Belated Birthday for my Brother

Yesterday, was my brother's birthday. We were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate with him. We enjoyed dinner at Bronco's a Mexican restaurant in Gaffney, SC and then we went to Andrew and Katie's for cookie cake and ice cream. We had fun! Happy 29th Birthday, Andrew!
P.S. The Cocker Spaniel sitting on Katie's dad's lap is Cooper's brother, Toby! They are what we like to call them. . .brother cousins now!

Memories of Christmas

December 22 is my Pappy's birthday. He passed away 3 months before our wedding (10 years ago). He was so excited that I was getting married and he came to visit me before our wedding. My mom and I took him to the bridal shop where I bought my dress and they let me try it on for him. He took several pictures of me in the dress. Those pictures were priceless after he passed away and I found them.

Growing up my family would always travel to Cincinnati, OH for Christmas. I enjoyed driving up to Granny and Pappy's house and seeing the blue lights that he would display with the white candles in the windows. So in honor of my Pappy, Mike and I decided to put outside lights up and Mike did a great job. I love seeing them every night.

I look forward to seeing him again one day in heaven. Happy Birthday Pappy!

Merry Christmas from the Timpe's

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Who wants to be a winner???

Of what you ask? I know you want to be the winner of the new HP Touch Smart computer. Go to Kelly's Korner to enter a chance to win.

Why God Chose Me

NOTICE: I don't have a question mark because I don't have that question, I know the answer. God chose me to draw me to himself and to give him all the praise. A teacher at my school(Thanks Lindsey!) shared this video with me and it has everything that I want to say about how God has taken care of me and has chosen me. Sunday night I had the urge to write down my thoughts that God has been placing on my heart. When I finally stopped writing, I had four pages of how great and faithful God has been to me . God was going to accomplish his plan with or without me. (That's our decision whether or not we are going to walk side by side with Him or run ahead and lead the way.) Once we chose to focus on him, he receives all the praise. CLICK on--Video from Matt
Lamentations 3:22-24
"The Lord's lovingkindness indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness! 'The Lord is my portion', says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him'."

Show Us Your Life~Christmas Trees

I decided to join the blog hop with Kelly's Korner to showcase our Christmas tree. I normally have two trees, but due to my recent surgery we only put up one tree this year. I decorate my tree in red, white and blue since 9/11. I even found online a stars and stripes tree skirt, which I love!

My mother-in-law made red, white and blue bows to add to my tree as well as the
blue and gold bow on the top of our tree.

I also chose to do a patriotic tree because for many years my mom has purchased my siblings and me an ornament from the White House Historical Association. My mom still buys one for us each year. I started the tradition with my mother-in-law when Mike and I started dating and I continue to get one each year for my mother-in-law. This is one of my favorites and it's the 2000 ornament.

What a great day. . .full of blessings and prayers answered!

I was surprised about a month ago when several office personnel came to my classroom carrying flowers and other treats. I was then greeted by Rodney Beck who congratulated me on winning a nomination of Teacher of the Month for Gulf Coast Family Newspapers. It was a blessing that day b/c I had just been to the hospital for my pre-op testing and began to worry. God knew I needed this blessing to help me realize that I was making the right decision about when I was having my surgery. The students and parents said wonderful things that I hope I can live up to. The students and parents even made a scrapbook thanking me for a successful school year so far! How awesome to have parents and students that love, support and pray for you! I received a call yesterday that the Gulf Coast Family Newspaper was distributed. The elementary director at my school brought me five copies! I'm so honored and humbled as I read the comments. Thank you to all the supportive parents I have had in the past and now! You can check out www.gulfcoastfamily.org for more information on the Tampa Bay area.

The parents and students were so thoughtful and had a cake decorated with my favorite color along with my favorite flower! I enjoyed looking through the magazine today while still recovering at home.

On a different note, I went to the doctor today as a follow up to my surgery and found out great news! I went into the surgery not knowing if this would solve all the medical problems I had been facing. Today I got the answer that so many of you have been praying for. The pathology report came back with reports from a doctor at Harvard Medical School and the leading trophoblastic specialist in Great Britain all stating that this is a very uncommon and unusual case, but that all three of the doctors confirm that there was a 6mm tumor in the back of my uterus. This is a huge burden lifted from our lives. I am so thankful to Dr. Arango and Michelle for being so patient and willing to help in this long process.
Tomorrow, December 4, marks 6 years that we have been dealing with my medical issues. Everyone at Dr. Arango's office was celebrating with us on this wonderful news. I will continue to do blood work for the next few months to monitor my progress. Mike and I prayed before we went to the doctor and again after praising God for being faithful and answering our prayers(Your prayers~words cannot express my gratitude for all the prayers. I even received a phone call tonight from 4 little boys who called to check on me~those Fodrill boys are soooo precious.) We chose to end our celebration by enjoying God's creation which we live so close. I'm also thankful for a wonderful caring husband who has stuck with me~through sickness and in health~5 surgeries, tens' of tests, hundreds of needle sticks and millions of prayers. I'm so glad I serve a God who is faithful and still working in my life.

We will now begin the next chapter in our lives. . .

Thanksgiving 2009

This year Thanksgiving was very different, but am thankful on how everything worked out. I had surgery on November 18 so my parents, sister, niece, Grandma, brother and sister-in-law all traveled over 500 miles to help Mike and me after my surgery. This meant that my family and Mike's family would all be together for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to have everyone together. Grandma made a delicious ham, au gratin potatoes and pumpkin pie. Mike's mom fixed green bean casserole and yummy rolls. My mom prepared sweet potato crunch and broccoli salad. My Grandma made pecan pie. And I ordered a pumpkin cake from our favorite little restaurant Clubhouse (owned by Bob and Patti Towner). It was delicious and everyone was trying to figure out exactly how Patti made this yummy dessert. Thanks Patti for everything!!!

I am thankful for everyone's help, meals made, cards, texts, calls and prayers. I go back to the doctor on Thursday for a surgery follow up and for blood work to get results on Friday. The blood work will give my doctor information to know if the surgery was the answer to all of my medical problems. Thanks for praying and please continue to pray.

On the 46th day of Christmas my true love gave to me. . .

AN APPLE MACBOOK PRO!!!


I guess my upcoming surgery gave Mike a good reason to buy a new computer! He called me this afternoon to find out when I was heading home. It was fun opening up the box, but Mike has been using it all night. I keep asking him what are you doing now, his response is just trying out all the buttons!

This weekend we had fun getting together with Mike's Great Aunts who live in Arizona and Miami. They try to make the trek at least once a year to Grandma's house. We had a wonderful dinner: Pizza, hashbrown casserole, asparagus, salad and ice cream for dessert.

Happiest Place on Earth

Mike and I were excited when a week ago, we made reservations to get away to the "Happiest Place on Earth", you know--Disney World! We had a wonderful time away not thinking about the past year and a half: doctor appointments, tests, blood work, procedures, and surgeries. I'm hoping and praying all of this is coming to an end very soon. We had some friends that were going to Disney as well that weekend, so it was fun to hang out together!

Mike and I enjoyed a nice dinner at The Turf Club at Saratoga Springs. It is a hidden secret (but not much longer since I just told you). After dinner, the hotel was showing a movie by the pool. We enjoying laughing and watching "The Game Plan" by the pool.

Of course, we have to ride and look at all the new cars at Test Track at EPCOT. Mike wanted to purchase the Corvette, but the closest he came was buying a hat! We got to sit in a new car and a driver came with this car! YIKES!!!

No trip to Disney World is complete, until you see or have your picture taken with Mickey Mouse. We had so much fun being away for the weekend. Can't wait till we go back to see the Candlelight Processional that EPCOT presents at Christmas time.

We had fun with the Rose family--Bless their hearts!!!

Husband of the Year Award

My husband deserves Husband of the Year Award. I can not say enough positive things about my man. He truly has been selfless in his love for me. Here's a short list of things he has done the last 2 weeks to show his love for me:

-Cooks dinner several times a week after working a long day
-Cleans up dinner after fixing it too
-Mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors
-Vaccuumed the entire house!
-Helped with laundry
-Emptied the dishwasher (This is a huge deal in our house, b/c this is one of his least favorite "chores")
-Gone to the store for me
-Cleaned out the garage
-Pressure washed our sidewalk
-Bathed Cooper

Again, this is a short list. I could go on and on. Thank you Michael for showing your love in ways of serving me. I love you for always.

Love,
Amy

Thankful Thursday

I'm so glad to be writing on my blog again. I hope to get back into the groove of things soon. It takes me about one month to get back in the swing of things when school starts. I wanted to share about how thankful I am for Mike. He has been a real trooper the last several days. I haven't been feeling the best and he has been working a full day and then taking care of the house and me at night. This includes fixing dinner and cleaning up and other chores that have to be done. He is SUPERMAN and I'm married to him! I love you. Thank you for loving me and helping me through this difficult time.

Love always,
Amy
P.S. He even took me to Weight Watchers tonight so I could weigh in. . .I lost 1.2 pounds this week!

Can't Believe It

I can't believe that the last time I posted a blog was on August 31st. I guess the time to update my blog is WAYYYYYY past due. I won't write long, but give you some highlights from the last several weeks.

Mike had promised to take me to two Tampa Bay Rays games and he kept his word. I went in July with our friends from Brazil. On September 4th, Mike surprised me with tickets to go to another game that weekend. We had so much fun. Our favorite seats are on the first base line. Thanks Mike for keeping your word and putting up with watching baseball--all 9 innings! I love you.


In August and September, I haven't been feeling GREAT, so I went in for my monthly blood work at the beginning of September and my levels had started to rise. The next week, I went to see my doctor and he (and I) were starting to get concerned. He ordered an MRI and a CT Scan. I had some rough days, but were blessed to receive a spa package from Bella Lucce--the best spa products on planet Earth! Thanks--Mom, Dad, Abby and Maggie. My hubby bought me a lovely bouquet of flowers. There were enough flowers, that I could make 3 arrangements around our house. Thanks--Mike.



Then one morning, I was worshipping the Lord with one of my CD's on the way to work and I couldn't believe the sun rise that brought me to tears. I debated for a long time, but decided I better take a picture to capture the look. However, this picture is nothing compared to the wonderful site I saw that morning. I was reminded of God's promise to Noah and how his Word is full of promises for me. If you look carefully, you can see all the colors of a rainbow with this sun rise. It brought me to tears that morning. God gave me exactly what I needed that day. I'm thankful that His Word is alive and active in my life.


This past weekend I was so blessed to be with some of my dearest friends. We had been planning for this event for 12 months. We commented on how amazed we were that God organized and kept everyone healthy and the ability to be away for the weekend. We went to Orlando to see Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer LIVE!! I couldn't believe that I was sitting in the same room (large arena) with these 3 amazing women. They are normal just like you and me, but have obeyed God's call to share how God is alive and working in their lives. I had never heard Priscilla Shirer speak before and WOW what an experience! I will briefly describe these women and tell you a little bit about what they each spoke about.

Kay Arthur-Knowledge of God's Word. I was simply speechless to hear her talk scripture after scripture. I want to know God's Word like that so it just flows from my conversation. She taught the entire book of Hebrews!
Priscilla Shirer-Humbly committed to God. (She is Tony Evans' daughter.) Not only is she in women's ministry, but her husband left the business world. He helps encourage and build Priscilla up to be the woman that God wants her to be. She is also a mom to for cute little boys. She taught me that God goes beyond what I think and then BEYOND that thought again! Beyond--beyond. She taught from Ephesians 3:20-21.
Beth Moore-Transparent and Personal-She makes serving God come alive and makes me want to know God more. She doesn't act better than anyone else. She needs Jesus just like me. She shared from her heart and what the Lord has been teaching her over the last 4 months. She gave practical advice on how to have spiritual discernment. Stop and pay attention to the Holy Spirit and what he is telling you. She taught from John 14, I Corinthians 2, and 2 Timothy 3.

In this picture, Beth Moore is in the red top, Priscilla Shirer in the bright blue top, and Kay Arthur in the purple top-with her back to me for the picture. Travis Cottrell is leading the worship time.

Thank you Jesus for allowing me the chance to be inspired by these women to obey Your Word.

I'm Back!

Well, family and friends I have had many of you ask about my blog and why I haven't been updating. Needless to say, August 12th I had to return to school and I have been going none stop since then. Mike has been traveling with his job, so that has been different and therefore, I've had extra responsibilities to take care of all by myself at home. He's gone again this week. Lord willing, he will be returning on Thursday and not Friday!

I have still been attending Weight Watchers and lost another 1.6 pounds this week. I guess waking up at 5:45am to walk 2 miles, walking up and down the stairs all day and then coming home and walking Cooper for a half mile is working! Although, I'm exhausted by 9:00pm.

I wanted to share about Sunday after church. Mike and I went to Olive Garden (we had a gift card) for lunch. We saw some friends of ours, Bob and Barb, and they invited us to join their table. WELL. . .Mike and I were the youngest and I learned much at the lunch table. One lady had recently lost her husband and the other couple used to be missionaries, so the table was full of life and I was amazed at how God's hand had directed all of them together and for us to join them. I wanted soooo badly to take a picture, but I wasn't sure if our new older friends would go for it. So maybe if we get invited again, I'll be more brave and ask to take a picture. One of the gentlemen at the table asked our waiter his name and told him we were going to bless our food and wanted to know if there was anything we could pray for him about. WOW. . .I was speechless! What a great idea to share Christ with others in a simple way of thinking of others than yourself. He right away mentioned 2 prayer requests. That again was surprising to me. I don't know why, but God was using this experience to draw me closer to him. It reminded me IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT ME!!! Thank you God for using friends to focus on You!

I'm hoping to get back in the swing of blogging and get back to it on a regular basis! I've missed it! Wonder what I'll blog about next. . . .

Happy Birthday Katie!

Today is my sister-in-law's 27th birthday. (I can say her age b/c she posted it on Facebook, so now the entire world knows her age.) Happy Birthday, Katie. I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating YOU!!

Show Us Your Life!

At Kelly's Korner she is have bloggers revisit their wedding and share with the blogging world. I enjoy sharing part of my life with others and getting to know other women. Our ceremony was at a local church, but our reception was at my church. They had a two-story open room called the Fellowship Mall and had a huge chandelier with sky lites. There were also large planters with trees and flowers in them. The church also had park benches in this Mall. We didn't need much decorations. We did rent a 5 piece lattice set that was the back drop for our cake and had white pillars with ferns on them. It was perfect for a reception.

We had the food tables in a large X with a large flower arrangement for the centerpiece.

Our fruit "waterfall"

The only flower arrangement besides the wedding parties flowers and the additional ferns.

This picture you can see how large the room was at my church where our reception was located.

My Grandpa passed away 3 1/2 months before I got married, but his two brothers and families came to our wedding. I was so honored that they took the time to travel to SC to attend our wedding. So this is probably one of my favorite memories from our reception.


I gave my caterer's a picture from my parents wedding cake to do our cake. It was yummy. (ADVICE: At wedding receptions, cut that cake before you do anything at your reception!) --Can't get these pictures to load now--

We had a very dear friend of ours, Bubba(I know you are reading this), drive us away in a red Lincoln. I was glad that he was able to do this and we were honored that he drove us around on our special day! --Can't get these pictures to load now--

We went to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg for our honeymoon. We stayed at the Blue Mountian Mist Country Inn and Cottages. We stayed in the Queen Ann's Lace Cottage. It was beautiful and the host and hostess were wonderful. I would love to go back and stay there again.

Missing Mike

It's only Tuesday and I'm missing Mike. We got back from vacation on Saturday evening and on Monday morning his boss asked him to go on a buisness trip for a week. HE came home Friday and Monday morning, packed his bags and left. When came home Friday evening and told me he would have to go again for several weeks back to the east coast. This is our second week of Mike traveling and I'm missing him like crazy! School is getting ready to start, so that is passing the time away. I'm so glad that he was willing and able to go on this trip. Back in February his company went to 32 hours, so this traveling will bump his hours up to 40!!! PTL (However, I think I've already spent the money buying new clothes for school that fit since I'm losing weight! Shhhh--he doesn't know yet b/c I haven't talked to him yet today long enough to tell him.) This job is close to his sister and her husband so he has been able to spend some bro/sis time together. Wish I could join them, but maybe another time.

PS--Cooper misses Mike too. This is what he does all day. . .

Show Us Your Life!

I got married June 12, 1999 at a local church in South Carolina. I did not get married at my home church, but had my reception at my home church. I only used ferns and candles to decorate the front of the sanctuary, you really can't tell that from the pictures I posted. They all lead to the cross as the focal point. My bridesmaid's dresses were from the junior departments from Dillards and Belks. They were a soft pale yellow. They were on clearance and one dress came as far as Texas! Dillards and Belks were great to work with. Each of the dresses were different amounts, so we rounded the price and each bridesmaid had to pay $25 for her dress!!!!! I used spring colors for the flowers and my flowers were white with greenery.



After our wedding, I wanted to get my flowers dried but when I came home from the honeymoon my mom told me they had died. . . well, a year later on our one year anniversary my parents gave us a shadow box with our invitation and part of my bouquet inside! It is in our bedroom and still beautiful after 10 years! So sorry the pictures are pictures of pictures!

Happy Birthday Abby!

Happy Birthday Abby! I hope you were able to celebrate all day today. You are a very special sister and I love you very much. I'm so proud of you. What you are doing is not easy and you are doing a great job saving money, working, and raising Maggie. I'm glad I have you for a sister. I love you!