This👇...

I saw this quote and had to use it as a caption with his weightlifting picture.  It serves as a great reminder that we should never ever give up but keep going and making forward progress.  Tim is all about doing that.  He knows when he fails that he also learns and that when one thing ends something else begins so his efforts never die and that when he's been told no about something that another opportunity is coming.  Tim has no quit in him and he never gives up but keeps pressing forward.  We love seeing the determined young man that he's becoming.  One thing is for certain and that is that he will never ever be a follower.  He will always be a leader.  Leading by example for others who want to be leaders as well.  He wants to be the kind of leader that he wishes some of the coaches he has had in the past had been for him.  Not all coaches are great coaches.  Tim's learned hard lessons from the bad coaches he's had through the years and he knows exactly what kind of coach he wants to be some day and he also knows what he doesn't want to be as well.  He really gets that everything that happens in life teaches us.  Life can be a good teacher or a hard teacher but either way it will teach you.  We are so thankful for the strong level head that Tim has.  God has an amazing plan for him and we can't wait to see it all unfold as he continues to grow into a full grown man.  

Getting After It...

We've been getting after it on projects recently.  So glad that Tim is at an age where he can be a tremendous help when we are doing big jobs.  Now that we can tackle jobs as a family they go so much faster.  

However, Tim has started school again.  It's great that he does all online schooling so that he can work at his own pace and we can help his dad run our business too.  Plus he has time to also do his Olympic Weightlifting workouts as well.  Prioritizing is the key.  Tim's learning all about that right now with all that he is doing.  

Here's a couple of shots from a recent commercial client that we've been doing all the carpet in their entire facility.  

Sophomore Year...

Tim is starting 10th grade this year.  He is growing up so fast that I'm still adjusting, even a year later, to him being a high school student.  He is such a driven young man.  His dad and I are so proud of all that he has accomplished so far in his young life.  We look forward to all this school year holds for him.  We know that God is looking over our boy because he is His and we only have him on loan from God.  We are so grateful to be entrusted to his care for the short time that we have him and pray that he allows God to continue to guide and direct his life as he grows into a man.  

Here is his first day of school picture.

Better Later Than Never...

We were so feverishly busy in June finishing up school and Tim getting ready for USA Weightlifting Nationals that I forgot to post his report card and now it's time for school again.  Between his Popsies passing and funeral to end of school year to Nationals to my Aunt passing it was a very crazy June for us.  So here's his report card from his freshman year of high school.  You may have to click on it to make it larger so that you can read it.

Sunsets...

Sunsets are so beautiful.  My favorites are the ones at the beach but every so often we have an absolutely beautiful one here at home. We had one such sunset this past week when we came in from Tim's training session one evening and I was able to get a picture of it for you all to enjoy here.

Quote from Kobe Bryant...

"Are you just putting in the time, or are you maximizing every moment?

When it comes to achieving greatness, it's not enough to simply show up. True progress comes from being fully engaged, mind and body, in every second of practice."  ~Kobe Bryant (Mamba Mentality)

Tim engages both mind and body with all that he is doing with weightlifting.  He understands, better than most, that you can't achieve anything great by just showing up and that you have to maximize every moment.

Kobe Bryant was an amazing athlete that we loved following.  His work ethic was incredible.  He was one of the greats that Tim really appreciates and is glad that he has his book that he can look at and read over and over again.  He shared such depth of wisdom in the time that he had on this earth.  What a blessing he was to young athletes.  

Are You Creating A Better You?

No truer words could ever be spoken.  Tim exemplifies this.  He grinds.  He pushes.  He has taken every defeat/setback that life has thrown at him and turned them into stepping stones.  

Tim has had so many things to overcome in his young life.  I look at him in amazement at how God has watched over and protected him through all that he's been through over the years.  From a broke finger on his growth plate that took several months to heal, to an undiagnosed strip throat that turned into a life threatening situation that resulted in 5 years of aftermath from it and to a loss of most of the salt in his body that led to yet another life threatening situation that landed him in PICU.  Somewhere in all of it he also had a foot fracture.  All of that and he's continued to push forward and not give up but use it all as stepping stones in his moving forward.  He also never gave up faith either because God saved him from death twice.  He's got a plan for our boy and Tim keeps that ever before him as he seeks to find out what that plan is as he grows into a man. We look forward to all that God has in store for him as well.  And we are all ever so thankful for his protection over Tim and us through the years.

As a family we are all about creating a better us.  As we continue to make steps forward in life we do so with making the best of it in mind and creating a better future for us and our loved ones for generations to come.

What A Difference...

So the 2 upper photos were taken a year apart showing the change that happened while he worked with a body coach to get to the optimum weight that he needed to be at for the sport that he was doing at the time. He was still doing Elite TaeKwonDo Sparring at that time and had to maintain a weight division that just wasn't realistic for his body type.  He struggled so much to stay in the division that would even give him a hill of beans chance at accomplishing what he wanted to in the sport and in the end it still wasn't enough.  It just wasn't worth it to continue.

The 2024 photo is a year after weightlifting training where he's been able to eat, grow & gain muscle mass. He's been so much healthier and happier in this sport.  In just a few months time he took Gold at the WSO Championship.  In 10 months time he came in 4th at USA Weightlifting Nationals.  There has been such a huge change in our son physically as you can see in the photos but there's also been a huge change in him mentally.  Mentally he's in such a great place.  He's the best we've ever seen him.  

What he wants to accomplish hasn't changed but the avenue to accomplish it has for certain changed.  We love where he is at this time in his life and we so enjoy supporting him in any way that we can.

2 Reasons I Don't Usually Fit In...

This is not only true of Tim but also of myself and his dad too.  He may look like his dad but he's a mixture and me and his dad in his personality.  

Tim has drive.  He doesn't know the meaning of the word quit.  He keeps moving forward no matter what.  He doesn't care what others think and he's a very strong minded individual just like his dad and me.  

Most teens don't understand Tim.  They didn't understand me either.  Tim gets along more with adults than peers his age.  I had to grow up fast being the oldest of 7 kids.  I was like a second mom to my brothers and sisters.  I knew how to cook and clean at a very young age and had to help my mom a ton growing up.  Tim is an only child and at a young age was articulating well above his years in conversations with others because being an only child most of the conversations he had were with his dad and I.  We never did baby or little child talk to him because we wanted him to be a well spoken kid as he grew up and he is every bit of that today.  He finds his peers act so childish and his peers probably feel that he doesn't act his age.  He doesn't care though.  Tim is Tim and that's all there is to say about that just like I am who I am as well.  Tim doesn't change to please anyone other than God and neither do I or his dad.  

There'd be no denying Tim was ours even if we wanted to which we don't.  He is Scot and I through and through.  Watching his mind think in how he talks now makes his dad and I so happy.  He's got such a great head on his shoulders and we hope that he will always be this way.  

God has amazing plans for Tim.  Tim will never be a follower of the crowd.  He will always think for himself and not give two hoots about what anyone else thinks about him.  He is so like me and his dad in that regard.  

Here's to continuing to not fit in and being your own person Tim.  Keep doing you.  And Keep following God.  

Meet Announcement...

Tim's next Meet is WSO State Championship on October 20th!  Pray that he doesn't have any more injuries between now and then and that he's able to get back up to speed fast so that he can be lifting at his best for this Meet.  Thank you!