Tim's Last Christmas Gift Finally Arrived....

Tim's Maw Maw bought him a gift for Christmas.  She ordered it before Christmas and it was supposed to get there in a couple of weeks but it took until now to arrive.  He loves it though and said it was worth the wait.  It's a Twenty One Pilots hoodie.  They are Tim's favorite band.  He's very eclectic when it comes to music.  We've most recently been listening to Chopin.  Chopin is a far cry from Twenty One Pilots.  It's why I say he's very eclectic.  He loves all kinds of genres of music.  He's definitely his mothers son because I'm the exact same way.  Got this pic of him wearing it on a commercial project yesterday.   

Virus Weightlifting Series 1 Meet Preliminary Schedule...

 

The highlighted area in the list is where it looks like Tim will be lifting at this Meet.  The final schedule will come out 2/17.  So far it looks like he will be lifting day 1 of this Meet then he will be able to go see some of the Arnold events and enjoy himself on Friday before we take the drive over to his Aunts house for a short visit with them before heading home on that Sunday.  We are so excited for our boy getting to do this Meet this year because he was a little shy of getting to attend it last year + he was so new to the sport that his numbers weren't where they needed to be for this event anyhow.  He's doing so good now though and we are so incredibly happy for him and proud of him.  When I think of how proud we are of him I think about our Father in heaven and how proud He must be when His children make good decisions and do good positive things with their lives.  The smile that is on our faces for our kids doesn't even compare to our Papa God's face when it comes to His children.  Knowing how I feel for Tim and how He feels towards me is a great feeling.  I love you so much God!  Thank you for Your many blessings in my life!  

ALWC Winter Classic Schedule....

Here is the schedule for Saturday.  Tim is lifting with the Seniors and Masters.  He's the only youth in his group lifting the numbers that he will be lifting.  

Being A Mom...

 

Tim will be 18 in May of 2026.  It's hard to believe that at that time he will be a legal adult in the eyes of the law.  He will always be my boy though.  I have missed the mark in the mom department more times than I could ever keep track of.  I'm sure there are things that I don't remember as I've raised Tim that he remembers.  I wouldn't get a glowing mom award but I've been present, I've done the absolute best I could, and I've tried to be a good mom for our son.  No parent is perfect.  I've apologized when I've needed to.  I've held him tight when he's been scared and not feeling well.  I've played with him countless times with whatever toys he wanted to play with.  I've sat on our deck and watched him jump on his trampoline.  I've watched him ride his dirt bike.  I've taken countless pictures of him throughout his entire childhood.  There's not a moment that I've not cherished with him.  He is growing into an amazing young man.  He has a heart of gold.  I look forward to seeing how God continues to bless him into his adulthood, marriage, and children of his own.  I know that he will be a good father and husband because his dad and I have lead by example his whole life.  He's been so incredibly loved.  We've given him wings to fly as high and far as he wants to go in this life.  All that he has to accomplish remains to be seen but one thing is for sure is that he sets goals and meets those goals.  He's a go getter and that will never change.  I only hope and pray that all the good I've done as a mom far outweighs all the times I've missed the mark as a mom and that the good is what stays with our son as he becomes his own man.  

To My Son, 

and remember this:

Life meets nobody half way.  If you want something you have to go for it and give it your all every single time!  I love you to the moon and beyond!  Always have and always will!  Keep being the absolute best you that you can possible be!  And above everything, Always, Always, look to God first and foremost as you navigate life!!!  Always be thankful to God for his blessings in your life.  Nothing we have in this life is by chance.  It's His provision that has brought you to where you are and it's His provision that will keep you.  Trust God always and forever.  I love you!

Challenger Remembrance Day 1/28....

I still remember being in school watching on tv because a teacher was on that Space Shuttle. I remember as the entire school gasped when it exploded and then total silence. None of us could believe what had just happened. What happened was very sad and I’m glad we had a principal that addressed us over the intercom in such a way that inspired us to honor her memory as we went throughout the rest of our day. I will always remember.

Just an fyi, there was no pts, counseling or missed school days over it. Just saying.

Tim is so Ready for 2025 Comps!!!

Tim is so ready for his 1st Meet of the year!  He's been working hard and looking forward to advancing his Meet PR at this 1st in House Meet at Athletic Lab this Saturday.  It will count for USAW too.  His coach has been working with him non-stop getting him ready for this Meet and the Virus Weightlifting Series 1 Meet that happens at the end of February.  Tim is looking forward to a banner year as a last year Youth Weightlifter.  Tim is making progress like crazy in this sport!

A Year & A Half of Nothing But Progress..

Here's Tim's lastest Personal Best Snatch which he's hoping to make a Meet PR soon:

Tim did a 90kg Snatch Saturday.  That's so huge.  He's made such great strides since moving over to weightlifting.  We couldn't be more proud and happy for him.

On this elite athlete journey we've been on we've learned so much.  We learned what we were doing wrong and what we were doing right.  We learned what we needed to change and we made the needed changes.  That's huge for parents as well as athletes.  To know when to make changes and when to fight is major!!!

For so long we were of the mindset that Tim made a commitment to a certain sport and that he needed to stick to it no matter what.  It was what he had told us he wanted to do and so we were making him keep to his end of the bargain and continue to do the sport he had chosen.  What we didn't factor in was all the outside circumstances and situations that would tear down our son and make him into a shell of a person.  We saw our sons spirit dwindling away and totally crushed by people who were supposed to truly care about him but in the end didn't.  Tim's love of the sport he was doing just vanished away after the last issue that he had that brought about real change which brought him to the sport he's doing now.

Ya know, the last situation that caused him and us to walk away from TKD sparring was really a blessing in disguise.  What satan meant for harm and destruction God turned for Tim's good and our good as a family.  A year & a half later folks and our son + our family unit is so very different.  The happiness in our home/lives is like nothing we've ever known since Tim started down the elite athlete path when he was 7/8 years old.  It's like all these years later we have our family back.  We have such a happiness that's better than what we had before Tim started down the elite sport competing path.  

Being an elite athlete is not for the faint of heart.  It's hard, very hard!  It's the toughest thing a competitor will ever do.  It's all consuming.  It takes a strong family unit in order to do it.  When Olympians thank their parents it's because, we parents, put just as much into our kids sports/competitions as they do with our support of them to get them where they want to go.  

Tim still has olympic dreams.  He has the best coach that he's ever had!  Will his dreams ever come to fruition?  Only God knows that.  As long as Tim has the goal he will have our support though.  

Having our kids in a good place mentally when it comes to sports of any kind matters so very much.  We have a hugely different young man in our home now.  One that talks to us more than he ever has.  He is always sharing with us what he's learning and showing us as well.  He's including us more than he ever has all because of the support that he's receiving from us on a day in and day out basis.   Showing love and encouragement constantly are all we are about with our son.  Having him so excited and happy brings such warmth and happiness to our hearts.  His dad and I are loving how strong our family unit is now.  What a massive change this has been for us but it's been so worth it.  

So many folks can't believe after all the years in one sport that we just moved on but knowing when to move on is so huge.  There's no sense in wasting time and money in a sport that isn't going to yield the result that your kid ultimately wants so moving on was the right thing to do.  Life is so good, God is at the center of our home and we are blessed beyond measure!!!  Thank you Lord for being ever constant in our lives!  

Our Guinea Pigs...

Dan and Stampy love celery.  I can always get a great shot of them when I give them celery.  It's their favorite thing to eat outside of Timothy Hay.  

Making Different Choices...

 

Back in August of 2023 Tim made a decision that changed the course that his life had been on up to that point.  He walked away from the only sport that he had known and loved since he was 7 years old.  He made a grown up decision in the midst of a horrible situation that changed his life drastically for the better.  He's in such a great place today, mentally & physically, because of the decision that he made then.  I've never been more proud of him than I was in that moment of time.  

Our kids are ours for but a whisper of time on this earth then we put them fully back into God's hands who trusted us with their upbringing in the first place.  He entrusted them to us when we had them so it's only right they we entrust them back to him as we raise them and when they become adults.  

Tim graduates high school in 2026.  That's only a little over a year away.  I'm so glad that we chose to homeschool all these years.  It's been challenging.  There's been times when I felt I would pull my hair out in dealing with his schooling but I'd do it all over again.  Homeschooling him has afforded us the comfort in knowing that he's been taught right and that he's had no outside influences to mess with his mind.  He knows how to critically think things through.  He has his own strong mind and knows how to think and do for himself.  He's more mature at 17 years of age than most 30yo adults we see when we are out and about doing business in town.  He's seen, been through more, and knows a lot more than other kids his age.  I love the man that he is becoming because I know that he will be able to handle whatever life throws his way.  

People say it will be hard to let him go when he graduates next year.  Somehow I don't think so.  Sure, he'll officially be a man in the laws eyes because he'll be 18yo but I take such comfort in the knowledge that he's been raised good.   If he chooses to go out on his own I'll miss him but he knows where home is and he knows that he will always be welcomed home no matter what.  We've always let him know that we will always be there for him and his dad and I mean that too.  Family is everything!  Family matters!  God is at the center of our family!  God's hand is over our lives and we trust him 100% with everything in our lives too.  Life wouldn't be worth living without God in our lives.  Thank you God for your presence in our lives each and every day.  We love you!

Inauguration Day Yesterday...

I loved watching the inauguration yesterday and hearing President Trump's speech.  I can't wait for all he talked about to happen.  I love America.  I will only ever want Presidents in office who want what is best for Americans and who put God & Americans 1st!  It's the way it should be.  May God's hand of protection be on this President and Vice President as they do the jobs they promised the American people they would do.  My God richly bless them as they fulfill their promises that got them elected.  May every cell and organ in their body be healthy whole and complete from the top of their heads to the soles of their feet and that also for their families as well.  It's so nice to wake up to a President in office that I can be proud of and waking up feeling good about my country now that this President has taken office.