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).

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.

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!

Organizing & Purging...

I've been going through and organizing and purging things. It sounds easier than it is done. Going through items and getting rid of stuff is hard, very hard. Some of it has emotional attachments to it. So when you purge you are purging what seems to be memories too but our memories are always with us. The stuff doesn't have to be though. Especially if it's stuff you haven't touched in years and probably will never use/wear again. 

My husband and I have found out the hard way how keeping stuff can lead to mounds of stress later for the family members who have to deal with your stuff when you pass on to be with Jesus. We are still in a state of dealing with his parents stuff who passed a year apart from one another. They held onto everything incase it might have a use someday. My husband and I have caught ourselves saying those same words when going through stuff and we've had to be like if I haven't used it by now odds are I won't ever use it. We've had to change some of our thinking when it comes to stuff. 

We have only one child and we don't want to leave behind the mess that Scot's folks left for him and his siblings to deal with. We are changing the tide of that way of thinking and doing things.  We are making it easier for our son for when we pass on to be with Jesus. He will have minimal stuff to have to deal with because there won't hardly be anything for him to have to get rid of. And since we are changing the tide now he will already be set up to be that way as well and for his children and their children too. His generation already has a minimalist way of thinking and living anyhow so this will make it much easier for him. 

Legacy & Inheritance our kids can use and their kids as well is what it's all about folks.  We've got to set them up so that success follows them everywhere they go.  

Believe In Yourself....

I thought of our son when I read this quote. He has had so many challenges in his life. Challenges that would cause many such a setback that they never recover from it. He had three things going for him though: A mother(1) & father(2) who cared enough to see him succeed to be involved in his life keeping him going in the right direction and protecting him as well as a God(3) who protected, directed & guided him when we weren't able to do so. Families who stay together and know how much they mean to one another are the families that are successful in life and all other endeavors as well. Those families can set themselves and other generations up for generational wealth as long as they don't live lives that are the status quo of all that you see in the world today.  

Example: I was thrusted out into the world at 18/19 years of age to make it on my own. It's what most parents tend to do. They tell their kids get an education (which they pay on for most of the rest of their lives), get a job (that they are tied down to because they have so much debt they owe), buy your own car (on credit - and basically pay double for it), buy your own house (which leads to even more debt to be paid). When instead they should do all they can to minimize the debt by making it so that they can stay either at home or put another home on land the family already owns which also minimizes debt. They all chip in to pay for it all and they keep generational wealth going because then their debts get paid off quicker. But they also prioritize their family above everything with the exception of God who comes first and foremost above everything. Buying enough land as a family that you can put multiple homes on and having basically a family compound may sound controlling to the rest of the world but it's not when done right.  

Faith, Family & generational success is what it is all about at the end of the day. As parents we should do all that we can to make sure that our kids have an inheritance that will last for generations of family members down the line. It's what families did back in the olden days. It's how they not only survived but thrived in life. It worked then and it will work now provided that your family all wants the same thing. But honestly, who doesn't want to be set up for success for the rest of their lives and not have to struggle all of their lives. I'd bet it's fair to say most would jump at a chance to have success with a tight knit family rather than struggle all of their lives just to pay all their bills and their debts. It's how the rich and famous continue to get richer. They know how to stick together and make even more gains. Just saying.

Valentine's Day Yesterday...

I meant to make a blog yesterday wishing my guys a Happy Valentine's Day. As usual though, our days are always busy ones. There's never enough time in a day to get done everything that we want or need to do.  

We did take our evening to enjoy some chill time together though. And I wanted to make sure to post here what I posted on my social media outlets for my guys. They are my world and I love them to the moon and beyond.  

Here is what I made and shared on my social media outlets:

Like I said, "they are my world". Apart from my relationship with God they are everything to me. God is first always and forever then them. But they are the closest of seconds to God😊.  

Scot is God's greatest gift to me. I had surrendered to being single for the rest of my life then God brought Scot into my life in my late 30's. So for all the singles that may read this don't ever think you won't marry because I had thought the same thing then God!

Tim joined us two years into our marriage. He would be the only child we would have. I've always chopped it up to that Tim was my last viable egg...LOL! Of course God knew what he was doing by giving us only one child because Tim had enough energy as a little one for a handful of kids. We put that energy into something positive, TaeKwondo. He did that from age 4 until 15. At age 8 he started doing the elite side of the sport, TaeKwondo fighting. At age 15 though he moved on from that to weightlifting. He just became too short for the sport anymore and he needed a change because the negative coach environment had gotten to be just too much for him and us. Weightlifting was the best change ever! He's soared at it. He now has 6 National Level medals,  will be turning 18 in May & graduating high school in May as well. To say Scot and I are proud parents is an understatement. This mommas heart is so full.

My life is so full and so blessed. Valentine's for us isn't celebrating a "love" holiday one day out of the year but reflecting on all the love that we share all year long. It's what I encourage for you all. Don't make Valentine's Day your one day to show love but show it every single day of the year. I know we do and I'm so glad that we do. We know how much we all mean to one another and even though there are some days we miss the mark and don't act as we should to one another we always come back to the love and remember how much we cherish our lives together. I pray you do the same. God Bless!

Mine, Scot and Tim's Caricatures...

You decide which of Tim's you like best.  

Graduation To Do List....

This is just one part of what I'm having to do for his Homeschool Graduation from our Homeschool Group.  I've already filled out all the information for his diploma, next is choosing 5 pics from birth to now (that took some time to sift through the pics to use), after that is Tim's bio for the program (which I've gotten done) they will be giving out at the door, then there's our speech that has to be done.  I pretty much have it all done although I keep going back and tweaking it.  So excited for Tim to be done with this portion of his life so that he can move on to what's next for him and for now that will be working with his Dad learning/growing the business and continuing to train and do weightlifting Meets.    

Learning to Drive in the Snow...

 We took Tim out on Sunday after it snowed on Saturday for him to learn to drive in the snow.  He did really good driving in the snow.  There's always chances for learning experiences you just have to make the time when circumstances allow for them.  He's always learning something new that will help him navigate life as a man.  

Life Goes On....

I'm so excited for Tim's graduation coming up in May but it also saddens my heart because both his grandparents are gone and will be missed deeply at the ceremony.  When I think of that my heart aches.  My husband's parents were more parents to me than my own ever were.  Even more than that they were absolutely wonderful to Tim.  He loved them so much.  I'm so very thankful for the years that Tim got to have with them making memories that will last him all his life.  They are gone but they are never forgotten.  They are always in our hearts and memories.  

ALWC March Madness Meet....

Tim will be attending his clubs weightlifting meet this year.  It's rare that he does two Meets in one month so March will be busy for him.  He's loves every opportunity that he gets to lift and grow in this sport that he loves so much.  This will be his 2nd meet as a Junior competitor.  We are looking forward to watching his growth this year.   

The Bible Recap...

 

I've started this bible reading plan again this year.  It's not easy to stay up to date with doing a reading a plan.  You can get behind, and I did quite a few times last year, but you can make time and get caught back up.  I'm looking forward to going through the bible again this year with this reading plan.  I know something different will stick out to me this year than last year because God speaks to us differently day after day & year after year as we read his Word.  You will never get to the point where you know it all because God speaks to us so differently depending on where we are in our walk with him at any given moment.  I love that about him and his Word.  We will never have learned it all because there are always more aspects of him that we can learn.  My goal is that as I read through the Word more that day after day & year after year I will grow more in him.  That my faith will grow and that I will become who God wants me to be doing what he wants me to do.  I love God.  He is everything to me.  I love his Word because it helps me know the God that I love even better.  Next in line are my husband and son.  Outside my relationship with God they are everything to me.  They are my world.  I love doing life with them.  God Bless you all!  

Verse for 2026...

This is the verse for 2026 that we are keeping before us. We always have a verse that we keep before us each year for that year. Last year it was Philippians 4:6-7 & this year it's Exodus 14:13-14. Egyptians = Obstacles. For the people Moses was leading the Egyptians were an obstacle. He made sure to tell them the Lord himself will fight for them & all they need to do is stay calm/be still. Man, that will preach. All too often we try to help God in our circumstances or obstacles we are facing when all he really wants us to do is stay calm/be still and allow him to fight for us.

Happy New Year's Eve!

 

Click on this link:  The Best Is Yet To Come

Thank you for following us.  We hope that you continue to enjoy this blog for many years to come.  God Bless!

Helping Friends (who are like family)....

Helping friends recently as they move their elderly parents from NC to TN has been eye-opening. Seeing how much they accumulated over a lifetime—combined with everything we’ve been dealing with at Scot’s parents’ house—has really made Scot and me rethink our own stuff.

We’ve decided it’s time to start purging what we don’t truly need. We don’t want to leave Tim the burden of sorting through a house full of things someday. Both Scot’s parents and our friends’ parents clearly struggled with hoarding, shaped by being raised by those who lived through the Depression, when you saved anything that might be useful again one day.

Here are a few pictures of the work we've been doing and there's still a lot to do. 

Tim's Christmas 2025...

This year was a smaller Christmas for Tim.  He received clothes (compression underwear, sweatpants & a couple of t-shirts).  He also received some knee sleeves and compression pants for training.  He got new earbuds from his family in Kentucky.  They all rallied together and got him the earbuds he's been needing for when he is working out.  He also got a trimmer that he ask for to be able to trim his thick eyebrows and to be able to clean up his unibrow.  His dad and I got him the Galaxy watch that he wanted as well.   All in all he got everything he needed and wanted this Christmas.  It's unfortunate but I didn't get a picture of all the clothes he received.  

Beats earbuds that will stay in when he's working out.

Karlos Nasar t-shirt.

Karlos Nasar knee sleeves.

Why Be Normal? Weightlifting t-shirt.

Galaxy Watch and bezel protection because hey, I know my son...LOL! 

Looking Back at The Moments of 2025...

I put together a couple of photo collages from 2025 to share here. There was so much good in 2025 for our family, but it was also a year marked by profound loss. We lost the matriarch of the Neal family, a loss that has overshadowed much of the joy. Two years of loss have been incredibly difficult—first our patriarch in 2024, and then our matriarch in 2025—especially because they were truly the heartbeat of our family.

The grief itself has been heavy, but watching how these losses have affected some of the family members who are still here has been just as hard. Seeing loved ones sink into deep sadness, going through the motions without truly enjoying the life and relationships they still have, has been heartbreaking.

Even while carrying this grief, the past couple of years have been the best yet for our son in weightlifting. I know his grandparents are looking down with pride at all he has accomplished. I can picture them smiling, seeing how happy and fulfilled their grandson is in this new sport. Tim misses them deeply—they were his biggest cheerleaders in everything he did.

Though we miss them every single day and think of them often, we continue to live our lives fully, hoping that in doing so we are honoring their legacy.

Left to right:  1st row: Tim with his 3 Silver Medals from the Arnold & the second pic is him sharing them with his Nan.  The 3rd pic is his Gold medal from Barbells-n-Sprinkles Spring Open.  2nd row: Tucker, Tim's b-day pic, Tim at Nationals.  3rd row:  Stella, Tim at Nationals with his 117kg lift, Tim and his dad enjoying a Cripple Creek train tour in Colorado.  4th row:  Tim at Twenty-One Pilots Concert & Tim with his 3 Bronze finishes from VW Finals in Daytona.

Left to right:  1st row:  Tim & I with a Gold mine in the back of us at Cripple Creek - one of the largest Gold mines in the USA,  Tim & Scot at a EKU game supporting our nephew who's one of their coaches, Tim showing his muscles.  2nd row:  Me at my desk, Tim doing schoolwork at home, Scot outside a venue.  3rd row:  Stella, Scot and I at Daytona Beach, Tucker with his favorite toy.  4th row: Tim at the State Meet having a good time cheering on a teammate, Scot and I at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado.