Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Both want so bad to roam the halls with their friends, to get all “snazzy” for the prom, to have that one last “crack” of the bat on the diamond, and, of course, take that walk across the stage to grab that high school diploma.

All of that remains up in the air at this time for Senior siblings Gabby Tims and Jackson Tims as they patiently await what is going to happen during the COVID-19 pandemic that has slowed schools down, like the rest of the country.

“It’s been so tough, but I’ve been doing my best to stay busy,” said Gabby. “I’m working hard to keep up with my schoolwork and helping Mom around the house and watching a whole bunch of shows on Netflix.”

Jackson has stayed busy as well, helping his big brother Josh Tims along with friends in helping people out.

“We’ve stayed busy working every day and helping people,” said Jackson, who is 10 months older than Gabby. “We’ve done everything from carpentry work to yard work. Anything we can do to help people out is great and you feel so rewarded knowing that you can put smiles on people’s faces.”

Gabby and Jackson are both so well thought of among their 2020 classmates, whether it has been in the classroom or on the playing fields as parents Olivia and Pa-ti Revis have definitely encouraged the two to shine over the years.

Gabby has been a standout volleyball, basketball and softball standout for the West Orange-Stark Lady Mustangs while Jackson has starred in football and baseball for the Bridge City Cardinals.

Both are definitely missing their friends and teachers.

“I miss going to school during the week and miss my friends so much and just walking down the hallways and hugging and greeting everyone,” said Gabby.

“It’s so tough,” echoed Jackson. “You go each Monday through Friday and seeing everyone to now not hardly seeing anyone at all. You miss your friends and the great relationships with the teachers and you even miss the classrooms.”

Both of them, however, keep up with what all of their friends are doing.

“I love keeping up with my friends and we’re all trying to stay busy in our own ways,” said Gabby. “We’re constantly in a group chat and trying to keep everyone upbeat.”

“All of my friends, we all stay in touch,” said Jackson. “We are constantly in group messages and are always on Facetime, every single day. We are always trying to keep everyone’s spirits up.”

School across the area are not set to return until at least May 4 and possibly beyond as everyone continues to try and stay safe from this dreaded virus. So that could possibly mean no proms or graduation ceremonies.

“It just makes me so sad, especially with all of this happening during my senior year,” said Gabby. “To possibly lose lifetime experiences, it’s just very tough to handle. I was having my prom dress made when all of this was starting to happen and it has been so tough. All you can do is hold on to hope and pray that it all gets better.”

“When you think about it all, it does break your heart because you’ve been working so hard for 12 years to reach this point with all of your friends and then you start to realize that it may not happen,” said Jackson. “I want to go to my prom, I want to walk across that stage to get my diploma, but most of all, I want to be back on the baseball field playing with my ‘boys’, that would be the best thing ever.”

Both plan to hone their talents at the collegiate level with Gabby signing to play with Lamar-Port Arthur in softball while Jackson signed to play football for East Texas Baptist University.

Jackson is part of a Bridge City baseball team that is currently undefeated (15-0-1) and is currently ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 4A that features 11 seniors for longtime coach Chad Landry.

“Gosh, I’m missing it so much, mainly because we know we have something special,” said Jackson. “Everything was falling into place and we were playing so well together. We really thought we had a chance to make a run at state and hopefully we still do. We have a big senior group, one that has worked together so hard the last four years to get where we’re at now. We’re doing our best to stay in shape and we continue to work out on our own, hoping and praying that we get another shot at it.”

Gabby was part of a nice run by the Lady Mustangs in basketball, as they went three rounds deep. After that, she turned to her love of softball before the UIL suspended play.

“Basketball was so fun and that will be a memory that will live in my heart forever because no one really gave us a chance, but we believed in ourselves and look what happened,” said Gabby. “I’m missing softball so much because I was really starting to show my true potential before I start playing at the college level.”

However, right now they are both so eager to represent their high school a little while longer and cherish their relationships with all of their friends some more before entering the collegiate fray.

“I’m ready to experience college life and meet new people and I will be close enough to home to still be with all my friends,” said Gabby. “But most of all, I want to finish my senior year of high school with all of my friends and family, that would be awesome and I’m definitely hoping for it.”

“I’m excited about going to East Texas Baptist and meeting new friends and my future football teammates and concentrating on schoolwork,” said Jackson. “It’s four hours away, which is going to be a little different. I just want to be able to spend more time with the kids and friends I grew up with though. Those are the type of friends that will last me for a lifetime.”

For Mom Olivia it’s been a tough ordeal for her and Pa-ti. Olivia has always bounced around from park to park cheering on the kids and Pa-ti has been the one racing, many times on the same nights, from park to park, shooting photos.

For many senior parents, it is a tough experience, but for the Revis’ it has been a “double-whammy.”

“So many emotions run through me every day, that’s for sure,” said Olivia Revis. “To not see your kids possibly reach milestones that they have tried to accomplish over all of these years, it’s tough, very tough. Never in a million years would I have dreamed this could be how their senior year could end and I feel for them so much that it hurts. We all do our part to keep everyone’s spirits up. Jackson and Gabby, they both do so well helping me keep it together.”

Gabby summed the whole ordeal well.

“Everything can be taken away from you so quickly and I think people should be taking this virus more seriously,” said Gabby. “Everyone needs to just stay at home as much as possible and do everything as safe as they possibly can. We need to pray for the ones that have it and continue to pray no one else gets it.”

Good advice for all of us from a high school senior that has a bright future ahead.