewhat easy right? The problem? Most of my friends and family have already bought the book! Lol. So this is why it would mean a lot to me if you guys would forward this message on, spread the news, and help me out. Folks are free to e-mail me with any questions, contact me through my public Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sarahmchurman), or call me. My book is currently only available through 3 avenues: Indigo River Publishing, me, and Amazon.com. A few days ago I reached out to people on Facebook asking them to go and give a review of my book on Amazon. The more reviews a book has, the better chance I have of Amazon recommending my book to others. I greatly appreciate all who did so!

This process has been hard for Sloan and I to swallow. In an act of being completely transparent and honest with everyone............this whole journey from day one back in May of 2011 has been completely organic and God-led. FROM DAY ONE. Plain and simple. We have done nothing to push anything to happen, we haven't groveled and begged to make things happen. We have been blessed to live our life and watch some amazing things come our way. We have strived to keep it that way. We have strived to continue to be humble, organic, and transparent throughout this whole process. Have we failed at times? I'm sure we have. Meanwhile, we have prayed and prayed and prayed as to how to go about this 'best seller' process that my publishers want me to embark on. I don't feel led to do the steps they want me to do. (Spend hours on the computer e-mailing folks, reaching out to organizations, bloggers, famous people, news, radio, TV, etc.) I do however realize that I have a part in the process and when I signed the book deal with Indigo River, I agreed to do my part of marketing the book. So, in order to meet that criteria.........I reach out to all of you in our circle.

THE GOAL: TO SELL AS MANY BOOKS AS WE CAN ON AMAZON.COM ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH

LINK TO SITE: http://www.amazon.com/Powered-SOUNDS-Choose-Hear-NOISE/dp/0985603356/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

INFO: The book is $14.95.

If you feel led and are willing, I'd love for you to help me out and forward this on. If you aren't comfortable, I totally understand! Like I said, Sloan and I are so grateful for all of you and all the support, prayers, encouragement, etc. That being said, we will, as we always do.......leave it in His hands.

Much love,
Sarah and Sloan Churman

December

2012-12-17T09:47:00.002-08:00

Well........once again I've failed to keep up on here. I'm currently sitting in my kitchen drinking a reheated cup of Starbucks coffee someone blessed me with yesterday. Lol. I'm watching Elise run around the house chasing our new puppy, Birdie. Olivia is with Sloan, they went to go check out my truck that broke down yet again on me last night.

A couple of weeks ago, the girls and I were going to visit a friend in Lewisville (an hour away) when the bakes and steering went out on my truck. We were doing 65 down 121, and by the grace of God I managed to coast across 4 lanes of traffic and hit a grassy ditch before rolling to a stop in a muddy pasture.........all while the girls were in the backseat asking for their chocolate cake we had bought just 30 min before. Life keeps me on my toes for sure. I try to always keep this blog positive and 'whine free'........but real quick, if anyone feels led, please pray for us a new vehicle. Lol. It doesn't need to be 'new' new, doesn't even have to be shiny! I'm just growing weary of being a one car family and Sloan riding his motorcycle everywhere so that the kids and I have the truck. It's a truck that was passed on to us when Sloan's father passed away 3 years ago, and I have driven it with pride these last 3 years......but it's getting worn out and Sloan can nay 'fix it' so many times. Lol.

Ok, on to cool stuff: The Ricki Lake Show! We flew out to LA (Culver City) for an interview with Ricki last week. She has a new show that started up in September, and I was taking a bubble bath one night when one of her producers called me :) She had heard my interview on NPR and wanted us on the show. We flew in Monday night, and after I shut my thumb in the limo door and nearly died, we met friends for dinner at a fantastic noodle joint! About the thumb.........I know it's just a thumb, but I'm pretty sure I'd choose child birth on my living room floor again over the thumb injury! Seriously, it hurt SO bad and I swear I cracked the end of the bone or something. It's all black and blue and hurts still. I keep waiting for my nail to fall off. Lol. Anyway, met up with some old 'China friends' and hung out at Orachon Ramen. It's a little hole in the wall joint that 'Man vs Food' visited a while back. Epic noodles! We slept in late the next morning and had breakfast then got ready to head to the studio. Everyone at Culver Studios that we encountered was very nice. They got us all prettied up, covered up all our tattoos, and we went onstage. I was SO excited to meet Ricki......I loved her first in Serial Mom, but grew even more affection for her after seeing Business of Being Born. It's a documentary about birth, and it shows her home water birth :) Anyway, we would film, then they'd go to commercial and we got to talk with Ricki during commercial breaks! She asked me about my home birth, then about my ears. She was very nice and down to Earth and really seemed like someone I'd love to hang out with. As soon as the show was done taping, they whisked us away to the airport as our flight was leaving at 7. It was a quick in and out trip because Sloan had to go to work, but I really enjoyed it, minus the thumb incident.

I don't know about y'all, but we have had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I don't know if its the weather (It was 80 yesterday) or what. I normally get a tree the second they start selling them, but this year we had to wait for funds and just got one last week. The girls really enjoyed decorating it, and that made us happy. I am looking forward to all the family parties and getting together though.

I am currently trying to garner more book signings. I have a few in the works here in Texas, but am hoping to branch out to other states. There has been talk of going to a bookstore in Denver, Co. called Tattered Cover. If any of my readers are near that area, feel free to call them and request me for a signing! Lol. I've had 3 signings so far, the 1st one went really well, and the other 2 were small but good. My book is still only available through me or the publisher at this time. It will go to book shelves and e book format in a few weeks. If you are interested in a book now, holler at me or go to www.indigoriverpublishing.com. I really appreciate the support from everyone!

Well, I guess that's it for now. Hope everyone has a great week.

Much love,
Sarah

The thankfulness goes on...

2012-11-07T15:13:00.001-08:00

Ok, I missed posting her a few days. I'll catch up now:

Nov. 3rd I stated that I was thankful for the ability to be a SAHM to my girls. Growing up I was always the minority because my Mom didn't work. I'm noticing that it's becoming more and more 'normal' for there to be SAHM and for that I'm grateful. I so enjoy watching these girls grow and learn on a daily basis and getting to share in their joy as they experience the world around them is priceless.

Nov. 4th I gave a shout out and a thanks to my grooming clients whom I'm thankful for. I used to groom at vet's offices and boarding facilities before the girls were born. Once Elise came along, I quit and came home. I started out grooming friends and families pets, and since then it has grown to a nice little clientele for me. These folks are the ones who trust me with their furry babies and fund my thrift store habit :)

Nov. 5th I posted that I was so thankful to be married to a man who accepts that I'm part 'Ellie May Clampett'. I never have to worry about sleeping on the couch because I brought home some little critter. The irony to the story was that Sloan was literally outside building a rabbit hutch for a pair of Netherland Dwarfs we are getting once we return the demon bunny we got suckered in to buying a couple weeks ago. LOL! I've always had a huge love for animals and I've always had lots of pets. Sloan accepts it, just smiles, groans, and shakes his head. I love him for that.

Nov. 6th I gave thanks for the North Texas School of Swedish Massage! Sloan gets me certificates to that place and I used one on this day. There's just not much else better than relaxing for an hour while getting a rub down!

Nov. 7th, today. Today I express my thanks for my little 'China Doll', Olivia Li. I remember like it was yesterday, finding out I was pregnant after our first try. We lived in China at the time and I was so nervous! I returned home to the states nearly 5 1/2 months pregnant, and I can honestly say that I've probably not ever prayed as much as I did during those months with no prenatal care. Olivia was born at 9:05am on a Wednesday morning, and it was then that I learned I could fall in love all over again and make room in my heart for another. I strive to do better each day than the day before because of her. She has taught me so much in her 5 years, and I'm blessed to be her Mom. I'm so proud of her and the young girl she is becoming <3

So those are the days I missed. Maybe I'll actually get on track and blog each day, but I'm not making any promises :) Things are hectic around here as I prepare for a birthday tea party on Saturday. I hope everyone has a nice night, we are off to Red Lobster. The birthday girl says she wants 'lobster from Red Lobster'. LOL!

<3
Sarah

Thankfulness...

2012-11-02T07:23:00.001-07:00

Today is Friday, yay! I've joined the bandwagon on Facebook and am listing something each day that I'm grateful for. I thought it'd be good to post each day here as well. Gives me something to blog about and keeps me writing.

Nov. 1st: I said yesterday that I was thankful for Adam Tillinghast. He's the man who approached me with a book deal back in February. Without him, my book wouldn't exist. I'm thankful that he believed in my story and has spent countless hours on the phone with me.

Nov. 2nd: Today I stated that I'm thankful for the man who 30+ years ago sat down at his kitchen table and drew up the design for the hearing implant I now use. He and his wife were killed in a car crash and their 2 young daughters tried to get the idea off the ground but didn't have the funds to sustain it.........enter Envoy Medical and the men who own it. They took the mans design, tweaked it and spent many years and investments to get it into existence. Without many individuals who saw the possibilities the device had and their money, it wouldn't exist. Bless all who believed!

Hope everyone has a great Friday. We are surprising our girls and taking them to the drive in movie tonight :)

October!!!

2012-10-29T09:11:00.001-07:00

WOW! This month has been busy! We started off the month with a cruise to Mexico that we had paid and planned for months ago for my 30th birthday. We spent 5 days on the cruise ship and by the 4th we were ready to get home to our girls. Lol. The last cruise we went on was before we had kids, so it was kind of funny for us to want to come home early this time. We really enjoyed ourselves though. It was nice to just relax and have food cooked for you 24/7. Ha. We did Bingo, gambled in the casino a bit, went to some shows, watched the movies out on the deck at night, and just hung out. We ported at Cozumel one of the days, and we are the 'weird couple' that doesn't sign up for all the excursions and stuff..........we like to just rent a scooter and drive around to the unoccupied side of the island and find a hole in the wall joint to eat at. Plus, the beaches are much prettier on the secluded side. We returned home from the cruise, had a few days to rest, then packed the kids up and headed for California for some more fun in the sun. I had an interview at the Crystal Cathedral for the Hour of Power show on the 14th. The interview went well, and I ended up doing the 9:30 and the 11 service. Everyone there was very nice and accommodated us and the kids nicely. This was our 2nd day in Cali and everyone we talked to kept saying "Oh, you need to take the kids to Disney!" to which I'd shush them up really fast hoping the kids didn't hear them. Disneyland is EXPENSIVE! Lol. I'm one of those that would rather take the money and do a different activity, but I knew I'd like to take the girls sometime when money wasn't tight. Well, to our surprise, we were given tickets to Disneyland after my interview! We were literally 10 minutes away from the park, but we were having a hard time because we had to be out of our hotel and we already arranged for a friend of ours who lived an hour away to come pick us up. We were going to spend a couple of days with said friend and his wife. So after some thinking and rearranging, we had the driver drop us and all our luggage off at Disney. We lugged everything to lockers and crammed it in. We spent the day discovering the park and riding rides. The girls had a blast! Our friend picked us up that evening and we spent our last 2 nights at his house. While there, we took the girls to Venice Beach on a Monday afternoon. It was glorious!!! The weather was perfect and because it was a Monday, the beach wasn't crowded. We explored the Boardwalk and ate lunch, then made our spot on the beach. The boys napped while the girls played. It was a great time.

We once again returned home to settle down for a couple of days and prepare for a wedding. My mother in law was getting married :) My father in law passed away 3 years ago, and though we miss him dearly, we are SO excited for Lari (MIL). All the family gathered the night before the wedding to visit and eat dinner, then the next morning we attended the small wedding. A family friend threw a reception at her house, and it was so nice to have all the family together for a day.

Life has pretty much settled back down now, travel-wise. Although, I have been VERY busy in between all this events working on the finishing stuff for my book :) Spent several days on the phone and computer all day long, but guess what?!? It officially went to print last Friday!!!! I'm so excited. And relieved. Lol. We are doing the first run of books with a printer in Houston so we can have them in time for my first signing in Fort Worth on Nov. 18th. If you live nearby, come to the signing! It will be at Magnolia Motor Lounge in Fort Worth from 2 to 5. Live music provided by my friend Josh Weathers too! I have other signings lined up over the next 2 months, but they are all pretty much local. (Cleburne, Jefferson, etc.) I've had several people ask me about signings, and for those wondering, if you are within driving distance or you'll pay for my flight, I'll come!

The interview I did with Hour of Power aired Saturday and Sunday several times on several channels, but if you are wanting to watch it, you can do so online on their website.

I realize this post is all over the place......my coffee is kicking in and I'm scatterbrained this morning. Now that things have slowed down a bit, I decided to fire up the sewing machine again. (A hobby I recently discovered I really enjoy and I'm pretty decent at!) Working on some skirts for the girls, and starting on some Christmas gifts. I'm really going wild and crazy this year because I've already started on Christmas shopping! I never do that! Lol.

I hope everyone has a great week and a fun Halloween! My girls are going to be a horse (Elise) and a zombie princess (Olivia).

Blessings,
Sarah <3

Short and sweet!

2012-10-11T20:51:00.001-07:00

First thing first....I now have an official public Facebook page! For those who are interested, it's: www.facebook.com/sarahmchurman. Info about interviews, book signings, etc. will be posted there.

Second, my first official book signing is in the works! Third weekend in November (coincidently also my 11 year anniversary) I'll be the gal with perma-grin :) thank you for keeping up with me and for all the encouragement. The book is being pored over by editors and test readers as I type this. The light IS at the end of the tunnel, and it's glorious!

<3 Sarah

One YEAR!

2012-09-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

I almost let it pass me by........almost! Realized as I was heading to meet my Mom for dinner tonight that the date was the 26th. I then began to reflect on this date one year ago........and was humbled.

One year ago I had my first implant turned on. I'll never forget the emotions/thoughts running through my mind and body as I sat in the chair at Envoy Medical anxiously awaiting my activation. Being completely scared out of mind that the device may not work, or I may not like it. So much was riding on the moment; Lari's $30,000 savings mostly, but also 29 years of wholehearted desire.....Desire so strong I was scared my expectations were too high.

You see.......at this point I was so very tired; tired of missing so much and tired of working so hard to get so little. I was becoming angry; angry at what I was missing out in my social life, but mostly with my kids. I was starting to find myself 'checking out' a little on my life. This was not me, this was not how I am or how I usually looked at life. Over the 29 years until that moment, I've rarely let myself get down.

Melinda turned the device on, and for me, time stood still for a few seconds. The moment it was on, I KNEW. I knew before anyone spoke, before any noise was made, I knew I was 'complete'! She told me to set the remote down, and I heard the 'clack' of it hitting the counter and I snapped back to reality. Instant relief flooded me.........Lari's money was well spent.....I liked my new ear right away! All the fears I had diminished and was replaced by joy like I've never felt. Then began me hearing my internal noises, then hearing my voice and freaking out, then crying, then freaking out over how weird all these things sounded inside my head.

Life has not been the same from that day......I have blossomed into this whole new person spiritually, mentally, etc. One year later I still experience new noises. I still play the 'what's that noise' game. I still am finding new joy in music and nature. The path I have had the opportunity of taking this last year has been an incredible one. I've met so many cool people, I've made new friends, I've traveled, I've done exciting things, I've written a book, I've built closer relationships with those around me. Most importantly........ My faith has only been strengthened furthermore. The words God gave me when my father n law died 'Hold Fast' have become a daily mantra of sorts. God blessed me with $60,000 dollars worth of new ears in a matter of hours through a matter of crazy events............nothing is impossible to me anymore! Nothing should seem impossible to any of us!

To all who have followed me on this journey, thank you so much....

Much love and blessings,
Sarah <3

PS- People constantly ask me about music........I love an eclectic mix from 80s rock to jazz and everything in between. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask you to help me bless a good friend......Josh Weathers! Check out his music online. He just released a new album 'Josh Weathers Band, Big Night in the City'. My girls and Sloan and I literally jam out and dance all over the house listening to Josh. I feel like if I were a musician......I'd be him. I love his sound! Please, go help a brother out and go buy some of his music, I promise you'll be glad you did :)

Wowsa!

2012-09-16T21:43:00.001-07:00

Been busy! I'm not sure how often I've mentioned it before, but I sit on a small committee that puts on a roping annually in my father in laws memory. Ross Churman passed away in Jan. 2010, and our small group has managed to pull off a spectacular roping the last 3 years! We paid out over $70,000 to ropers, and raised thousands for scholarships for college kids. It's nice to be a part of something like that. People have asked how we pull it off, how it's successful, etc. we truly believe its because we don't get a dime, yet do it for the ideology and to honor a man who touched so many in his life. We have a website if you want to know more or attend next years roping: www.rosschurmanmemorialroping.com and there's even a Facebook page.

Anyway, that was last weekend and we spent the week recuperating. Lol. Last weekend got off to a rough start.......my English Bulldog, Bruno, died :( this is the first pet we've lost that the girls bawled about....it was hard. This Saturday morning however, we woke up to find that our Momma cow had her baby! The new little guy is so cute and small and the girls are obsessed with petting him and checking on him. We have to drive around the place looking for him so they can 'see that he didn't get dead'. Lol. Oh to be so young and awed by nature again :)

Next weekend I am so excited that we were blessed with the opportunity to take Olivia to see Kooza, a Cirque du Soleil show! She has been begging to go for a year now but tickets are expensive! We were recently blessed with some extra money and decided to splurge :) I will also be throwing a housewarming party for some friends of ours next weekend who were recently given a house! Andrew was presented with a house from the Wounded Warriors Program while visiting the ballpark in Arlington on Military Appreciation night :) So nice to see God working in other's lives. The weekend after that I'm celebrating my 30th birthday selfishly by hosting a party at our house. Lol. Hey, I'm feeding everyone and even baking a cake ;) That makes it ok right? On October 13th we will be flying to California to the Crystal Cathedral for an interview with Hour of Power. We subsequently we're able to delay our flight home so that we can visit friends and take the girls to the beach. We figure if we eat Ramen Noodles the whole time, we can afford a few extra days to make memories with the girls.

I'm cracking down on my last chapter in my book currently, rushing to get it all together and to publishing. I'm just so over the moon excited about this new journey. Well, not exactly 'new' since I've been writing for the last 6 months, but I guess more so a 'phase 2'............the fun phase! The phase where I get to experience something I never imagined possible in my wildest dreams! I'm a freaking author :) A blessed, crazy excited, anxious, nervous, writer. Someone was talking to me the other day about hosting a book signing for me and I nearly cried at the prospect of actually doing something like that. I still wake up every day and go 'this is really happening!' And it's happening because of people like YOU. The ones who have reached out to me, the ones who read this blog, the ones who pray for me, the ones who have been my cheer leaders all along this crazy path life has had me on the last year. To each of you, I say THANKS! From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I didn't realize how much sharing a testimony can affect millions..........I pray that everyone would use their own testimony to help others. We all have one ;)

Good night folks......I'm starting to ramble.

<3

It's a book!!!

2012-08-26T14:35:00.002-07:00

So we survived New York! The weather was beautful this trip and we enjoyed walking around seeing the sights. We arrived Thursday morning and spent the day walking around, eating, and shopping. Thursday night we were invited to go watch the taping of World News with Diane Sawyer. Sloan has had a crush on her since he was a little boy, so needless to say, he was floored. Lol. We arrived at ABC studios and were shocked to learn that they offered us to be on the set! If you've ever noticed the people in the background behind Diane on computers looking 'busy'.....well, we got to do that! It was hysterical to me because they logged us on the computers and were like "get online, get on Facebook, whatever, we just need you to look inconspicous and busy" I didn't have time to call friends or family, so I immediately found friends and family online and started chatting. At one point I started grinning like the Cheshire Cat and then people were instant messaging me saying things like "We see you smiling!" which only made it harder for me to keep a straight face. Lol. It lasted 30 minutes and then much to our surprise when taping was over, Diane invited us to hug and take a pic!!! Sloan was pretty much speechless and I was gushing as usual. Ha.

That night we ate at a Brazilian Restaurant that was fabulous. Those who know me, know how much I love food.....and vacations pretty much revolve around it. Lol. After we ate, I received some VERY exciting news from friends back home. The Military Warriors Support Foundation presented my longtime childhood friend Andrew, an Army Commendation Medal and Purple Heart recipient with a new home at the Ranger game! He and his wife Amy and kids are so deserving and I had been praying that this blessing would come through for them. We were on the streets of NY grinning big for them :)

Friday morning we got up and got ready and headed for my interview with 20/20. I was SO nervous as usual. It never gets any easier, whether I'm speaking at a church, in front of 5 people, or on TV, it's always so nerve wracking for me. The interview went very well though and will be airing Sept. 7th on ABC. It was a typical interview, but the thing I was most excited about was the opportunity to share my new book coming out! I've not allowed myself to get excited much, but being able to share it with the world on TV, the excitement is starting to creep up on me. The book is anticipated to be on shelves by the end of October if everything goes well. I'm literally in the home stretch and the light is very near the end of the tunnel. It's been an amazing journey to walk out for sure. Anyway, I wanted to let ya'll know that you have the ability to go to my publisher's website and 'reserve' a copy if you like. The site is: www.indigoriverpublishing.com

I'd blog more, but I have 2 girls tugging on my arm and we are about to leave to go have dinner with family.........plus I'm starving (big surprise) and can't focus well. Hope everyone had a great weekend and for those of you near me, enjoy this rain!!!

Blessings,

Sarah

New York......again!

2012-08-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Sloan and I arrived in New York this morning. I'll be doing an interview with 20/20 tomorrow that will air Sept. 7th. I'm excited because I'll be debuting my book on the show :) We are currently sitting at a hotel eating free wine and cheese and fixing to head to a taping of World News. Sloan is thrilled to get to see his lifelong crush, Diane Sawyer. Lol. I'll blog more later.

Blessings,
Sarah

Distractions....

2012-08-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

So, let's just be honest......I suck at keeping my blog up to date. Lol. I guess I feel as though I have so much going on in my daily life that I don't find myself sitting at my desktop much. I'd rather have tea parties with my girls, ride horses, read a good book, play games with friends, spend time outdoors, etc. Seems as though there are a million things I could be doing at any given time. Lately we have been getting ready for the 3rd annual Ross Churman Memorial Roping. It's a roping that was started in my father in law's memory. He passed away in Jan. 2010. Check out our website at: http://rosschurmanmemorialroping.com/# or find us on Facebook to see what we're all about. It's always the 2nd weekend in Sept. and has been a great roping thus far.

Anyway, other than that I've been continuing to work on my book. Some weeks are easier than others when it comes to writing. Overall, I'm excited and beginning to let myself actually feel some of that excitement! I'm a big 'don't count your chickens before they hatch' kinda gal. I keep having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that there are folks out there who would want to read what I write....but apparently there are :) God willing, the book will be out this winter.

As for my hearing implants...........they only get better as the days go by! I'm still adjusting to having 2 though, and I do find myself tiring easily on some days. Bless my kids hearts....they can be loud! Being in places where there are tons of people or noises tends to overwhelm me, but I'm still elated that I can actually function and take part in situations like that. I keep having people ask me if I still read lips, and the answer is....I forget a lot but I'm trying to keep it up just because I think it's a good skill set to have. I have started to not use captioning on TV and movies to put my ears to good use and practice actually hearing words spoken instead of cheating and reading them. I haven't used the captioning device at the movies in a while, and that's been nice too. I still have many moments where I'll be talking to someone and they'll pause mid story and be like "You are totally hearing me right now aren't you?!?" Lol. It sounds crazy, but I forget sometimes that I haven't always heard like this. Just goes to show how easily we forget.

Hope everyone has a great week,

Sarah <3