Family Pic 2025

Family Pic 2025
Tucker, Scot, Lisa, Tim & Stella
Showing posts with label FamilyIsEverything. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FamilyIsEverything. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

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.  

Sunday, February 15, 2026

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!

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

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.    

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

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.  

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

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.  

Monday, January 19, 2026

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.   

Monday, January 5, 2026

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.

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Happy New Year's Eve!

 


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

Saturday, December 27, 2025

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. 




Friday, December 26, 2025

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! 

Sunday, December 21, 2025

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.

Monday, December 15, 2025

Then & Now...


A friend just shared the first photo with me, and the second is from his most recent meet—what an incredible transformation!
Tim is an amazing athlete. He’s enjoyed two sports, but weightlifting is where his heart is—and it shows in how happy and healthy he is.

Friday, December 12, 2025

Christmas Tree is Finally up...

This is the latest that we have ever put up our Christmas tree.  It's been so busy these past couple of months and I'm glad that we were able to finally get it up.  This year we put only shatterproof ornaments on the tree because we have a Stella and we just aren't sure how she's gonna be with the Christmas tree.  Last year she was a tiny timid kitten and this year she's a full grown active cat.  It will be interesting to see if she does anything more than paw at the low hanging ornaments.  

Thursday, December 11, 2025

In Loving Memory....


This is our first Christmas Season without Nan and our second without Popsie, and the holidays simply don’t feel the same. We know they are at peace and rejoicing with their Savior in Heaven, but their absence is felt in a hundred little ways. Family gatherings are different now—quieter, softer—because the warmth they brought is no longer here.

It truly feels like a piece of our hearts is missing. Life goes on, as it must, but it has undeniably changed. There isn’t a day that passes that we don’t think of them, miss them, and wish they were still here with us.

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Next Week is Thanksgiving😱...


Can't believe next week is Thanksgiving😱.  It some ways it seems this year has gone by fast and in others it seems like a daze.  In two years time we lost my husband's parents and life is much different now.  We go through bouts of missing them like crazy.  Staying busy with our work and Tim has helped a great deal in the grieving process.  

I've been thinking about all I'm thankful for this year, and pretty much every year, and it's my family and friends.  God has blessed my life so much and I'm forever grateful for all the blessings He's showered on me through the years.  I don't know how folks go through life without God being the center of their universe.  He's everything to me.  I don't know how we, as a family, would have gotten through Scot's parents passing without God.  Having God in your life makes all the difference.  

So often at this time of year everyone is sharing things they are thankful for and it's usually a crazy long list of material stuff.  Mine is always simple, my family and my friends mean the world to me and I'm thankful for every ounce of the time that I get with each and every one of them until  I get "sucked off" to go be with Jesus in heaven.  

You'd have to watch the show Ghosts to understand the term "sucked off".  It's a comedy but when the ghosts do an unselfish deed they get "sucked off".  As a Christian I know that is not how you get to heaven because you have to have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior but I've always envisioned when it's your time to go that the sucking off portion is what happens when you go to heaven.  On the show you can get "sucked off" to heaven or pulled down to hell.  They make the part about how you get to heaven or hell as close to what most imagine it to be as possible and they make it seem more real.  Funny show with some twists to it that seem more real.  That's your tv show review for today...LOL!!   It was a long way to explain the "sucked off" comment, I know.  But at least you were entertained by it.  

Anyways, I hope and pray that you hold your loved ones a little tighter this year and that you let your friends know just how much they mean to you.  Life is short and you want to live it with no regrets having cherished every moment with those you love.  God Bless!    

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Happy 19th Anniversary Babe + Happy Veterans Day!

Today we celebrate 19 years of marriage.  In a world that regards marriage so flippantly that is quite an accomplishment for us.  God has blessed us so very much and I am so very thankful for all that we have accomplished all these years together.  I look forward to our enjoying the years that God still has for us to have together.  

To God be All the Glory for All that He has Done in Our Lives!  I love you Babe!



And also: 



We don't want to let our celebration to overcast that of our Veterans!
Thank you for your service to our country!
We have great respect and gratitude for you all!