Dave Ramsey Repost...

I hope everyone will read this Dave Ramsey post about going cashless. It’s a two minute read and NO one has explained it better. Please take 2 minute's and read!

Dave Ramsey repost:

HERE'S WHAT NO CASH ACTUALLY MEANS:

A cashless society means no cash. Zero. It doesn’t mean mostly cashless and you can still use a ‘wee bit of cash here & there’. Cashless means fully digital, fully traceable, fully controlled. I think those who support a cashless society aren’t fully aware of what they are asking for. A cashless society means:

* If you are struggling with your mortgage on a particular month, you can’t do an odd job to get you through.

* Your child can’t go & help the local farmer to earn a bit of summer cash.

* No more cash slipped into the hands of a child as a good luck charm or from their grandparent when going on holidays.

* No more money in birthday cards.

* No more piggy banks for your child to collect pocket money & to learn about the value of earning.

* No more cash for a rainy day fund or for that something special you have been putting $20 a week away for.

* No more little jobs on the side because your wages barely cover the bills or put food on the table.

* No more charity collections.

* No more selling bits & pieces from your home that you no longer want/need for a bit of cash in return.

* No more cash gifts from relatives or loved ones.

What a cashless society does guarantee:

* Banks have full control of every single penny you own.

* Every transaction you make is recorded.

* All your movements & actions are traceable.

* Access to your money can be blocked at the click of a button when/if banks need ‘clarification’ from you which will take about 3 weeks, a thousand questions answered & five thousand passwords.

* You will have no choice but to declare & be taxed on every dollar in your possession.

* The government WILL decide what you can & cannot purchase.

* If your transactions are deemed in any way questionable, by those who create the questions, your money will be frozen, ‘for your own good’.

Forget about cash being dirty. Stop being so easily led. Cash has been around for a very, very, very long time & it gives you control over how you trade with the world. It gives you independence.

If you are a customer, pay with cash. If you are a shop owner, remove those ridiculous signs that ask people to pay by card. Cash is a legal tender, it is our right to pay with cash. Banks are making it increasingly difficult to lodge cash.

Please open your eyes. Please stop believing everything you are being told. Almost every single topic in today’s world is tainted with corruption & hidden agendas.

Pay with cash & please say no to a cashless society while you still have the choice.

More Senior Pics...

I was able to grab some shots during the pro senior photo shoot today.  Tim cleans up sooooo gooood.  Here are some of my faves from what I was able to get.

Was able to get him with the Magnolia trees 

in the background to honor his 

grandmother who passed last summer.

Tim's Graduation Bio...

 

Higher Call Academy 2026 Graduate

through Lighthouse Homeschool Association 

Timothy Scot Neal is the son of Scot and Lisa Neal. Tim has thrived in the flexibility that homeschooling has provided, allowing him to pursue life as an elite athlete with focus and discipline. He trained in TaeKwonDo for 11 years, earning his 3rd-degree black belt along with 53 medals and 10 trophies at competitions.

In 2023, Tim transitioned to Olympic-style weightlifting and quickly found success. He is a multi-time State Champion and, in 2025, earned his first medals at the national level. Highly driven and goal-oriented, Tim also values serving others and has completed 178 hours of community service.

After graduation, Tim plans to work alongside his father while continuing to compete in weightlifting, with the goal of making the USA Weightlifting Team. We are incredibly proud of Tim and look forward to supporting him as he continues to grow as a man (Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 40:31).

ALWC March Madness Meet Results!!!

Tim had an amazing day of lifting. He went 4/6 on his lifts. He missed one of his Snatches and one of his Clean & Jerks. He PR'd across the board - Snatch, C&J & Total.  

Results:

Everyone kept coming by Scot & myself all afternoon and evening saying, "He's Unstoppable!" And boy don't we know it. We see it everyday in his attitude & how he is talking more like a man to us about his goals.  

Last night at dinner he says to us,

• I want to be the first person in our family to do something great and do it on a big stage.
• I want to influence those coming up behind me to do great things.
• I want to have put my mark on this world & be remembered for having done something great.

Everything about how Tim talks, his attitude & how he carries himself exudes greatness. Tim is about being a difference maker. We see it daily where others only get to see it every now and then. Getting to have a front row seat to all the God has in store for this amazing young man has been such a blessing for Scot & myself.

Because Scot & I have been intentional with how we have raised Tim he is able to really go after what he wants out of life with gusto. Tim is living out what I could only dream about when I was growing up. My folks just weren't in a place to be for us kids what Scot & I have been able to be for Tim. I'm so thankful to God for that. Tim is living his best life now. He's not waiting for someday. We are so excited for all that is ahead for him. People say, "The skies the limit for Tim." Tim thinks even larger than that. He has a no limit mentality. There really is no limit to what he's going to do. We have watched God's plan unfold in his life all his life & we are still watching it unfold. This Meet was no different. He set goals, reached for them & made them happen. Such exciting times.

Here are some shots that I was able to get:

Tim's 103kg Snatch PR. My favorite shot of the Meet.

His 120kg C&J.

His 125kg C&J that he missed behind.

His 126kg C&J PR.

Here's to reaching for goals 

& hitting them every single time!!!

Verse of the Day...

This was said to encourage believers to "stay the course" in their fight against the influence of the world.

ALWC March Madness Meet 2026...

Tim will be competing in the ALWC March Madness Meet this Saturday. He is looking forward to participating again this year.  It's taking place at the gym that he trains in.  It's always so much fun for us to watch him. If they livestream the event we will post the link on our social media pages.

This is the full schedule of all the athletes that are competing. I will do a separate blog with Tim's results after the Meet.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful St. Patty's Day celebrating with all your friends, family & colleagues.  

May the Luck of the Irish be with you🍀!

Is Your Child Turning 18 soon? If so this is VERY IMPORTANT!!!

I saw this on social media and wanted to share it here:

When your child turns 18, something important changes that many families don't realize.

Legally, they become an adult, that's already mind-blowing! But this also means schools, hospitals, and financial institutions may not be able to give information to parents without permission.

This includes if they are still living under your roof and on your health insurance. Trust me, my son turned 18 the summer before his senior year in high school, and this was absolutely the case.

Many families choose to put legal documents in place when their child turns 18 so the parents can help if needed.

Here are the 4 most important legal protections to consider as soon as your student turns 18:

1. Medical Power of Attorney & Advanced Directive - Installs you (or another trusted adult as directed) as the decision-maker for the young adult if they're medically unable to make those decisions for themselves.
2. Durable Power of Attorney - Allows authority over financial or legal obligations if your student is unable to make those payments or other contractual obligations.
3. HIPAA Authorization - Makes it possible to receive important information on their health and speak with doctors on their behalf.
4. FERPA Release (optional and academic only) - Gives you access to essential academic records, like grades or transcripts.

This is not about you being in control.  It's about being able to help them if they are unable to speak or act for themselves.

We will be talking to our families attorney about all this in the days ahead.  It's better to be in the know than not.  I'd encourage all parents to do the same if you have a child approaching 18 like we do.

Level 4 Storms....

We have level 4 storms blowing through the area today. What that means is there is going to be high winds, heavy rain and a possibility of  tornadoes. We've battened down the hatches and done all that we can do in preparation for what's coming. We have our safe space ready to go to incase we have need of it. I'll get back on later and update this post after it passes through if there's anything to report.  

Athletic Accomplishments...

✨ For years, many of us have been led to believe that if you don’t win gold, you’re just the “first or second loser.” But that kind of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth.

When our kids step onto the platform and compete at an elite level, they’ve already accomplished something extraordinary. Earning a medal—whether it’s gold, silver, or bronze—is a remarkable achievement and something they, and we as parents, should always be proud of. 

Our athletes should never feel less than simply because the medal isn’t gold. A silver & bronze medal means they stood among the very best. It means they fought their way onto the podium. And at the end of the day, they walk away with a medal while many others leave empty-handed.

But even more important than the medal itself is the journey. Every competition, every improvement, every gain builds character and shapes who they will become in life. Strength isn’t just measured in numbers on a bar—it’s measured in dedication, perseverance, and the courage to keep pushing forward💪.

So celebrate every accomplishment. Be proud of every step forward. Because showing up, competing, and continuing to grow is something truly worth honoring—every single time!  ✨

Tim's Weightlifting Goals...

Tim's weightlifting goals:

He wants to get to these goals as quickly as possible and improve on them so that he's at the top of his division by the time he's a last year Junior. These numbers will probably adjust come August though when the weight divisions adjust to the New Weight Divisions. -71kg will become -70kg and -79kg will become -75kg. Tim will land in one of these two weight divisions. I don't think -70kg is an olympic/world weight division though??? He may have to go up to -75kg or down to -65kg weight divisions in order to be in an olympic/world weight division??? I'm still learning that side of the sport as he grows in it so I'm not 100% sure on where he will need to be in order to be able to contend for a World's spot yet. 

It's challenging learning a new sport after doing the other one for so many years. I know the sport he came from really well and where Tim needs to be to be a contender but with this sport I'm a fish out of water so to speak. We just keep making gains and learning as we go. We just love that he loves this sport so much. 

Here’s to shooting for the moon as Tim chases his goals of becoming the best lifter that he can be — earning a Team USA spot, competing at Worlds, and one day stepping onto the Olympic stage. The journey is just beginning💪🏋.

GOALS! GOALS! GOALS!

Pro Pics from VWS1/The Arnold 2026...

I'm only going to share a few of the pro pictures with you here.  There are too many to share them all.

The first two are what the coach shared on social media when he was sharing the teams schedule for lifting.

This happened March 5th - 8th.

These next ones are the actual pro shots that I want to share with you.  It's only a few from his best Snatch lift & Clean & Jerk lift:

This is Tim before he stands up with the lift.

My absolute favorite shot!  This is his 101kg Snatch PR lift.

That's how high the bar bounced after he got the down signal.
He knew that he got the lift and was just waiting for the judges decision.

                                                                                                              

UPDATE: (3/18/2026)

Tim's 123kg PR C&J lift in the Clean position.

Tim standing up with his 123kg C&J PR lift after his jerk.

The moment Tim knew he had went 6 for 6 (got all 6 of his lifts) & PR’d at The Arnold.  Such a great shot from the photographer @liftinglife (instagram).

                                                                       

Such a fun time at this Meet.  Watching Tim do his lifts and his excitement over being there just blesses us so very much.  We are so proud of him.

Virus Weightlifting Series 1 - The Arnold - 2026!

What a great experience The Arnold was for Tim again this year. He is a first year USA Weightlifting Junior Weightlifter this year. He was able to bring home 3 Bronze Medals. He also did Pr's (personal records) across the board. He went 6 for 6 with all white lights.

Here are his results:

    

   Snatch 94kg/97kg/101kg(PR)

   + Clean & Jerk 114kg/119kg/123kg(PR)

   Total = 224kg(PR)

Here are some pictures:

His 101kg/222# Snatch PR

His celebration after PR'ing.

A close up of the medals.

Tim's 6 for 6 Bracelet - for making all his lifts.  That's two in a row now.

Here are some videos taken by HookGripUSA of his lifts (We are missing the first one because someone got in the way of the video):

This one is of his 97kg Snatch.

This one is of his 101kg Snatch PR.

This one is of his 114kg Clean & Jerk.

This one is of his 119kg Clean & Jerk.

This one is of his 123kg Clean & Jerk PR.

The Arnold is such a fun event to attend. We have loved both experiences so far. Medal or no medal we have such a great time as a family getting to see The Arnold Expo. There's so much to see and stuff to buy there. 

We love how much Tim loves this sport. The change to it has been the best change ever. We are having such a great time supporting our son as he continues to compete at an elite level just as he did in his previous sport. His medal collection in this sport is growing quickly (see pic below). 

Let me leave you with this:

Life would be boring without the privilege of sharing Tim's athletic journey. Watching him chase greatness has become our family's journey, and we wouldn't trade it for the world. Behind every elite athlete is a family cheering louder than any crowd ever could. We are privileged to be watching Tim build his legacy. Tim shows us every single day to: DREAM BIG, WORK HARD, and STAY HUMBLE. While the medals are special, Tim's work ethic and discipline are what make us the proudest.

May you all be able to say this about your children! May they feel your support every single day! Most of all may they feel loved!

Thoughts On SOTU this week....

I've been letting this statement - that was made earlier this week by our President - percolate. I still shake my head in disbelief at how not even ONE of the dems stood when it was spoken. Not even ONE!!! What's really disheartening is that it had to even be spoken at all!!!

Having a President who has the backbone to stand for us - the American Citizens - this way makes me proud but also sad because it never should've had to be spoken or stood for to begin with. It should have been a given in everyone's hearts and minds - even the dems! How unAmerican not to stand for your citizens!!!!!! Who, by the way, put your butt in office to begin with.

BOTTOM LINE: If you are not for us - the American citizens - then you are against us and you should be taken out of office!

AMERICAN CITIZENS FIRST NOW AND ALWAYS! 

USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!