Our Matriarch & Patriarch....

Last year May 16, 2024 we lost our families Patriarch and this year we lost our Matriarch, July 18, 2025.

This morning I've been sitting in a quiet house thinking about what we've lost in losing these two incredible people that I've been blessed to know since 2006 when I married my husband.  To say he has an amazing family is an understatement.  His parents were the glue that held everyone together.  If ever we had a need they were right there to help no matter what.  When I look around our home there are so many projects that Pop & Nan had a hand in helping Scot with.  There were even times that they helped financially when we didn't have the finances to take care of some things that had to be taken care of.  

They were such a blessing to know for the short period of time that I got to know them.  I'm thankful that Tim had them in his life for 16/17 years.  He will always remember them and the wonderful times that he was able to have with them while he was growing up.  He got the last best years with them going to Disney World, Legoland, Sea World, Daytona Beach, Biltmore Estate & DollyWood.  He got to share all that with them before they got too old to be able to go anymore.  They both loved going to Disney the most.  They took their kids and their grand kids to Disney.  Tim was the last of the grand kids born.  His cousins were all grown when he came along so Tim got so much time with them on his own.  He didn't have to share their attentions until the great grand kids started being born.  By then though his Nan & Popsie weren't able to go as much anymore.  So the great grands never got to experience Nan & Popsie the way Tim did.  I'm so thankful he had those years with them and that he was old enough to remember them.  

I pray that this family that was held together by their glue will now become the glue that holds one another together.  

Although we are saddened by your absences Nan & Popsie we have peace in knowing that you are with the Lord and reunited with one another and all of your loved ones who went on before you.  We can't wait to see you on the other side someday.  Until then R.I.P!  Our hearts will always remember and love you!  

Your legacy lives on in your children, grand children, great grand children and anyone whose lives you touched.  

Our Matriarch is in Heaven...

Yesterday at 2:15pm the Matriarch of the Neal family, whom we affectionately call Nan, passed on to her eternal home in Heaven with our Lord. No doubt her Husband, who went on before her, along with Jesus were there to greet her with arms wide open. I have no doubt that they are all celebrating together in Heaven.

The bible tells us, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).” Nan slipped out of this life into the next. She’s at peace and so are we.

What a relief it is for us who remain to know she’s in Heaven. To know she’s where she wants to be with her husband, and other loved ones, who have gone on before her. To know that she’s no longer suffering.

We will always love and miss you Nan!

#cherishingeverymemory #thankfulforalifewelllived #familyiseverything

Next Chapter Quote...

This has been an unspoken thought in our home for the past couple of years since our son moved on from his prior sport to the one he's doing now.  We know this to be truth and we know that in time those who treated us and our son badly will wish they had treated us and him better as our successes tells our story.  

Folks may not admit it to your face but in the end they will wish they had done better by you as you are successful in all you are doing.  They might even try to make amends after seeing how successful you become.  Forgive them and move on but always remember how they treated you and keep them at arms length.  Keep in mind that a zebra doesn't change its stripes. Unless God has really gotten a hold of their heart and life (and that would have to be proven over time) it's likely that they will treat you the same as they did before after they get what they want from you.  

Always keep in mind, Trust has to be earned once it's lost.  Don't blindly trust others once they have shown themselves to be untrustworthy.  Keep your eyes open to really see - God will quicken your spirit so be sure to trust that inner quickening that He gives you when it comes to who you should or shouldn't trust.  Above all else, 

Make Your Next Chapter Your Best Chapter!!!  

Success Quote...

In the last two years this statement has become more true for our son than ever before.  He switched from a sport he had been doing since he was 4 years old to a new sport that he loves even more.  His progress in his new sport has been the sum total of small efforts repeated day in and day out.  With the new sport it's all about the numbers and it's far easier to track success in it than in what he had been doing prior.  He meets new PR's in what he's doing on the regular.  He pushes forward towards reaching his goals with small gains instead of leaps to accomplish his ultimate goals in the sport he's doing now.  

At the end of the day,  Keep making small efforts repeated day in and day out and it will lead to your success in reaching the goals you have set for yourself!

Hebrews 11:6...

Believing that God exists is only the beginning; even the demons believe that much (James 2:19,20).  God will not settle for mere acknowledgment of His existence.  He wants a personal, dynamic relationship with you that will transform your life.  Those who seek God will find that they are rewarded with his intimate presence.  

Psalm 40:3a....

Waiting for God is not easy!

In verses 1-4 David received 4 benefits from waiting:  God,

1) lifted him out of his despair,

2) set his feet on a rock,

3) gave him a firm place to stand, and

4) put a new song of praise in his mouth.

Often blessings cannot be received unless we go through the trial of waiting.

Proverbs 3:6...

 

God says that the feet of those who bring good news are "beautiful".  It is a wonderful privilege to be able to share God's Good News with others, his news of redemption, salvation and peace.  

Sweet Stella....

Such a great pic of our sweet Stella.

Lasha Signature T-Shirt...

Tim loves his Lasha t-shirt that he received yesterday.  He had to wear it right away to training last night.

Wil Fleming's Instagram Share...

Wil Fleming is the coach for 1Kilo out of Indiana.  Tim's coach, Jarrod Nobbe, is from there and I assume was trained in this sport under Wil.  This was a great share and one that parents of kids in sports should take to heart.

When a coach pretends they have "secret" answers or "the" answers that's a coach with extreme ego driven problems and a coach you DON'T want coaching you or your kids.  Stay far away from those kind of coaches!!!  (I know of what I speak from first hand experience.)

A coach who remains humble because they know there is always more to learn is exactly who you want to have as a coach for you and your kids.  That's the kind of coach that you get in Wil Fleming and Jarrod Nobbe.  They are great coaches and always have a humble attitude and are always learning all they can.  They are constantly growing, while remaining humble, and learning in order to be the best coaches that they can possibly be for their athletes.  

Tim loves his coach, Jarrod Nobbe from Athletic Lab in NC.  They have built a great bond.  August will be two years since Tim switched to the sport of weightlifting and having Jarrod as his coach.  What a humungous difference it's made in our son.  He is night and day different than how broken he was from some of his other coaches, from his prior sport, and their ego driven macho attitudes that tear kids down instead of build them up.  It was such a blessing to find Jarrod and a sport that our son loves even more than the sport that he was doing before.  

Stay very close to the kind of coaches who are always humble and learning more to be an even better coach for you or your kids!  And,

Memorize The Quote In The Pic Above

Because It's Truth!!!

Athletic Lab Weightliftings post from Instagram...

Just wanted to share this post that our weightlifting club coach, Jarrod Nobbe, made on Instagram: 

 

7 members of the Athletic Lab Weightlifting Team recently competed in the 2025 USA Weightlifting National Championships.  The meet was held in Colorado Springs, CO.  

Below are the results of each lifter for the ALWC team.  Overall, the team brought home 7 medals, one National runner-up, a two-time National Champion, six top 10 finishers, and multiple meet personal records.

Results (Weight Category & Division) (Snatch/Clean + Jerk/Total) (Placing) :

• Tim Neal, 65kg U17 M (Youth) (Snatch: 90kg, CJ: 117kg 🥉, Total: 207kg) 4th Place
• Eva Young, 58kg W (Junior) (Snatch: 59kg, CJ: 84kg🥈, Total: 143kg) 4th Place
• Ariel Hekier, 58kg W U23 (Senior/Open) (Snatch: 58kg, CJ: 75kg, Total: 133kg) 5th Place
• Ewan McCallum, 71kg M U25 (Senior/Open) (Snatch: 96kg, CJ: 123kg🥈, Total. 219kg🥈) 2nd Place - NATIONAL RUNNER-UP
• Chase OverPeck, 65kg M U25 (Senior/Open) (Snatch: 102kg🥈, CJ: 123kg🥇, Total: 225kg🥇) 1st Place - 2x NATIONAL CHAMPION
• Mariah Merkle, 69kg W (Senior/Open)  (Snatch: 87kg, CJ: 107kg, Total: 194kg) 8th Place
• Jamie Maffeo, 77kg W (Senior/Open) (Snatch: 82kg, CJ 100kg, Total: 182kg) 23rd Place

As side note that is separate from the post that was made:

According to USAW, technically, Tim ended up 6th overall with a 90kg Snatch and a 112kg CJ and total of 202kg but our club honored Tim with his last lift anyhow because he made the lift and the judges made a really bad call that couldn't be overturn without a jury which they didn't have at Nationals.  Go figure🙄.  Still hard to swallow that because it cost him a medal placement.  

As believers we know that God has Tim's back and He will give back to him what was stolen and then some.  Tim is pressing forward and focusing on States in October in SC then Virus Weightlifting Finals in December in FL.  

We love our sons great attitude about everything that happened.  It shows his maturity far beyond his years.  So so proud of the man that he's becoming!  We love supporting him in his efforts in this sport.  He loves it so very much.  

I want to add that we do love how supportive the weightlifting community is overall.  It totally floored Tim that he had so many supporting him in the bad call.  There were so many videos and pics sent to his coach who shared them with our gym owner.  The two did all they could to get the event organizer to honor the lift.  It's sad when an event organizer agrees it's a lift but then adds the judges judgement stands because there's no jury to review and overturn their decision.  

After all Tim's experienced through the years in sports he just took what happened at Nationals in stride but that could have really broken another youth competitor.  USAW definitely needs to be willing to own up to their mistakes (because we all make them) and lift these kids up even if it means that they have to have a little egg on their face while doing so.  Tim's not your normal competitor but a less "mentally tough" kid could've been totally torn apart emotionally by the decision that happened to Tim.  Let's face it, kids today are not like when I was growing up.  They need to know that the entity (in this case USA Weightlifting) has their back and will do the right thing.  Just saying.  

Galatians 6:9...

It is discouraging to continue to do right and receive no word of thanks or see no tangible results.  But Paul challenged the Galatians and he challenges us to keep on doing good and to trust God for the results.  In due time, we will reap a harvest of blessing.  

USA Weightlifting Youth Nationals 2025 Results....

RESULTS!!! Timothy Neal loves the gym he's a part of, its owners (who have his back) and his coach (who has his back). If Tim had been honored with his last lift, which was in fact a lift, he would have finished 4th overall at Weightlifting Nationals. Since the judges didn’t honor it, even though our club did, he was officially 6th overall. Between last year and this year finishing in the top 10 have been huge for Tim being the new kid on the block. He feels so thankful and blessed to be a part of Athletic Lab and the Athletic Lab Weightlifting Club Team. If you are looking for a great gym to work out in you have to look no further than Athletic Lab.

Tim's last lift:

This picture was at 0:01 seconds.  The bar has to be off the floor in order for it to count before time runs out.

They had already made the bad call because they had already put the down arrow on the board as you can see in the background and he's not even halfway done with his lift yet.

This was his face when he knew he got the lift.

This was his face after being told it was a "no lift".

Click on the link for the article his gym owner wrote on the teams performance:  Athletic Lab Weightlifting excels at 2025 USA Weightlifting National Championships.  

What happen to Tim sucks but it happens.  The clock ran down to the wire and without a jury to overturn the judges decision, like you see internationally at weightlifting events, the judges decision is final.  Although it was wrong, and video and picture proof show that, it's still final.  

His official totals according to USA Weightlifting were as follows:  Snatch 90kg/196# & C+J 112kg/246# with a 202kg/445# total placing 6th overall.  What's in the pic above is his unofficial totals that should have been actually official totals.  He would have brought home Bronze in C+J if his last lift had counted.  That was a bitter pill to have to swallow when there was picture/video proof that he got the lift off the floor in time🙁.    

Cripple Creek Gold Mine on June 25th...

The current Gold Mine as it is today.  The 3rd largest producer of gold in our country.  

They used a big dump truck dumpster as a lookout to see into the mine.

As we were leaving the mine we ran across this wild cow.  Lot's of open range where animals roam free there.

The weather was so great in Colorado Springs.  We missed it as soon as we got back to where you were melting when you got out of your car....LOL!!  It was such a fun trip though.  We were so grateful for some family time.  

Cripple Creek Train Ride on June 25th...

We did the Cripple Creek train ride on our last day before heading back to Kentucky to visit with family.  We learned a lot about Cripple Creek on the train ride.  No better way to learn than life experiences.  We can't wait to return there next year for Nationals and do some more adventuring.  

Part of a mine that was no longer in operation after WW2.

We were told that there is gold in these rocks.  About a million dollars worth BUT it would take a extremely long time to dig up enough to make even an ounce.

The hill is the existing mine today.  It's the 3rd largest gold producer in our country .

One of the original mine shafts.

We Drank Fresh Spring Water on June 25th....

One of the beautiful things about the Colorado Springs area was their natural springs.  We got ours from The Seven Minute Spring in Manitou.  You could fill up your water cups/bottles or jugs.  There is never a need to buy spring water when you are there.