Thankful Thursday!

I can't believe another week has passed and here I am again being thankful. I'm sad, but thankful today because tonight was my last night of "Lord, Change My Attitude" Bible Study. It's hard to believe that the 11 weeks are over and I have learned so much. I know my attitude has changed and I'm praying that it will continue to be changed. Again, I'm amazed at how God works in my life each day. In the 2nd week of Bible Study we discussed having a thankful heart. We read the passage in Luke where the 10 lepors were healed and only one thanked Jesus. This week we are having Spiritual Emphasis Chapels at school. And today's speaker spoke on this same story and I was reminded of how when we are thankful, it brings us to the feet of Jesus, just as when the lepor was thankful he fell at Jesus' feet and praised Him. I want to be that one that is healed and is thankful at Jesus' feet.

I am thankful that tomorrow is FRIDAY and my spring break starts at 3:00pm!!!

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Today is my husband's birthday! I'm so happy I am able to be a part of his special day. We both have to work today, but tonight we are going to celebrate. He hasn't decided where he wants to eat, but we are going to watch 24. I will add pictures tonight of Mike's birthday celebration! Happy Birthday, Mike. I love you!

We went to Thai Orchid for dinner. We had calamari for starters and Mike ordered Snap Peas with chicken. Because it was his birthday, they brought some Thai donuts. We have never had them before, but they were out of this world.

Once in a Lifetime

This weekend was a once in a lifetime experiences. Mike and I were invited to attend a dinner with Ken Ham on Saturday night. WOW! I was awe struck at how much Mr. Ham knew about the Bible as well as the research he has done in the name of Jesus. He shared his heart and his vision. I was honored to be invited to attend.

Several weeks ago our church had Dr. Charles Ware come speak. Dr. Ware and Ken Ham have written a book together. I asked Dr. Ware to sign my book. Then on Saturday night I was able to ask Mr. Ham to sign my book. I was so glad to hear both of these men of God preach.



Sunday was another highlight. Mike and I were asked to work in the Answers in Genesis bookstore. We had to be there at 8:15 Sunday morning. We worked between the morning services. I worked in the nursery during the second morning service so others could go to the service. Mike was working in the bookstore 30 minutes after the service ended. So we didn't leave church until 12:30 and we had to be back to church by 3pm to help set up for Buddy Davis and the children's program. So it was a short afternoon. We then started working in the bookstore at 4pm and in between the services. We also had to pack up everything that was not sold and load it back on the pallets. WOW! We sold a lot, but we had to pack up everything nice and tight. We finally arrived back home a little after 9pm. We then headed straight to bed! What a great weekend to be able to work together with Ken Ham, Buddy Davis and the Answers in Genesis team!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is a big day at church! Mike and I have been anxiously waiting for this Sunday for several months. Starkey Road Baptist Church is hosting Ken Ham and Buddy Davis from Answers in Genesis. Ken Ham will be speaking on "The Revelance of Genesis in Today's World" and other fascinating topics. Buddy Davis is ministring to the children's programs and will discuss dinosaurs, Noah's Ark and much more. I can't wait until tomorrow. Pictures will come soon.

Thankful Thursday!

I wanted to say THANKS to my hubby for being a good sport tonight. My school, St. Petersburg Christian, had an appreciation night at Lee Roy Selmon's tonight.
I asked Mike if he wanted to go and he said, "Yes!". I was glad he wanted to come with me. We met there early and went to my favorite store at the mall, Christopher and Banks. I bought a new dress. I can't pick it up until Saturday though--they are having a sale and I can't get the 40% discount until Saturday, but they have it on hold for me! What a great deal. THANKS Mike for letting me shop and buy a new dress. We headed to eat and enjoyed dinner. I got a big kick out of our table because most of us eat lunch together every day and here we were eating dinner together. THANKS for eating with me and my lunch gals! Mike was busy watching all the t.v.'s with all the March Madness going on. THANKS Mike for going shopping and to dinner with me tonight. I'm so THANKFUL for you and how I can share my good and bad times with you and you still love me. THANKS--I love you!

Unusual Blessings

This weekend was full of blessings and some were unusual. We had a quiet relaxing Friday night at home. We raced each other on Wii Mario Cart and played Yatzee. Saturday we had our usual "breakfast date" and came home and the washing machine needed to be run. We had plans to go over to some friends house for dinner and this is when the unusual weekend started. Don't get me wrong, our friends are NOT unusual just things that happened this weekend are rare gems and don't happen often. First of all, I don't think I have ever seen Mike play Barbie before. We had lots of laughs with Mike about his crown, braclets and hair styling. Sunday morning was normal for the most part and after church we headed up to Grandma's house for lunch and the day. I took Cooper to the back yard and what do you think we saw? A snake! Neither Cooper or the snake scared each other. Here is one picture of Grandma's new pet! (Just Kidding!) You can't beat Grandma's homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots and strawberry pie! We then got to watch the Space Shuttle Discovery launch at 7:43pm. We were so impressed that even Cooper enjoyed watching the launch. We went outside and were able to see it live in the sky! I found out that an astronaut, Sandra Magnus, who is living on the International Space Station has a BLOG! However, since yesterday's launch her blog has been overwhelemed and you can't even get on it. I will keep you posted and add her link as soon as it is up and running again.

As you can tell, we had some blessings this weekend and some were unusual. I wonder what next weekend will hold???

One Month Later. . .

I was not part of the blogging world back on Valentine's Day, so I though this month I would highlight what Mike got me for Valentine's Day. He is not a big advocate for Valentine's Day, so we usually don't give extravagant gifts. I gave him two shirts. (Isn't that what every guy wants for Valentine's Day?) This year I was very surprised because I got a diamond for my Add-A-Diamond braclet!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today was my mom's birthday. She lives in SC and I wish I could celebrate with her. I will get to see her in a few weeks and I do have a special gift waiting for her when she arrives in FL. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Thankful Thursday, never too late!

I know, I know, it's Friday and I'm just now posting my "Thankful Thursday". Yesterday was a hectic for me, so I'm TGIF! Thank Goodness it's Friday!

Today was a good day at school. We had a half day so teachers could work on report cards and work in our classroom. I love these days to lock my door and work in the peace and quiet. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and teaching, but I enjoy catching up on my piles and coming up with new activities to do with my class. There have been several "changes" this week at school and I have been reminded in my weekly Bible Study about rebellion. When you hear the word "rebellion", it seems so harsh and negative and in reality--it is. However, so often we sugar coat our attitude and what we are really doing is rebelling. I have been convicted to confess this as sin and try to be more submissive to the earthly authorities that God has placed over me. Every week I'm amazed at how God uses this Bible study to meet me where I am in life.

We were told today that we had to stay until 3:30 to work in our classrooms, but we received an e-mail this morning and we were told we could leave at 1:30. I always have great intentions on leaving early, but I can get so much done when my students aren't in the classroom. I didn't leave till almost 3, but I'm ready to go for Monday morning!

This week I'm thankful for: earthly authorities in my life; Bible Study; friends that pray for you; school leadership that let us leave earlier today; the WEEKEND!

Amy

I love Tuesdays!!!

I love Tuesday's because I get to treat myself to a manicure and once a month a pedicure. Today was the day to get a manicure and a pedicure. I took a new dress with me to match with my nails. I picked one color and it was too orange, so I picked a different color. I'm going to wear the dress tomorrow to school. I will post pictures of the dress in the next couple of weeks. I was talking with a friend on FB and she told me I should post a picture or two, so here they are! Can't wait until the next mani or pedi!

Forgot one more thing

I forgot to add one more thing that we did this weekend. We took Cooper to the groomer's on Sunday morning. That was hard to get up early after the time change and losing an hour of sleep. We had to be there by 8am. We dropped him off and headed to Panera for a quite and cheap breakfast. (I love gift cards!!!) We then headed to church. After church, Mike took Cooper home and came back to church to get me so we could meet the Kessie's for lunch. I'm glad Monday is almost over and Friday is a half day of school!

Proverb for the Day: Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Not much else I could fit in this weekend. . .

On Friday night, I went with my friend, Rebecca, to a Girl's Night Out at my school's church. We had a great time. The pastor's wife was encouraging about our need for GIRLFRIENDS! The theme verse was Ephesians 5:17 "Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants." (The Message) This was thought provoking in the fact that I should not be wasting my time and dong things that matter for eternity. I can't wait for another Girl's Night Out!


Our Saturday tradition is that we go out for breakfast. We usually go to a local restaurant, Clubhouse. It is owned by a couple in our church. I tried a new dish and I will be ordering it again. I ordered the Southern Eggs Benedict. It was a biscuit topped with sausage, eggs and sausage gravy. I'm a GRITS girl. (Girl Raised In The South), so I love biscuits and gravy!! After I finished eating I thought I should have taken a picture. I'm still getting the hang of this blogging thing. Oh well, there's always next time.

After breakfast, Mike dropped me off at our local Green Market that is on Saturday mornings. I got lots of fresh fruits and vegetables for very little money. I will be sad when April comes because the market closes until November. I then traveled to Tampa to watch one of my students in a horse show. I was honored that she invited me and her mom kept it a surprise that I was coming. So when she saw me, she was thrilled! I couldn't believe all the work and preparation that goes into a horse show. My student was in two categories and she got 2nd in both categories! I was so happy that I was there to celebrate with her. I was even able to take a picture with her and the horse she rode for competition, Odie. He was a beautiful horse! I look forward to another invitation to another show in the future!



Saturday night some friends, Sam and Jen, invited us to join them for a night out. Their son called me at the horse show to tell me how we were all going to sit in the van. He wanted to ride in the very back with "Uncle Mike" and me to ride in the middle with his baby sister. Conner loves Mike and wanted to sit next to him at the restaurant too. We went to Bubba Gump Shrimp. I was the only one that had eaten at a Bubba Gump before, so it was fun to eat someplace new. I have developed an allergy to iodine and have to stay way from Shrimp, so I ordered the Baby Back Ribs and they were outstanding! Every one else got shrimp one way or another. I look forward to going back and trying something else, but I might just stick to the ribs!









Today after church we meet some dear friends, the Kessie's, for lunch. We decided to meet half way between our churches. We decided to eat at Pei Wei. It's the "fast food" restaurant of PF Changs. I have never been to PF Changs, but I'm sure it is good since Pei Wei is good. It was nice to relax in a quiet place. We were not rushed to eat and get out and had a wonderful time of fellowship. I was amazed at how much Mike and Jerry had in common in the TV shows they like. Mike and I were fascinated by all the information Jerry shared with us about cleaning carpets. (In January, he cleaned our carpet and tile and they still look great!) We look forward to meeting together again for lunch after church!


Mike has been a great sport of my blogging. (It's much cheaper than scrapbooking!) I thanked him on Saturday for being so positive about taking pictures of him, me and food in public. He said he enjoys reading the blog. Thanks Mike for being in pictures and taking pictures for our blog! I love you!

Now, I'm tired just writing all this. I don't think I could fit one more thing in this weekend. I had a wonderful weekend, but I'm ready for Monday to come so I can slow down. Next weekend will be exciting too. . .

Thankful Thursday!

Here we are again at Thursday again. I could go on and on about what I am thankful for this week, but I'll share the biggest thing that consumes my thoughts.

I went today to my oncologist and I have been given the "all clear" for my hCG levels! This has been an on-going process since April 2008. I don't have to go back to my doctor until June. I will continue to do blood work once a month for 12 months. I don't have to do any more chest CT Scans unless my numbers start to rise, but I am believing that this won't happen. I am going to monitor my headaches for one month to see whether or not I will have to see a neurologist. I'm believed my headaches will go away! Many questions were answered today and I'm thankful that God lead me to the right doctor. I am praying about our future with children and am knowing that God's Word will provide the answers in His timing. (I have 12 months to think about it-per the doctors orders.)

The Bible Study I attend on Thursday's has been wonderful. I'm amazed that we are all in different stages in our lives, yet God uses the same study to draw us closer to Him exactly at the right moment. Furthermore, I'm trying to put this definition of faith into practice.

Think about it: "Faith is believing the Word of God and acting upon it no matter how I feel because God promises a good result." (James MacDonald)

So much to be thankful for and I'm thanking God for His Word's he has given me in the Bible. Thank you, God!

Beach Sunset

Mike and I enjoyed a night out with our friend, Jeff, and his parents. We all went to Sloppy Joe's on Treasure Island Beach Saturday night. We made our reservations according to the time of the sunset. It was a beautiful evening, so we decided to sit outside on the deck. After dinner, we headed back to our house so the men could enjoy some Tiger Woods golf on the Wii. Jeff's mom and I enjoyed talking about books and authors we like as well as "girlie" things such as pedicures and manicures. I hope we will get together again before they head back north for the summer.