March 28, 2010

Great Weekend & a Giveaway!


We are home from a wonderful weekend! We took a road trip to Branson to go to a marriage conference called "Weekend to Remember." We had such a great time! This was our 2nd time to attend one of their conferences. When Patrick graduated residency, one of his attending's paid for us to go to one of these as a graduation gift. At first I was like - "Wait! Does he think our marriage is in trouble?!" And acted all silly and paranoid. But then Patrick explained to me that he had basically told him this is a good thing to go to no matter where your marriage is. And he was right! First of all, it's just good to get away and spend time together. But it also really gets you talking about things you probably wouldn't otherwise. We really enjoyed it (both times) and think it's a great investment in our marriage. I would encourage you to do the same and try to attend a marriage conference every year (or 2...time got away from us!). They hold this conference all over the US, so you can check out their site here if you're interested, or just find one locally or through your church...I promise it's worth the time & money! :)

And the coolest thing happened while I was there! After one of the Saturday sessions we were walking out through the crowd (there were over 700 people there!) and Patrick and I were talking about how great it was and then he asked how I was feeling. I said good, except my butt was feeling bruised from all the sitting. (What can I say, I keep it real here.) The next thing you know, this sweet girl behind me says, "I just have to ask - are you Sarah Martin?" I said yes, but at this time am thinking she just saw my name tag and probably has me mixed up with another Sarah Martin since it's a very common name. She then proceeds to tell me she reads my blog! And I squeal like a little kid on Christmas morning...don't you just love blogging?! So Laurie, I'm so glad you came and said hi...it was so fun to meet you and chat with you! And I'm so sorry if you heard the comment about my butt being sore. And I guess if you didn't, I just told on myself anyway, so oh well! :) (Please excuse the fact that I look tired, puffy, and blah in this picture...I really was having a great time! Just a little worn out I guess.)
And now for a giveaway! (This is not the one related to my Etsy shop - check back Tuesday for that one.) I carry a burden for those of you who have traveled and are traveling the road of infertility. I forget how fresh it is sometimes, but even this weekend at the conference I cried the few times they mentioned infertility simply because my heart aches for those of you who are still walking that path. I saw this book, and though I haven't personally read it, the reviews are wonderful and from just flipping through it I can see where it would be a really good read! So I decided to pick up a copy to share with one of my lovely blog readers. (As a sidenote, I know when I became pregnant I lost a group of readers who simply couldn't read/comment anymore because of the pain of hearing about my pregnancy. I completely understand and have no hard feelings if that was you. For those of you who were able to stick around, it means a lot to me because I know it can be a struggle. My hope is simply that when you read my blog, you will be reminded that He will never leave you or forsake you, and your day will come!) So here's the book - it's called "Hannah's Hope" and is written by Jennifer Saake.
The book is summarized as this: Hannah's Hope is intended as a guide to assist you in making wise decisions as you struggle through your grief of not yet conceiving, losing a child, or struggling through the adoption process.

And this is from the back cover:

Hannah's heart beat with a mother's love long before she was blessed with a child. Through the years of waiting and longing, her gentle heart was nearly crushed under the weight of grief. You can meet Hannah in the pages of 1 Samuel, chapters 1 and 2. The Bible says she was "barren," and we know she suffered heartache, anguish, and grief because of her empty arms. Perhaps you do too. Hannah's Hope is for all who long for a child yet to be conceived, grieve for a baby too soon passed from the womb, or have lived through the no-man's-land of failed adoption. It is intended as a guide to assist you in making wise decisions as you struggle through your grief. And by the end of the journey, God may surprise you by the ways He uses to answer your heart's cry. Compassionately written by a woman who knows well these painful struggles, Hannah's Hope will direct you to the Source of strength, whose name is "the God of all comfort."

If you (or someone you know) could benefit from this book, I would love for you to have it. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below. Giveaway is open until Thursday, April 1st, at midnight, and the winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Friday.

Again, I want to encourage all of you who are still walking this road in any way. I pray often for those of you who have shared your story and/or blog with me, and I have no doubt the Lord will guide you through this time if you lean fully on Him.


14 comments:

  1. I would love to give it to a friend I have struggling right now...

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a fun weekend!

    I have never read that book, but have heard awesome things about it. I would love to win! Thank you for your kind words, your prayers and your sweet heart. You are a blessing and encouragement to so many!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What fun...meeting another blogger! Yeah!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You look great . .. thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hannah's Hope...I would love to share this with a friend of mine that is going through a similar experience! Thanks for sharing!! :) BTW, can you email me more info on the marriage weekend you just attended...I'd love for hottie husband and I to attend next year!! :) betsy@modernlitho.com!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you so much for your loving heart to anyone walking this lonely and painful path through infertility. I just blogged about your give-away at http://harvestinghope.blogspot.com/2010/03/thorns-weeds-give-away-and-hope.html and pray this will bring you some new readers as well.

    {{{hugs}}}
    jenni
    author, Hannah's Hope: Seeking God's Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage & Adoption Loss

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have a friend who I would like to share this book with.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sarah, It is so incredible to stumble onto your blog! Thank you for sharing your wonderful "promise" to-come with us. God is faithful. My husband and I are in the beginning of this fertility process and it has been a rocky road, as I am sure you remember. I stumbled on to Jenni's blog this past Friday and her book! It looks amazing! Hopefully I will get the extra copy and then share it on with several of my other friends that are walking the same "narrow" road. Thanks you Sarah for being a blessing!
    In His Grip!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I completely agree Sarah that the weekend was wonderful! What a blessing to have been a part of that time w/ my dear husband! It was so great to meet you & then for us to run into each other the next day also. I'm so glad we were able to get a picture together!
    Thank you for sharing your heart & the struggles that you've faced w/ infertility. It impacts so many couples & I'm glad that God never wastes a hurt!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Sarah!
    I just wanted to say hi and let you know that I still read your blog. I usually read it on my Google Reader, so I don't comment very often. I also wanted to add my endorsement for the book Hannah's Hope. I was reading it but didn't finish, but still thought it was great! Not finishing books is a common theme for me so it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I'm actually going to give my copy to our church so that I can share it with others.

    I see that the author commented on your blog, how cool is that!?!
    Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would love to read it and have it handy to pass on to others I know who have struggled or are struggling with this.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have read it once and it is so helpful and encouraging. I have borrowed it, but would love my own copy to reread. I think my heart needs to hear it more than once.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have no idea how I stumbled upon your blog, but it was obviously for a reason... I have been struggling with infertility for almost 3 years. My husband will be returning home from deployment soon and we are praying we will finally be blessed with a tiny miracle. & Even if I don't win your giveaway (although I'm crossing my fingers that I will!) I will definitely be getting myself a copy of this book. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have known Jenni for many years through the forums over at Hannahsprayer.org. She is such a sweetie! I have only read a borrowed copy of her book, and can tell you that it is great. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win a copy. We are getting ready to start TTC again (took a break after 3 m/c's in a row) and would enjoy reading it again. Afterwards, I would want to pass it on to my sister in law, who could so use the encouragement as well.

    Glad to have "met" you, and rejoicing over upcoming sweet one!

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from my readers and I appreciate every single comment left here! If you have a question, I will do my very best to answer it as soon as I can. If your email address is not linked to your blogger account (and if you're not sure, then it probably isn't) please leave it in your comment so that I can respond to you much quicker. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

 

Loading...

 



Life Sweet Life

Designed By:

Munchkin Land Designs
 
Designed by Munchkin Land Designs • Copyright 2013 • All Rights Reserved
Blogging tips