Thankfulness...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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!

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...

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!

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 :)

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!!!

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!

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!

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