Tim Found His Name...

Tim found his name on the board. Such an exciting time to be alive and thriving and going after goals and achieving them here in 2026...

Tim is really looking forward to stepping onto the platform again at USAW Junior Nationals 2026 this year. It will be his first time competing as a Junior.

Prayers that he meets all the goals he has set for himself at this year's Nationals. Also, prayers that his sinuses settle down and don't affect his ability to lift the numbers he's aiming for.

We love being part of the weightlifting community and seeing so many people we know succeed at their meets. It has been such a joy to be involved in this sport and to get to know so many wonderful people. We feel more connected to this sport than we ever did when Tim was competing in the sport side of TaeKwonDo.

Life has a funny way of working out the way it's supposed to, exactly when it's supposed to. I'm so thankful to God, whose timing is always perfect.

Pictures from Yesterday...

Here are some pictures that I was able to get as we drove into Colorado Springs yesterday. These were taken as we were almost there.

Left side of the vehicle. It had mostly blue skies and white puffy clouds.

Right side of the vehicle. You could see the pouring rain off in the distance.

It's so good to be here and to be well rested.

Now the Work Begins...

After days of traveling across the country, we finally arrived yesterday in Colorado Springs for USA Weightlifting Nationals Week.

As exciting as it is to get here, the reality is that the competition doesn't start the moment you arrive. In many ways, this is where the real work begins.

Over the next couple of days, Tim will focus on getting his body acclimated to the elevation, adjusting to the environment, and spending time in the training hall preparing for competition day. Every athlete has their own routine leading up to a meet, and these days are an important part of the process.

It's always impressive to watch the level of dedication these athletes have. Most people only see the few minutes they spend on the competition platform, but they don't see the months and years of training, early mornings, sore muscles, sacrifices, and discipline that got them there. They don't see the countless hours spent perfecting technique, chasing personal records, and pushing through days when motivation isn't easy to find.

As parents, we're incredibly proud of the work Tim has put in to reach this point. His journey into Olympic weightlifting began after closing the chapter on a sport he had spent over a decade pursuing. Watching him embrace a new challenge, commit himself fully, and continue growing as both an athlete and a young man has been a blessing.

Now we wait for competition day.

Lift Day is June 24th at 4:00 PM Eastern, and we're excited to see all of his hard work put to the test. No matter what happens on the platform, he's already accomplished something special by earning his place here among the nation's best.

We're grateful for the opportunity to be here, grateful for the coaches, teammates, and supporters who have encouraged him along the way, and grateful for the memories we're continuing to make as a family.

The travel is done.

The preparation continues.

Now the work begins.

#USAW #USAWeightlifting #AthleticLabWeightlifting #CarolinasWSO #Nationals2026 #RoadToNationals #WeightliftingFamily #ProudParents

Let the Life of God Shine Through You...

I read this statement recently, and I stopped and paused in deep thought.

So often, we feel like we need to have all the right words to impact someone's life. We think we need the perfect Bible verse, the perfect testimony, or the perfect answer to whatever struggle they're facing.

But sometimes, the greatest testimony isn't what we say.

It's how we live.

As I look back over my own life, I realize that there were people who helped me see God long before I fully understood who He was. They weren't perfect people. They didn't have perfect lives. What they had was a genuine relationship with Jesus that shined through everything they did.

When I was younger, I was headed in a very different direction than the one God ultimately had planned for me. I made poor choices. I surrounded myself with people who influenced me in all the wrong ways. I was carrying wounds from an abusive childhood and trying to navigate life without truly surrendering it to God.

Yet even during those years, God continually placed people in my path whose lives reflected something different.

There was a peace about them.

A joy about them.

A kindness about them.

They made people feel valued and loved.

Looking back, I realize that what I was seeing was the life of God in them.

Years later, after God began healing my heart through Mercy Ministries and deepening my faith through my time at Christ For The Nations Bible College, I started to understand something important: people aren't looking for perfection. They're looking for authenticity.

They want to know if the faith we talk about actually works when life gets hard.

They want to know if God's peace is real when circumstances aren't.

They want to know if grace and forgiveness are possible when you've been hurt.

The older I get, the more I realize that the life of Christ within us is often the loudest sermon we'll ever preach.

Sometimes it looks like offering encouragement when someone is struggling.

Sometimes it looks like extending grace when it's undeserved.

Sometimes it means simply listening when someone needs to be heard.

And sometimes it's allowing God to use the difficult chapters of our own story to give someone else hope.

I don't share parts of my testimony because I enjoy revisiting painful memories. I share them because I know there are people carrying similar hurts who need to know that healing is possible.

God took a broken young woman with a painful past and gave her a beautiful future.

Today, I have a husband who loves God, a family that I treasure, a business that Scot and I have built together, and a son who has brought immeasurable joy to our lives. None of that happened because of my own strength. It happened because of God's faithfulness.

And if my story can help someone believe that God can redeem their story too, then every difficult chapter was worth it.

The beauty of the life of God in us isn't found in our perfection.

It's found in His transformation.

When people encounter someone who genuinely loves Jesus, they feel seen because Christ sees them.

They feel valued because Christ values them.

They find hope because Christ offers hope.

So today, don't worry so much about having all the right words.

Simply walk closely with Jesus.

The more His life shines through you, the more others will see Him—and that may be exactly what they need to come alive.

We Have Arrived in Colorado Springs...

Well, we did it again—we drove all the way to Colorado Springs for USA Weightlifting Nationals with Tim!

Thankfully, this trip got a little easier this year now that we can divide the driving between the three of us. I can still remember the days when Tim was competing in Taekwondo and Scot and I had to split all of those long drives ourselves. There were plenty of early mornings, late nights, countless hotel stays, fast-food meals on the road, and more miles than I could ever begin to count.

Looking back, I wouldn't trade a single one of those moments.

Those years gave us so many memories together as a family. Some of our best conversations have happened while traveling down the highway. We've laughed together, prayed together, dreamed together, and watched our son pursue the goals God has placed before him.

One of my favorite parts of road trips is seeing parts of the country that we'd never experience otherwise. Last year and this year are no exception. As we crossed through the Midwest, we saw what felt like endless fields and some of the largest windmills I've ever seen—it's impressive to see. Pictures truly don't do them justice. Standing hundreds of feet in the air, they seemed to stretch endlessly across the landscape. It's amazing to think about the engineering behind them and how small they make everything else look by comparison. They are a reminder of just how vast and beautiful God's creation really is.

Now we're settled in and looking forward to an incredible week together. We love supporting Tim on this journey he's on with Olympic weightlifting. Watching him grow—not just as an athlete, but as a young man—has been one of the greatest blessings of our lives.

This will be Tim's first Nationals as a Junior lifter, and we're excited to see what he accomplishes. More than the medals, records, or rankings, we're proud of the discipline, perseverance, and character he's developed along the way. Those things will serve him long after the competition platform is gone.

And yes, we still have a dream tucked away in our hearts. We can't wait for the day when we see "USA" across his chest. Whether that day comes or not, we're incredibly grateful to be along for the ride and to have a front-row seat to this chapter of his story.

Here's to another road trip, another competition, and more memories we'll cherish for years to come.

❤️🏋️‍♂️🇺🇸🚗

Happy Father's Day...

I know we are in the midst of traveling to Nationals with Tim but I didn't want to let this day go by without making this blog post.

Babe, There are so many things I could say about the kind of father and husband you are, but one thing is certain—you are such a blessing to our family.

Watching you be a dad to Tim over these past 18 years has been one of the greatest joys of my life. From the big milestones to the quiet everyday moments, you have always been there for him with love, wisdom, patience, and support. The way you have guided him, encouraged him, and shown up for him year after year cannot truly be measured.

You are the kind of father every child deserves and the kind of husband every wife prays for. Through every season of life, you have loved us faithfully and sacrificially. Your strength, steadiness, and devotion have helped shape our home into a place of love, security, and encouragement.

As I look at the amazing young man Tim has become, I know so much of that is because of the example you have set before him. He has grown up watching what it means to work hard, love deeply, lead with integrity, and put God and family first.

We are incredibly blessed to have you, and I never want you to doubt how deeply appreciated and loved you are.

Happy Father’s Day to the best dad in the world and the best husband I could ever ask for. We love you more than words can say.

There are so many things I could say about this amazing man who is no longer with us, and somehow words still never feel like enough.

You were the kind of father-in-law every girl hopes to have. In so many ways, you were a better dad to me than my own father ever was. You welcomed me into the family with love, kindness, and acceptance, and from the very beginning, you made me feel like I truly belonged.

You loved your family deeply, and everyone who knew you could see it in the way you showed up for us year after year. You were always there with help, guidance, encouragement, and support whenever any of us needed you. No matter what was going on in life, we knew we could count on you.

You celebrated every milestone, every holiday, every birthday, and every special family moment with us. Your presence brought strength, stability, laughter, and comfort to our family. You were truly the heart of so many of our gatherings.

You were the best patriarch a family could ask for, and your absence is felt more deeply than words can express. There will always be a place in our hearts that only you could fill.

Though Father’s Day looks different now, we still celebrate the incredible man you were and the legacy of love you left behind. We carry your memory with us every single day.

Happy Father’s Day in Heaven, Pop. You are loved, honored, and missed beyond measure.

Losing a parent leaves behind so many emotions, memories, questions, and reflections that seem to grow deeper with time. It’s been 24 years now since you passed away, Dad, and there are still moments when it feels hard to believe how much time has gone by. 

You’ve missed so much over the years—the births of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including my son, Tim. There are so many moments I wish you could have witnessed and so many memories I wish they could have made with you.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to understand so much more about your life than I did when I was younger. You loved your family the best way you knew how, shaped by the difficult and painful examples you were given growing up. Life was not kind to you in many ways, especially during your childhood, and I can only imagine how deeply those experiences marked your heart and followed you into adulthood.

You didn’t always know how to express love, but looking back now, I can see the ways you tried. Sometimes love is shown imperfectly through broken people carrying wounds no one else can fully see. You worked hard to make sure we had food on the table, clothes to wear, and a home to live in. You carried responsibilities and burdens that I understand far more clearly now than I ever could back then.

None of us are perfect. We all carry pieces of the lives we were raised in, and so much of how we move through life is shaped by the examples we were given growing up. But despite the imperfections, one thing never changed—you were our dad, and all seven of us loved you deeply because of that.

Time has softened some of the harder memories and brought greater understanding in their place. There is grace now where there once may have only been hurt or confusion. And even after all these years, you are still missed by all of us.

In many ways, pieces of you still live on. We see you when we look into the eyes of our children because so many of your grandchildren inherited your eyes. It’s a quiet reminder that even though you are gone, part of you remains woven into the generations that came after you.

Twenty-four years later, you are still remembered, still loved, and still missed. 

I hope and pray that I will get to see you in heaven someday—while I'm not certain if you ever made a profession of faith to God, I certainly hope and pray in those last moments of your life that you did.

There are truly not enough words to say about this incredible man—my mentor, my father figure, and one of the greatest blessings God ever placed in my life—John Gordon.

God brought you into my life when I was just 8 years old because He knew I needed someone I could look up to, learn from, and feel safe with. From such a young age, you became the steady, godly influence that helped shape so much of who I am today.

All these years later, the impact you had during my formative years is still influencing my life every single day. The love, support, wisdom, encouragement, and godly example you gave me helped mold me into the person I became. So much of the strength, faith, and perspective I carry through life was shaped by your presence and influence.

You showed me what consistency looked like. You showed me what kindness, faithfulness, and integrity looked like. You were there with guidance when I needed direction, support when life was hard, and encouragement when I doubted myself.

Having a strong and loving male role model like you in my life is something I will never stop being grateful for. The value of that kind of influence on a child cannot truly be measured in words. It changes the course of a life.

You were one of the biggest and best blessings I could have ever had growing up, and I thank God for you more than you will probably ever know.

Some people leave fingerprints on your life that never fade, and you are one of those people for me.

Be Who God Created You to Be...

Be Who God Created You to Be...

When I read that statement, it immediately made me think about my own life and how different it looks today from where it started.

If you had known me in high school, you probably wouldn't have imagined the life you see me living today.

I was very worldly. I hung out with friends who made worldly choices, and I followed right along. There was partying, smoking, and enough foul language coming out of my mouth to make a sailor blush. I knew God, and was saved at the young age of 12, but truly knowing Him is something very different. Yes I asked Him to be my savior because I knew I needed Him in my life but it would be much later before I fully surrendered my heart and life to Him.

For years, I played church.

I attended services. I knew the what the Bible said and right things to say. I looked the part on Sunday mornings. But my heart wasn't fully surrendered to God.

Then God really began to get hold of my life.

Part of that journey led me to Mercy Ministries (now Mercy Multiplied), where I spent several months working through the effects of an abusive upbringing. Growing up with an alcoholic father and an enabling mother left wounds that ran deep. There was physical abuse. There was emotional abuse. There were unhealthy patterns and beliefs that had shaped the way I viewed God, myself and the choices I made.

At Mercy, God began the process of healing what I could never fix on my own.

Was it easy? Not on your life. 

Healing rarely is.

But for the first time, I started to understand that I wasn't defined by my past, my mistakes, or what other people had done to me.

I was defined by who God said I was. That was so huge for me.

After my time there, I attended Christ For The Nations, where I spent time growing deeper in my relationship with the Lord. It wasn't about religion anymore. It wasn't about appearances. It was about learning to know God personally and allowing Him to transform my life from the inside out.

That foundation has carried me from 1996 all the way to today.

Looking back, I can see how many times the world tried to tell me who I was supposed to be.

The wounded girl.

The angry girl.

The girl with baggage.

The girl who would never move beyond her past.

But God had a different story to write. A different plan for my life.

He saw a daughter.

He saw someone worth redeeming.

He saw someone who could use her experiences to encourage others.

Even before Mercy and Christ For The Nations, God was planting seeds. As a young woman, as broken as I was, I spent summers serving as a camp counselor, helping young people come to know Jesus and grow deeper in their faith. Looking back now, I can see that God was pursuing me even then, long before I fully surrendered my life to Him. He was using me despite my past and all my failures.

That's one of the things I love most about God. He never gives up on us.

He sees who we can become long before we do.

Today, I certainly don't have everything figured out. I still need God's grace every single day. But I am thankful that my life is not shaped by the expectations of the world. It is shaped by the One who created me.

When I look at my life now, I see the faithfulness of God everywhere. He blessed me with a godly husband who loves the Lord and has faithfully walked beside me through every season of life. Together, we've built a family-owned business that allows us to serve others while working side by side. And He entrusted us with an incredible son who has brought so much joy to our lives and continually reminds us that God's plans are always better than our own.

None of those blessings came because I had everything figured out. They came because God took a broken, wounded young woman and continued the work of healing, growing, and transforming her. The life I have today is a testimony to His grace, His mercy, and His faithfulness.

And if there's one thing I've learned, it's this:

Freedom comes when you stop trying to become who everyone else expects you to be and start becoming who God created you to be.

The world will always have opinions.

But God has a purpose for our lives.

Choose purpose.

Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Freedom...

Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Freedom...

Freedom is something every one of us longs for, whether we realize it or not. Freedom from fear. Freedom from shame. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from the pain of our past. So often, we spend years carrying wounds we never asked for, trying to survive the best way we know how.

For many of us, those wounds start in childhood.

For me, finding freedom in the Lord was one of the most pivotal parts of my healing journey. Growing up, I endured emotional and physical abuse at the hands of my alcoholic father. Those experiences left scars—some visible, but many hidden deep within my heart. The kind of scars that shape how you think, how you trust, and how you love.

When you grow up in chaos, dysfunction can start to feel normal. You learn to stay guarded. You learn to expect disappointment. You build walls to protect yourself because vulnerability feels unsafe. And while those walls may protect you for a season, they can also keep healing out.

For years, I carried the weight of that pain. I carried anger. I carried fear. I carried rejection. I carried questions that seemed to have no answers. Why did this happen? Why wasn’t I enough? Why did the person who was supposed to protect me become the source of so much pain?

Those questions can haunt you if you let them.

But what I’ve learned is that healing begins when we stop looking for answers in our pain and start looking to God.

The world often tells us freedom looks like moving on, numbing out, or pretending the pain never existed. But God’s freedom is different. His freedom doesn’t erase the past—it redeems it. He takes the broken pieces of our story and uses them for His glory.

That’s what He did for me.

When I surrendered my pain to Him, He began doing the hard work in me. He showed me that my identity was not rooted in what happened to me but in who He says I am. He taught me that I was loved, chosen, and worthy—not because of my past, but because of His grace.

He also taught me forgiveness.

And forgiveness was one of the hardest steps in my healing.

Forgiveness didn’t mean what happened was okay. It didn’t excuse the abuse or the damage it caused. It meant I was choosing to release the hold that pain had on me. It meant refusing to let bitterness take root and poison the life God was calling me to live.

That is freedom.

The freedom to no longer be chained to what hurt you.
The freedom to breathe again.
The freedom to trust again.
The freedom to love without fear.
The freedom to walk in peace.

Healing is rarely instant. It’s a process. It’s layers. It’s tears, prayers, surrender, and sometimes revisiting wounds you thought were buried. But with every step, God is faithful.

Where His Spirit is, freedom is.

Not because life suddenly becomes easy—but because His presence changes everything.

If you’re carrying wounds from your past today—whether from childhood, relationships, betrayal, or loss—know this: God sees you. He sees every hidden scar, every silent tear, every burden you’ve carried.

And He wants to set you free.

Your past may explain you, but it does not define you.

There is healing in Him. There is peace in Him. There is freedom in Him.

And if He could bring freedom to the broken places in me, He can do the same for you.

Travel Day - USAW Nationals 2026...

Travel Day - USAW Nationals 2026...

Today we begin our journey to Colorado Springs for USAW Nationals Week! The first leg of the trip includes a stopover at Tim’s uncle’s house for about a day and a half—roughly an 8-hour drive from home.

From there, we’ll start the second leg of the trip, which will be a much longer drive into Colorado Springs.

Thankfully, there are three of us taking turns driving, which will make the trip much easier. Tim will actually be driving the entire first leg to prove to his dad and me that he can handle that kind of distance on his own. He’s hoping to make a solo trip later this year to visit a friend, and it’s about the same driving distance as this first stretch to his uncle’s house.

Once we arrive in Colorado, on Sunday the 21st, the fun begins—two days in the training hall followed by competition day.

This will be Tim’s first time competing at Nationals as a Junior competitor, and he’s excited for everything he’ll learn from the experience, especially getting to watch so many talented athletes compete and lift at that level.

Safe travels to everyone heading to Nationals this week! We are looking forward to seeing everyone lift—especially Tim😊.

Better Days Are on the Way...

Not every day will be easy.

In fact, some days can feel downright overwhelming. Life has a way of piling things on all at once. Plans change. People disappoint us. Health concerns arise. Financial pressures creep in. We carry burdens that no one else sees and sometimes wonder if we're ever going to catch a break.

I've had seasons like that.

Days when I felt exhausted—not just physically, but emotionally. Days when it seemed like every answer led to more questions. Days when I found myself wishing I could fast-forward through the hard parts and get to whatever God had planned next.

But one thing I've learned is that even the hardest days eventually come to an end.

Every evening, as the sun begins to set, it's a reminder that no matter what happened that day, tomorrow is coming. The mistakes, frustrations, disappointments, and struggles of today don't get the final word.

There's something peaceful about watching a sunset. For a few moments, everything seems to slow down. The worries that consumed the day don't disappear, but they seem a little smaller. The beauty of the sky reminds me that there is still goodness in the world, still hope, still reasons to keep moving forward.

Lately, our family has been walking through a season of change. Tim has graduated. Our homeschool journey has officially come to an end. New opportunities and new challenges are ahead. My mom continues her recovery. Life looks different than it did even a year ago.

Some days I've been excited. Other days I've felt uncertain.

But through it all, I've been reminded that growth often happens during the seasons when we feel stretched the most.

If you're walking through a difficult season right now, I want to encourage you: don't give up.

Keep taking the next step.

Keep showing up.

Keep trusting that what you're experiencing today is not the whole story.

The hard days may feel long, but they won't last forever.

One of my favorite things about a sunset is that it's not the end of the story. It's simply the transition to a new day. The sun will rise again. New opportunities will come. New mercies will arrive with the morning.

So if today has been difficult, give yourself some grace.

Take a breath.

Watch the sunset if you can.

And remind yourself that peace still exists, even after the hardest days.

Keep going.

Better days are on the way.