December

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...

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...

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!!!

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!

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!

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!

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