New Patch On The Way...

Tim has a new patch on the way for us to put on his gear bag.  He's so excited for this one because it's his gyms logo.  

When he saw that this was in their online shop he flipped over it.  Can't wait to get it on his bag once it gets here.  

When We All Get To Heaven (Acoustic)...

Here's the acoustic version of this old hymn that has been in my head for days since Louise's passing.  Just click on the picture and it will take you to listen to the song.

Old Gear Bag = New Gear Bag...

We turned Tim's old gear bag for sparring into a new gear bag for him for weightlifting.  It used to have Tusah's logo where the upper patch is now and it used to have the TaeKwonDo school's logo where the American flag patch is now.  Love how we transformed it and kept from having to purchase another $100 bag.  Plus it's unique from everyone else's gear bags and he'll be able to spot it a mile away and keep up with it much better because it won't blend in with the others.    The upper patch reads like this:

Tim loves this because one of his coaches spoke French and he just thinks this is funny.  Plus there isn't a ton of cardio in Weightlifting even though Tim's cardio is still great.  I'm sure it's down a little since he's not sparring anymore but not by much.  

Tim is in session 2 on Saturday at the meet.  He doesn't have to weigh in until 10:20am and he doesn't lift until 12:20pm.  He is so excited to be doing another meet.  His next one will be in April.  The April one is at the gym that he trains at so he is incredibly excited about doing it.  Here's his schedule:

This Weekend's Meet...

This weekend's Meet is coming upon us fast.  Tim is preparing for this invite only event this week with his coach.  He is so excited to be getting to go to another Meet.  He loves what he is doing and all that he is learning.  Now that he's eating more than he has ever ate before he is growing and gaining muscle like you wouldn't believe.  I still can't get over how happy we all are now.  Life is so much fun and we are enjoying this sport with Tim.  Love how much more relaxed we have been since he's changed what he's doing.  We will keep you in the loop of how he does this weekend once we get back home on Sunday.  Pray for Tim to do well and pray for safety as we travel and as his competes too.  Thank you.

The 3 Musketeer's...

It's been a little over a week since Louise's passing.  I've been remembering all the good times we have had through the years especially from our youth group days.  Our youth leader from back then sent me some photos from those days.  They were fun times.  Times where we all had such great times together.  We cherished those times. Now it's just two of us.  Louise was the glue in our little group.  She was the compassionate one.  The one who always cared more about everyone else than herself.  It makes sense that she became a nurse because of how she naturally was.  Even just a little over a week after her death I still feel like it's all a dream and we are going to wake up and she's still going to be here with us.  It's much easier to accept the death of someone who has lived a good long life but when a life is cut short it's a harder to accept.  Her's was a life that was cut short on this earth but God knew this day was coming since the day he brought her into this world.  He knows every hair on our head, our begin and ending.  So now my prayer is for His help in the days and weeks ahead for us all who loved her.  For His help to accept and to be able to move on with life because we know that she is with Him.  She is happy.  But us who are left behind need healing from the loss so that we can continue to live life and be happy because that is what she would have wanted.  Here are some of the pictures that our youth leader sent us that I wanted to share with you here.  See if you can find Louise, Kris, and I in the pictures if you knew us all.

 I was always making silly faces if I knew that my picture was being taken...LOL! Such great memories that I will hold near and dear to my heart for the rest of my life.  I really hope that she knew that I loved her like family even though we didn't get to spend much time together in recent years.  She was always like a sister to me having known one another for so very long.  

#gonebutneverforgotten  

New PR's for Tim Today...

Tim did new pr's in his snatch and clean & jerk today.  He amazes us each week with how far he's coming in this sport.

Tim's 100kg Clean Pull....

Tim did a 100kg = 220# clean pull last night.  He is inching closer to being able to do a clean a jerk with that weight.  This was just a stepping stone to being able to do just that.  We are so proud him.

Sports Then & Now...

A then and now pic of Tim.  He's grown and changed so much.  We have cherished every ounce of his growing up thus far.  He is growing into such a strong, smart & capable young man.  I see more of his maturity that expands beyond his years each and everyday.  I'm so thankful that God gave us such a great gift in Tim. It's a blessing being his mom and I know his dad feels the same about being his dad too.  We are blessed beyond measure and so very thankful.  

TaeKwonDo taught Tim lots of discipline and respect.  It taught him so many techniques to the sport that he will have with him for the rest of his life.  It taught him about the kind of man that he wants to be and it also taught him about the kind of man he doesn't want to be either.  He has had some great teachers and not so great teachers but he learned valuable lessons from them all.  That journey ended though in July 2023.  Not because it was what Tim wanted but because it was what had to happen to keep his self respect.  In the process he lost all respect for a handful of folks that he thought really cared about him.  It was a hard thing for a 15 year old to have to deal with but he kept his head about him and walked away knowing that he was in the right to do so because of the situation and circumstances.  We were so proud to see him handle things like a real man.  He left that all behind knowing what he wanted to do next and that was....Weightlifting. 

Weightlifting is Tim's passion.  He has followed the sport since he was 10 years old.  He has taken to it like a fish to water.  It's like he's where he belongs.  He fits in perfectly with the sport.  He really loves his coach and loves how much he encourages and teaches him.  If he doesn't get something his coach is patient to help him fix things so he can do better next time.  He doesn't focus on where Tim is missing it but focuses on building up and getting better with each training session.  The total opposite of what Tim experienced in sparring.  Shifting to this has been the absolute best thing for Tim and we couldn't be happier because he is so happy.  He's the happiest we've seen in I can't remember when.  

The curve thrown him in how things ended with sparring put him on such a better path now with weightlifting, school and just life in general.  Tim's overall attitude is night and day what it was before he made the switch.  Scot and I often just shake our heads thinking how much further along Tim could have been had we made this change when he was 10 instead of 15 but we also know that Tim's training with sparring was a spring board for weightlifting.  We can't wait to see what all 2024 has in store for Tim as he continues in this sport.  No matter what we are just happy to have our happy boy back that we had when he started his competitive journey back in 2017.  Bottom line for us is that we just want Tim to be a happy well adjusted young man and he's definitely that.  He amazes his father and I everyday with how mature, focused and driven he is towards his goals.  He's laughing so much and having so much fun again.  It's amazing what taking a step back can do for a person and did for us as a family.  We are loving everyday we have together and making the most of the moments that life gives us.   

It's Thursday...

It's two days after Louise's Celebration of Life service.  She was cremated.  It still feels like it's all a dream and not real.  I have such mixed emotions from it all.  I'm happy that she's in heaven and no longer suffering with her seizures anymore but I also regret so very much that we didn't stay in contact more over the years after our kids went their separate ways from their Taekwondo days together.  Tim was training with a coach in Charlotte as an elite athlete in sparring.  Greyson moved on from sparring to track at his school.  Addy moved on from TKD to riding horses.  Our lives were a whirlwind with our kids and we just didn't make the time or effort to keep in touch as we should have.  That's the part that bothers me the most.  She was my oldest friend.  She knew all my stuff and her memory was so much better than mine in remembering our youth.  What a pair we were and then there were three when Kris came along.  We were quite the 3 Musketeers.  That's what everyone who knew us called us because where one was the other two were almost always.  

At the service I got to see folks I haven't seen in years.  I hate it had to be under those circumstances though.  Our old youth leaders had the photo albums out in the foyer and Louise, Kris and I were in almost all of them.  

Our 3 Musketeer group is no more.  I take comfort that we will see one another again someday when we are all in heaven together with our Lord and Savior.  Then we can have quite the reunion.  Until then it's not goodbye it's just see you later.  

I think of the old hymn:  "When we all get to heaven, What a day of rejoicing that will be!  When we all see Jesus, We'll sing and shout the VICTORY!"  

Here's the full Lyrics:

When We All Get To Heaven

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He'll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav'ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we'll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!

When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!

No truer words have ever been spoken than that hymn.  I'm so thankful for the old hymns.  Not many churches sing them anymore but they are the ones that I hold closest to my heart.  There's so much truth in them.  I know Louise also held them close to her heart as well.  Our 3 Musketeer group were given such a solid foundation in the teachings of Christ when we were growing up.  Our youth leaders put up with a lot from us and they always showed Christ's love towards us.  The lasting impact from those days will live on as a legacy to those who poured into us for Christ.

#alwaysinmyheart #neverforgetting 

100kg = 220# Back Squat Lift by Tim....

Tim did this on Saturday...