We saw the Wooly Worm...

As you can see the wooly worm is black/brown/black.  According to what I've been told the black stands for cold and the brown stands for warm.  So it looks like we will have a cold/warm/cold winter ahead of us.  We've had that for so many years now.  We haven't had a good snow since Tim was a toddler.  That's been some time ago.  Maybe at some point we'll get to see more than a dusting to an inch of snow again.  It sure would be nice to have some real snow.  

Report Card for 2023-2024 School Year....Better Late Than Never....

Better late than never.  We had two deaths in the family (Popsie and Aunt Joyce) at the end of the school year before summer break this year and I totally forgot to post Tim's report card and certificate on here like I normally do.  Sometimes life just happens and things get missed.  Here it is now though:

 

You might have to click on them to enlarge them in order to read them.

Woe To Them...

Isaiah 5:20 (NIV) - "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

Life Application Bible Footnote:  "When people do not carefully observe the distinction between good and evil, destruction soon follows.  It is easy for people to say, 'No one can decide for anyone else what is really right or wrong.' They may think getting drunk can't hurt them, extramarital sex isn't really wrong, or money doesn't control them.  But when we make excuses for our actions, we break down the distinction between right and wrong.  If we do not take God's Word,  the Bible, as our standard, soon all moral choices will appear fuzzy.  Without God, we are headed for a breakdown and much suffering."

As a follower of Christ I see this already happening when I look at our culture and society as a whole.  It saddens my heart so very much to see how far away from God we, as a people group, have fallen from our godly upbringings.  From our great grandparents and beyond church and God's Word had central place in the home.  Nothing was open on Sunday.  It was truly regarded as a day of rest.  Everyone went to church on Sunday mornings.  It's just what they did.  You grew up really knowing God's Word because you were raised up in church.  Nothing about our society today resembles anything like what it should be if we were still giving homage to our heritage/God's Word.  It's something we desperately need to get back to but I don't think we will because of the direction everything is going in today.  Life would be so much better if we would just get back to God.  If He was put as the center of our homes.  If He was revered as He should be in our lives.  We truly are at a point where as Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil" because make no mistake about it we are in a state of breakdown and suffering because of it!  

Remember, satan comes to steal, kill and destroy but the Lord comes so that we can have life and have it in abundance.  Which would you rather have?  To live in sin and let satan steal, kill and destroy?  or To live for the Lord and have life in abundance?  The former is nothing but misery and the latter is living an abundant life as long as we are living for the Lord.  As for me I will serve the Lord!  He will always be my choice.  What about you?

Fall For Jesus, He Never Leaves...

Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  (NIV)

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV)

Romans 10:13 - "For everyone who calls on the name of Lord will be saved." (NIV)

Romans 12:1&2 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

Hebrews 13:5b - "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (NIV)

Joshua 1:5 - "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." (NIV)

I have never ever regretted asking Jesus into my heart to be my Lord and Savior.  He has never disappointed me, although I have disappointed him.  The beauty of my relationship with my Savior is that if I confess my sins he forgets them to remember them no more.  His love is unconditional.  He has led/guided/directed my life in ways that I would have never expected.  He has saved me from myself and my selfish ways time and again showing me that His way is the best way.  He has kept me from harm/death because there were many times when my life should have been snuffed out and it wasn't.  He has a plan and purpose (Jer. 29:11) for our lives and it's a good plan!!!  It took me many years to learn that and to really let it take hold in my life when I was younger.  

I came to the Lord at 12 years old asking him into my heart and life.  I had no clue what that really would mean until I was in my 20's. My life had been filled with so much turmoil from a little child to young adulthood.  I even got to where I was having suicidal thoughts/tendencies.  It wasn't until I got help at a full time, live in, Christian counseling center (Mercy Ministries) that I was able to get my life on the track God had for me.  While there all that I had been taught from the Word of God came alive as I got the help I so desperately needed to move forward in life.  That was a little over 30 years ago.  It's hard to believe it's been that long but it has.  

My life today is so wonderful.  I have an incredible husband and an amazing son.  Our son is being afforded all that I wasn't when growing up.  We have supported his dreams as an elite athlete since he was 8 years old.  We don't regret a moment of it either.  We have done our best to instill in him to do his best no matter what he's doing and leave the results in God's hands.  We have also done our best to instill in him that everything that he does in life to do it as unto God and to always have him at the center of your life.  

It's how my husband, Scot, and I live our lives.  We do our best in all that we do and leave the results up to God.  We trust him in every area of our lives.  He is everything to us.  In our home we trust in the Lord completely and do our best to do his will when he makes it clear to us.  

We will never regret a life of devotion to God.  Folks have said things to the effect of what if you get to the end of your life and there's no God and death is just the end and there's no more?  To that I always say I'd rather have wasted my life believing in God (which it isn't a waste) then to discover at the end that there is a God and have not believed and spend eternity in hell.   Believing is so much better than risking going to hell if I turn my back on God, which I will never do.  The one is so much better than the other and I sure don't won't to test that theory and find out I should've believed when I didn't.  Just saying.  

You will never go wrong by choosing Jesus!!!  And you do have a choice!  What's your choice going to be???

2024 Carolinas Championship Champion!!!

Tim had an amazing performance at the State Championships yesterday.  He lifted in the 61kg Youth Division.  He won his division + won the Jr division in his weight class because of his lifting totals + won open division in his weight class because of his lifting totals and then he was awarded Best Male Youth Lifter as well!  Talk about a banner day at this Meet.  Tim also did Meet PR's of:

 76kg/167.5# Snatch PR 

+ 101kg/222# Clean & Jerk PR

 = 177kg/390# total PR.  

That's not all though, he also qualified for the 1st Wave of sign ups for the North American Open Series 1 Meet that happens at the end of February beginning of March time frame.  

You might ask, "why is that important?"  Answer: Because they cap this Meet and if you don't get in on the Wave 1 sign ups you will more than likely not get to go to this Meet.  It fills up fast 💨. Sign ups for that Meet start November 1st.  Tim is incredibly excited for this opportunity because he missed getting to go to it last year because he was so new to the sport and wasn't lifting heavy enough yet.  

We are gleaming right now because of all that he was able to accomplish at this Meet.  None of us expected him to receive 3 Gold Medals and a Best Youth Male Lifter Plaque.  We just told him to go out there and do the best you can and leave the results up to God.  God sure showed up big time for Tim and we couldn't be more excited for all that he accomplished at this Meet.   

Here are some pictures:

Introductions

76kg Snatch PR

76kg Snatch PR

101kg Clean & Jerk PR

101kg Clean & Jerk PR

T-2 Days until WSO...

The excitement is building in our house as we get closer to States (WSO) competition.  This will be Tim's second time doing this Meet and he's going to almost double the weight that he lifted in 2023 at this Meet. The even bigger excitement is him getting his qualifying totals for the American Open Series 1 Meet that is held at The Arnold every February/March time frame in Columbus, Ohio.  Tim was too new and didn't have the qualifying totals to go last year so he's super excited over this opportunity.  His goal is to lift a 175kg total and anything above that is just extra.  We are so enjoying this journey with Tim right now and can't wait to see all that he will do in this sport in the years to come as he grows into a senior weightlifter.  Tim is in such a great place right now and we are in the best place we've ever been as a family.  God is good!  

Last night at Training....

Last night at training Tim did an 81kg Snatch.  That's 3kgs above what he did on Saturday.  He was so excited to nail it.  He is so locked in right now and we couldn't be more excited for him.

Mock Meet at ALWC...

Saturday, the 12th, Tim did a Mock Meet in order to get ready for WSO this Sunday, the 20th.  It's the State Meet for both North and South Carolina.  Tim did a 179kg total and we were thrilled.  Now this weekend he goes to States to repeat what he did at the Mock Meet.  This will set him up to be able to sign up in the first wave for the North American Open Series 1 at the end of February beginning of March 2025.  He's so looking forward to being able to compete in the Meet.  It's one of the biggest Meets of the year outside of Nationals which happens in June in Colorado Springs, CO.   His goal come Nationals is to do a 215kg or better total because that will set him up to be able to represent USA at Pan Ams in November of 2025 in Mexico.  Looking forward to having a spectacular year with our boy.  He has lots of goals for himself that he wants to achieve as you have read but no matter what we are just so very proud of all that he's accomplished/accomplishing since transferring to Olympic Weightlifting.  He is so driven and focused and we couldn't be more proud of the man that he is becoming.  Here's a video of his 78kg Snatch and 101kg PR Clean & Jerk from Saturday's Mock Meet:

Homeschool Bowling Outing...

Friday, the 11th, we went bowling with the high school kids from our homeschool group.  Tim had a blast and got to know some more guys from our homeschool group.

 

Aurora's Thursday Night....

The second time in a year that we've had the pleasure of seeing the Northern Lights and get pictures of them.  The first time they were visible with the naked eye.  We had to use our cameras to take long exposure pictures to see them.  This time we could see the glow in the sky but still need long exposure pictures to see all the differing colors of them.  So so beautiful.  

Gorgeous Sunset (no filter)...

Wednesday the 9th as we were leaving the gym after Tim's training session we saw this beautiful sunset.  It was so breathtaking I couldn't help but take a photo of it.

Tim has done new PR's...

This is an older pic but Tim has done two new PR's.  In the Snatch he's done an 80kg at the gym.  In the Clean & Jerk he's done an 100kg at the gym.  This boy is driven and determined to get at it and hit the goals that he wants to attain in this sport.  So glad that he has such an incredible coach to help him every step of the way.

 

USAW Nationals 2025...

 

Nationals will be in Colorado Springs, CO in June of 2025.  We are so excited to be getting the chance to go there.  Tim and I have never been to Colorado and it will be so much fun for us.  We will get to visit the Olympic Museum while there as well.  That's going to be so much fun to tour.  

My Mom and Me as babies...

My mom and me were about 1 year old in these pictures.  The first one is my mom and the second one is me.  My cousin had these pictures and I'd never seen them before they were texted to me.

 

My Boy Wearing Virus Performance...

Tim loves wearing his new Virus Performance clothes.  We are hoping to be able to order him some more in the near future.  It's his new favorite gear because it's the one thing that fits him the way it should as an Olympic weightlifter.

Preserving Distinctions - Dueteronomy 22:5 (NIV Life App Foot Notes/Version & CSB Version )

Sexual orientation is a hot topic in 2024 and it got even hotter after what happened at the Olympics with the distasteful Lord's supper depiction.  From the 80's to today there has been such a huge shift in us as a people group/nation and not in a good way. 

I came across this verse in the Bible.  You always need to read the verses prior to and after the verse for context but the context was very clear in the verse, before and after as well.  

I love my life application NIV Bible.  It's been one of my faves to study and read from.  The verse is pretty straight forward no matter what version you read it from.  It's a very clear message to the world at large of God's intentions with us as well.  

This was in my life apps footnotes on this particular verse as well:

    "This verse commands men and women not to reverse their sexual role....It's not the clothing style that offends God, but using the style to act out a different sex role.  God had a purpose in making us uniquely male and female."

Further down in verses 13-30 in my footnotes it goes into why God included all these laws about sexual sins:  "Instructions about sexual behavior would have been vital for 3 million people on a 40 year camping trip.  But they would be equally important when they entered the promised land and settled as a nation....sexaul sins have the power to disrupt and destroy the church.  Sins involving sex are not innocent dabblings in forbidden pleasures, as is so often portrayed, but powerful destroyers of relationships.  They confuse and tear down the climate of respect, trust, and credibility so essential for solid marriages and secure children." 

Such great instructions in just those few words.  Instructions to live by and make a life worth living by.  When I look at the world today and the many ways that folks are "identifying" as sexually and I look at this scripture I see how we, as a people group, are getting it so incredibly wrong.  None of what goes on and has become the norm today was ever God's intention for us.  When we read God's Word we see that he had a purpose of procreation in mind with everything that he created because he uniquely created male and female in all that he created so that we could have babies so that we could grow a nation after His own heart and so that we would have plenty of food to replenish our bodies by.  

In another footnote it stated:  "Don't think of God's laws as arbitrary restrictions.  Look for the reasons behind the laws.  They are not made just to teach or restrict, but also to protect."

God's protection over our lives and over our nation is so very important.  Without it the devil runs a muck like what we are seeing all across the world today and especially in our country.  

Just let this sit with you.  Chew on it and process it.  Allow God through His Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct you when it comes to this dicy topic.  

I just want to be clear though that I will always side with God and His Word.  Folks can say or do what they want but His Word is His Word and He's the same yesterday, today and forever.  He doesn't change and I'm sticking with Him. 

Tim's Coach did this👇...

Tim's coach gave him this postcard at training last night.  It's the first coach he's ever had to do something like this for him.  He loves how encouraging the sport of weightlifting is.  He's needed an environment like this all along.  He's definitely motivated by encouragement.  This card made his day/week/month/year!!!  Tim loves this sport so much.  What a huge difference it's made in him in just a year's time.  He's completely changed and a much happier young man.  His dad and I love, love, love seeing him so happy.  

In hindsight his dad and I see how when he got any encouragement whatsoever that he soared in the sport he was doing.  Most times the encouragement came from coaches that weren't his personal coach.  They were coaches at a mixed training session.  We did try however to get his coaches to understand that he needed to be motivated differently but a leopard doesn't change their spots when it comes to how a coach does their coaching.  I'm just glad that Tim made the change he did when he did because it's made a world of difference in him both at home and at training. 

To everything in life there is a season.  What we thought would be a lifetime was only a season for our son in his last sport.  Where he is now is an amazing fit for him and we aren't calling it his lifetime sport because we just don't know what the future holds but he loves this sport way more than he loved the other sport he was doing.  That's huge in his world.  Right now we are enjoying this season that he's in with him.  He takes videos of some of his training and it's the first thing he shares with us when he comes out of the gym after his training session. Unlike his other sport there's not really a spot where we can watch him train.  He's so much more talkative about weightlifting and sharing with us all that he is learning too.  It's made our tight knit family even tighter and we love that.  We love supporting him in all that he does.  He's such a great young man who is looking/sounding like a full grown man daily.  So much changing going on with him.

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.