Candidate Journals

Packing and looking forward to Instructors Camp this weekend. It will be nice to see people we typically only see at Instructors Camp and always some new ones. We will miss you Master Randle, Master Ritchie and others that are regular attendees. On previous black belt cycles I have tried to be caught up enough that not keeping up with requirements would not be a problem. This time has not worked out as smoothly. Poor planning on my part and a few unexpected hiccups as well. 

I was doing some poomsaes last night, taeguk yi chang in particular, and thought back to when I was learning it. I was Master Randle's mentee when she was testing for black belt, probably her first Dan. I remember getting confused easily and she was always so patient. I still do and she still is. That seems so long ago. I'm sure at that time, I never even thought that I would have a black belt too. Thank you ma'am! You rock!

We did pushups several different ways in class tonight, but they all hurt my wrists. I noticed tonight while doing pull-ups, with a band of course, that my wrists don't hurt as when I do pushups, but my elbows are sore. I will try cutting my fingernails shorter and doing some pushups on my fists. That might give my wrists a break once in a while. I need to find the rest of my answers and study up for the written test. It will be here before I am ready. 

When I got home from work today it was still a little light out, so Matthew and I ran a little over a mile. It will be nice when it is still light when we are finished too. 

After helping out with Jr Tigers and family class yesterday, I worked with Daniel again on his self-defense. He is definitely feeling confident with it even though he still mixes them up a little. He enjoys taking me down on #1. We also worked on sparring combinations some. We could definitely work on that some more. I look forward to working with him on his new poomsae. Last night I did push-ups and sit ups with my cousin on speakerphone. That was different. She has done many of the physical requirements with me on previous black belt cycles also. I keep asking Matthew to go running with me and he finally said yes. We went about 2 miles. It has been too long since I last ran and it wasn't pretty, but it was nice that Matthew was encouraging and didn't leave me in the dust like Jeremy has done in...

Got a few things to completion at work today, but forgot about one. I will have to do that first thing tomorrow. Luckily I can do that from home. I took a vacation day tomorrow to hopefully play some catch-up and make some progress on essays. I look forward to a productive day, although it will be tempting to sleep in. Thank you Master Tucker for working on self-defense with me again. It is very helpful practicing with a partner. 

I think we had 23 kids in Jr Tigers class this morning. Some of them are very quiet and others are anything but. It is fun watching their enthusiasm. I worked on yellow belt self-defense after family class again today with one of the students and I can tell the difference since last weekend. He is really getting it and if he doesn't get it quite right the first time, he usually knows what to correct to get it right. Watching the light bulb is pretty cool!  I did have to go in to work today and stayed almost as long as a normal work day, but should not have to go in tomorrow as I thought I might. Still a little time for me to do some of my requirements tonight. 

Today was not a typical day, but I don't have those any more anyway. One nice thing out of the ordinary was celebrating two birthdays at work. I have a few specific things I need to accomplish at work tomorrow. As many times as I hear about work / life balance,  which one usually takes priority. I will be working a lot of this weekend and I knew it was coming. I have been much better prepared for it in the last two years of working on this project. It has been a bumpy conversion and we are trying to work through a big bump right now as well. Anything other than a perfect  outcome is not acceptable. I have my fingers crossed on this one.

I started my day with an unexpected trip to school to drop off a late riser so I arrived at work late for the first of several conference calls. Luckily one was canceled so I was able to accomplish something. Another unexpected thing today was a text from my older son regarding a meeting with a Navy recruiter. We are following that up with a meeting tomorrow afternoon. It would actually be nice to see some promising direction on that front, but did not see that one coming. I worked on requirements after black belt class and then Master Cavazos was kind enough to work with me on double stick 2. Thank you sir! I will get it. A few more requirements before I will call it a day. 

Not much done today other than work. I did complete my work must haves today. Tomorrow is filled with meeting from beginning to end. That is my least favorite kind of work day. They usually seem so long and the end of the day does give the feeling of accomplishment. Kids had no school. Sometimes I think how nice a snow day would be, but days where there is really nothing to do, don't happen anymore and if they did, the day after is when you pay for it. There is always more to do. 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Took the kids ice skating this afternoon. They had fun. Working on requirements throughout the day around laundry and other domestic responsibilities. Still have more to do. Hoping to end this day a little earlier than most. 

Got an early start today, helped with Jr Tigers, family class, took black belt class and then worked with Master Tucker on self-defense. After family class I had fun working with Daniel on his yellow belt self-defense. Hopefully he will be part of my cheering section at testing. I logged completed requirements on the website today and see that it has been about a week since I did that. oops. In black belt class I realized that there are tweaks to poomsaes that I had not seen before, or at least they did not click with me. There were no tricks in the book I read to help me with that. Hopefully we will go over them several times in the next few weeks. It usually takes me a while to absorb. Missed Rochelle and Neelima in class today. 

Finally big announcement made so no longer a big secret. Hopefully that should ease the stress level at work a little bit. Another big stressor is March 1st payroll. It will be nice once that is successfully behind us. I stayed after class tonight and worked on poomsaes on the other mat. It is nice to practice with space and not constantly having to adjust for lack of space. I  worked on some of the higher poomsaes and I am pretty sure there is a change in pyongwon that I have not picked up on yet. I really need to work on balance in that poomsae. 

Had a pretty good day today. Things are moving along at work. I managed to do all my pushups today in sets of 20 between loads of laundry. Can't really let everything hold for the cycle duration. That is up from my standard 10 or 15. It's the little things, right? 

Master Tucker's encouragement and Master Shin's pull-up bar and resistance bands got 2 pull ups after class tonight. Yay! A lot of work to go on those. I guess getting to a lesser band would be progress. I think no band would be a dream, but who knows. Thank you Master Tucker for working with me on self-defense again too. We will both get it after doing it enough. 

I seem to post my journal entries so late that they count towards the next day. Trying to get this one in today. Working in the aftermath of a system conversion that is said to be a success. I wonder what it would take for it not to be considered a success. How many continuing issues and of what magnitude would they need to be to not be considered successful? Maybe as long as we, those who are privileged to have the job of dealing with issues, deal with them so effectively, or as long as we are being creative and resourceful with workarounds, the perception will continue to be that of success. I fail to see the good sense in making a challenging job more manual and more error prone with the same expectations that there won't be any. Only so many people can do that for so long and...

Today was sports training with Jr Tigers and family class then staff forms in the parking lot. Jr Instructors Camp looked like fun. Looking forward to Instructors Camp.

Today we celebrated Jeremy's 18th birthday. Those years have gone by fast. Through the different stages I know I wished that he would walk and then it would be nice when he goes to elementary school we wouldn't have to pay for daycare. He still hasn't caught on to the pick up after himself, but there's hope. There is always an if only... Now he is almost finished high school and I wonder where did the time go. This is my fourth black belt cycle and while I might wish it over at times, there is much to do and learn before I will be ready for testing. I need to take my spare time and use it more wisely. I also need to find more time for family. 

Practicing poomsaes takes more thought than my previous times on a black belt cycle. Almost all of the color belt poomsaes have something new to remember, so it is almost like learning them again. Repetition, repetition, repetition is the key for me. I thought there was something different with pal chang going to the front in the beginning and could not remember what it was. It figures it is similar to the back near the end, but I didn't remember. I think being on the cycle has been good for me because I am practicing poomsaes much more if I were just going to class and that has made the repetition more frequent. Still much to work on and much to learn. 

Finally got outside today and ran the first mile. It was slow, but still running. I will have to work my way back up to more. Downloaded the written test questions and answered about 3/4 of the questions. I will need to do some research on the rest. Put it off longer than I should, but had to take care of some work stuff this weekend and I am expecting a long day tomorrow. This should be an interesting week, although likely a very long one. 

Around 20 Jr Tigers in class this morning. It was a fun red stripe class. It is really nice to see how much improved kids that have been taking classes for a short while are. When you watch them do something like situps that they really struggled with months before and they can now do them without their feet being held and no elbows. It may seem like such a little thing, but to a little kid, that's pretty big. Reviewed a lot of poomsaes in class this morning and worked on some self-defense after class with Master Tucker and Master Natasya. Thank you ma'ams!

Another long day at work today. I missed dinner with the family. Trying to work on higher belt self-defense is more challenging without a partner. I need to get in more practice on poomsaes too. Looking forward to the nice weekend and hoping to get outside some. 

Today would have been nice to get some pushups done at work, but that doesn't work out for me very often. I'm still trying to recover from sparring class and then today's challenge. So glad tomorrow is Friday, but January is practically over and still so much to accomplish. Still more to do today and tomorrow is fast approaching. 

Today at work was a pretty good day although I got spoiled not having to get the kids up for school for 5 days in a row. My nose is still annoying, but nothing like last night. I think pushups are the worst due to the angle of the head. It would be nice if this is short lived. Rest is required. Tomorrow is another day, but I need to stick to the list better. 

I left work a little early to get in my pretest run. I completed that in 40.23 minutes. I have had a bloody nose twice tonight, plenty of sneezes and probably gone through a full box of tissues because my nose is now running like a faucet. Maybe that run wasn't such a good idea today. Thanks to the challenge today I have done some jump rope, pushups and situps, but I sat down to work on an essay and keep reaching for tissues. Not fun and not much of the essay done either. I have obviously not run in quite a while and need to get back into running more, but maybe it needs to be a little warmer for me. 

Logged in completed requirements from last week yesterday. Did not run yet since there was more snow and ice remaining yesterday. I might have to leave work early one day to fit that in. I will have to take my flashcards with me to work and hope I get a chance to review them. 

It was nice to get to sleep in this morning. I spent some time this afternoon working on a work issue that will need some more work on Monday, but I will need some help to solve this one. I did not venture outdoors today, but was hoping the snow / ice would go away so I can do my run tomorrow. It was kind of odd doing the physical part of the pretest alone. The cheering section is not very loud and there is no extra encouragement. I did better than I thought I would. Maybe some day pull-ups. I will work on being more diligent about logging in. 

Today was on the abnormal side. I went to work and saw a few people not have a good day likely because they weren't practicing patience. Very few people were in the office. I only stayed a few hours and then worked the rest from home. Time still gets away from me. I had a good conversation with Pam in that time too. I did some situps and kicks on that call. I look forward to training with her again. I finished reading my book tonight and should be able to take care of that essay this weekend. Looking forward to a good 8 hours of sleep in a row tonight. 

I had a productive day at work today and left a little early to help out with the early testing. A good group of kids. From there I went to the Lake Norman school for sparring class. I doubt sparring will ever be my thing, but so far I have enjoyed Marcus' classes. After class I worked out on the back mat. Thank you Leo for some self-defense and conversation. Also found out that CMS is closed tomorrow and so is my husband's work. My company is always open, so my office rarely closes. I won't know until the morning. I brought work home just in case. The call for freezing rain is the big threat. 

While working on poomsaes tonight after learning of several things that need to be remembered differently last night in class, I had the most difficulty with pal chang. I guess it will take a while to get that again. I am hoping to get to the dojang tomorrow to help with testing. It has been a while since I have done that and it is a great change of pace. A few more things to finish up on before bed. 

Not much requirements today. Barely made it to class tonight, worked with Master Tucker after class on self-defense then went home and got back online for more work. Wasn't planning on working more tonight, but it was necessary. It is my busiest time at work for the next 6 weeks or so. All in preparation for a meeting towards the end of February. I don't know how I will find time for everything. It gets frustrating after a while. 

I sure hope it's not this cold on Saturday. I am amazed at the drastic difference there can be in the temperature from one day to the next. I had another long day at work today. When I left to go home it was dark and cold; very conducive to curling up with a hot drink and a good book. Neither was in the cards for me tonight. I am disappointed in the book I chose. I was and I guess still am hoping for some ideas that I will find helpful. About a third of the way through and I suppose I had different expectations for what the book would be like. It makes it tougher to get through to the end. I really didn't expect all 52 ideas to stick, but I hoped I would find at least one that I could apply by now. Hopefully before the end. 

Helped with Jr tigers this morning. What a big class! I think it was at least 20 kids. Several new ones too. Then helped with family class. I worked with a group on yi chang and had them do it with their eyes closed. They did quite well. You can really tell who knows their stuff when their eyes are closed. It was a really small black belt class so we worked on a lot of stick forms including double stick 1. We worked on some kicking combinations too. The second black belt class had several more people and we worked on poomsaes with switching spots with your partner. I think that is harder than doing poomsaes by yourself. We also worked on a lot of kicks and some self-defense. Great variety Master Knight! I reviewed study guide flashcards today and did several jump rope rounds. I wanted to get out...

Core is a little sore today. Not sure if it is the result of sparring class last night, or crud that is causing me to cough, or some of each. I don't have time for this so will fight it off as much as I can. Another long day at work, but a productive one at work so a good thing. Unfortunately it means less time for requirements. Time to rest.

A little better on requirements today, but still not everything. Today was a day of meetings at work. Unfortunately that kind of day never gives me a good feeling of accomplishment. I am trying to be more organized at work and so far it only lasts for a day or two. Thank you Neelima for posting the pushups video. I have started putting one foot on top of the other and I find it to be better for the core and lower back, but no better for the arms or wrists. I watched a different video that suggests turning your hands slightly in. That does help the wrists a little, but my arms tend to get wider apart with each pushup and that makes it worse after a few. I will probably always struggle with pushups.

I have much to be thankful for, and need to remember that more often. My glass is often half empty rather than half full. It is up to me to fill it up. I enjoyed spending some time with Matthew today and he even offered to attack for self-defense. I will take him up on that as often as he offers. He used to like red belt #1. Now that he is about my size, he doesn't like it as much, but I think he's perfect for me to practice self-defense with. Not to mention it beats the vacuum cleaner. I used to practice self-defense in front of the vacuum cleaner as my pretend partner. It helped me with distance and it doesn't flinch. Thank you Master Tucker for working with me before class. I enjoyed working with Dr Rochelle after class. Not as much requirements done today, but a good...

The weekend went by fast, although no faster than any other weekend. When I left work on Friday I was feeling frustrated because something that should have been simple and straightforward was not. I left with that task unfinished. When I went in this morning and started back on my unfinished task, I was able to complete it pretty quickly. Sometimes getting a fresh perspective is enough to make a difference. I also realized that my extra long days seem to be the norm rather than the exception lately. I need to work more on the balance. I picked a book today so need to find time to read it and practice some of the ideas. I also need to brush up on the study guides

First official day of the Spring 2016 black belt cycle! That in itself is a little overwhelming. There is so much to do and still things to learn and then for the new to not be as if it is new. The time will go by fast and testing will be here before we know it. Enjoyed a great Phillipine Combatives seminar today. 

Really long day at work today. I left frustrated from trying to figure something out. Maybe taking a look with fresh eyes will help. I sure hope so. Looking forward to the sticks class tomorrow. 

Just getting some pushups done during the day means I can work on other things before calling it a day. Thanks again to Master Tucker for working on self-defense with me after class. Still struggling to find a routine. 

I will have to find a way to fit in some pushups during the day. My wrists do not like the attempts to do them all in a short period of time, mostly right before bedtime. I also need to make better use of weekends. Right now I need to make the most of sleep time. To some sleep may be over rated, but I can tell if I don't get enough sleep. Lately it has been most obvious with my eyes. 

Long day at work today. I was not expecting to have to work more after going to class tonight,  but sometimes I don't get the option. Thank you Master Tucker for working on self-defense with me. Thank you Master Evins for the credits for Boot Camp. To my fun sparring partner, thank you too. We will do that again soon. Now it is time for rejuvenation so I can do it again and more tomorrow. 

Work has been really busy lately, so busy that the weekend even included several more hours than I expected. Hopefully this means that next month will be not be as crazy as last year. The next few months will require serious time. management and major multitasking all around success. It would have been nice to come home from work tonight and just go to sleep, but that won't be an option for a while. 

It seems my journals are frequently posted to the day after I really post them. I guess that means I am going to bed too late. Boot Camp this morning was a great way to start the year and it was great to see some people I haven't seen for a long time. Hopefully this year has many great things in store. 

It really is possible to get a lot of requirements done while watching television. I did some work today then decided to work on catching up on The Voice. Maybe by the time the weekend is over I'll know who won. Not looking for a spoiler. We have a long way to go, but we can do it if we persevere. 

I had a very long day today at work. I am tempted to just go to sleep, but there is still much left to be done and tomorrow will be a busy work day as well. Probably not much of a break on that front until March at least. I did a couple of sparring rounds yesterday with fun partner. I look forward to a rematch soon. 

Not feeling 100% today. I need to go to sleep. One of these days will need to be super productive. 

Wow! I need to increase my cardio capacity significantly. I also need to figure out some way to increase my wrist strength without damaging them. My wrists hurt the worst from pushups. Thank you to Instructor Weeks for working with me tonight on color belt self-defense and to Master Cavazos for working with me on Wang ho 5. I will get that eventually. Now time to rest up for work tomorrow. 

There is so much to be thankful for and the holidays bring that right to the forefront. The holidays give us opportunities to take a break from work and spend time with family. 

Had a very productive day at work today even though I overslept and got in a little late. Went out Christmas shopping which was not very productive. Feeling tired and looking forward to having my dryer working again. I think it's bedtime. Tomorrow is another day. I hope it's a good one. 

Not where I want to be. Last night I spent some time checking out some books I downloaded previously on my Kindle that seemed like they might be interesting for my book essay, but nothing really jumped out at me. I guess I’ll keep looking. I figured out how to do journal entries using my phone without typing it directly into the journal entry place. I have had a few entries not save and had to recreate them. I type them into my memo app and then just copy it into the journal. That way I can save it to read later also. I have also gotten my tracking up to date, so will update that and journal frequently. My legs are starting to feel better now, so time to get back into requirements. I was disappointed that class was cancelled tonight. I am really looking forward to training at the...

12 / 12Journal Today was a good day. Started out helping out with Jr tigers and the kids were really loud. Next I helped with family class and that made me realize how difficult it is for me to watch someone doing a poomsae and know which leg should kick, or which hand should punch. I also easily get confused when I try to pick up in the middle of a poomsae. Black Belt class was next and my legs are sore, but I think my side kicks have improved. After class was the precycle meeting and I have got to get in a routine to get everything done. I am having a hard time with that this cycle for some reason.  Maybe I've hit the wall.  It was so nice outside I thought I'd go for a run. It was a short one, but it was really nice outside. I'll have to...

12/13 Journal Today was not a productive day where requirements are considered, but was a good day. I spent a good chunk of the day at Charlotte Motor Speedway with my husband waiting to do the Nascar Driving Experience. It was a beautiful day and the Panthers had an awesome game too! Finishing off my day with icy hot on my legs. I will do more tomorrow. 

Last time I tried to journal from my phone, it did not work, so I will go back to creating my entry in Word and then pasting it to the journal entry so as not to require entering it in multiple times.  Trying to remember all the recent changes to poomsaes is tricky. I am really looking forward to the new dojang being ready to train in. While the Corvian School has been nice, it’s not like home. I’m also really looking forward to the completion of the conversion at work. So much of the process has been really frustrating at times, I just hope the actual cutover is not as frustrating.

I didn’t realize how long it has been since I logged in my requirements, but I am caught up now to what I have actually done. I will do better with that. I used to be on my laptop every day and now it might be once a week. I don’t like to get behind, but it looks like I am there and need to get working on getting back on track. I guess I am not feeling the urgency, but time is going by so fast. Hopefully I will take advantage of an extra day off from work and be productive. I need to make a list of things that I need to learn or work on to get it right, so I can work on these things with my mentor before something new comes along to add to the list. I have enjoyed tweaking the poomsaes for the most...

It seems like my trip to the beach was so long ago even though it was just last weekend. The weather was ideal and we had fun just hanging out on the beach. Matthew has wanted to ride in a helicopter, so we took a short tour up the coast too. That was fun! After a busy half week at work, Saturday started with Junior Tigers, Family class, and then Sparring seminar with Master Hama, Grandmaster Caan and Master Abdul. A lot of students came to spar and it was a lot of fun. It was great to watch the younger kids spar, get some coaching and then actually react appropriately to the coaching. After sparring, Master Evins gave me my 2nd Dan Kukkiwon certificate. How cool is that!This afternoon I went for about a 9 mile bike ride with Bob and Matthew to the greenway then to the elementary school...

Started the day with self defense for a change. Having a tough time getting focused on requirements as testing seems so far off. Pushups don't seem to be getting any easier. One thing that I didn't get behind on during my vacation is miles. It was nice going out on the deck to walk or run in the early morning and even later at night. It was very peaceful even when it was windy. I need to work into a routine. I also need to get more sleep, so I'll work on that now. Good night!

Last night was my first class back after being on vacation. My boys and I enjoyed cruising the Caribbean with family. I got up early and walked and or ran several miles several days. I also found time for some quiet meditation. I have never taken such a long vacation and it was refreshing and really nice to be totally disconnected for a while, even with the short break in Puerto Rico. I noticed emailed from Master Chelley regarding credits for Kukkiwon Cup and the King Tiger 5K, so those along with my other accomplishments since I last logged in have been logged in today. Thank you Master Evins for the credits! I’ll have to be more diligent about logging in and journaling.When I came back home I repacked my suitcase to head to Chicago for work. This was my first visit to Chicago so I took the train downtown after...

Not too successful in getting into a routine yet. Tried journaling using my Kindle last night and the font is too small for me to see, so that won’t work. I need to make a special point to get onto my laptop to journal more regularly. I have been using a memo app to keep track of the requirements as I do them since I keep my phone close usually. Pushups are getting a little better. Fifteen at a time beats ten. I need to make more use of weekends to knock things out, but haven’t brought myself to do that yet either. We have a make your own 4 week challenge that I am doing with Instructor Tucker and one week is 125 pushups, one week is 125 sit-ups, one week is 15 burpees, and the other week is 5 jump rope rounds. Mix and match the days is allowed...

Wow! What an experience participating in the Kukkiwon Cup this weekend! It was a great opportunity to see some friends we don’t see often and meet some new people. Once my event was over, I even had a chance to check out some of the Korean Cultural Expo exhibits and booths. The demo teams were fun to watch too! What a lot of work must go into those performances! In the afternoon, I helped with leading groups to their sparring ring and offered some support to a few who didn’t appear to have a coach during their match. That was certainly outside my comfort zone, but a little more exciting pulling for those competitors. It’s much easier to see things that could be done differently while not in the ring. While the day wasn’t nearly as long as those of Instructors Camp, I slept quite well last night. Thanks Master Randle,...

I finally logged in the small amount of requirements I had done since I started and see what a small dent in the big numbers it has made. I keep telling myself that I need to get into a routine of doing regular requirements, but the tunnel seems long. I'm sure it will become short much faster than I would like. In addition to all the requirements, there is always so much to learn. I guess for a little while I should concentrate on my form for Kukkiwon Cup and then worry about learning new things. As high as the numbers look now, I am determined to get a big chunk completed before the end of the year, so when work gets to be much more demanding I don't have to choose. Definitely easier said than done.

Here it is already May and my next black belt cycle is less than a year away. It is time to get back into the swing of regular requirements. Easier said than done, but it has to be done. This morning I helped with Jr. Tigers and then Family class. Then was black belt class taught by Master Randle and I went home sweaty. We worked on a variety of poomsaes, kicks and self-defenses. My falls need work! What a beautiful spring day to be outside!

As the week of our Black Belt test is finally here, I think about how much I have learned, but I wish I felt more confident with hapkido. It's not even the hapkido really, it's the memory. I know...repetition, repetition, repetition, but time is running out for repetition. I was able to take my last required sparring class today after Black Belt class and finished up one of my last essays today too, so that is a big relief. Just one more to complete! A big THANK YOU to Instructor Randle, Instructor Tucker, Instructor Lloyd and Master Cavazos who have been extremely encouraging this whole cycle! And Camille too! I couldn't have gotten this far without out each of you. At what point do we say that we've practiced and practiced and studied and studied, that we need to trust ourselves to perform our best? Do we ever get to that point? It would be nice to...

Today was Camille's birthday and we had our tenth mentor/mentee session. We worked on hapkido, hapkido and more hapkido. I have really had fun working with Camille and she has really impressed me with how quickly she picks up new things. Oh to be young again! Before Black Belt class we sang Happy Birthday because she wasn't staying for class. Master Knight taught a really good Black Belt class and challenged us to think outside the box. Thank you sir! I really enjoyed it. Then was PMAA. I wish I could pick things up as fast as Camille!

I just have a few more things to complete. I don't know how I will get my one last sparring class in. Everything else should be completed shortly. I have been working on hapkido with my mentor, but still can't remember as many as I need to know. Getting better though.

Wow! It is amazing what we can do when we put our minds to it. This ten weeks has gone by really fast and I know we have done a lot, but still have much to learn.

I did plan to do more today, but homework took the front seat. Tomorrow will be better since no school on Saturday. I will work on the remainder of my physical requirements. I need to see zero left in more spots. It is time! We worked on quite a bit of basic kicking in Black Belt class tonight. Need to work on being more precise. Tomorrow is fast approaching and so is testing!

Not the best day. I let my temper get the best of me where it should not have. Need to focus on something else not lose it. On the requirements side of things, numbers are going down. I still need lots of practice on hapkido.

I am so close to completing my physical requirements that I can see the end and it almost feels like there is a weight lifted off one of my shoulders. It will be nice to have a little time to work on my new skill some more. New things are usually more fun once you get the hang of it and it will take a long time to feel any level of comfort. It definitely still feels awkward and like tae kwon to, there will likely always be more to learn, at least for me. Such is life...

Didn't do as much as I wanted to do today, but did finish another essay. Getting out the icy hot tonight though, so hopefully I won't feel as sore tomorrow, but usually day two is worse. Oh well! Finish strong!

Today was a good day! I started with a walk around the neighborhood before helping with Little Tigers and then went for a walk with Inst. Randle before Black Belt class. Thank you ma'am! Black Belt class was good focus on self defense. Then sparring class was a small class. After I got something to eat, I went for another walk around my neighborhood and found a dog just wandering around, so I took him home. It was a nice thing to do and got me some extra distance, so was a win-win. Jeremy and I walked a long way to DQ and then we split so he went home and I walked through a different neighborhood. I couldn't pass up the perfect temperature, so went for another walk after dinner too. Finished up most of the daily requirements. I think some essays will get attention tomorrow after I get up late for a change. 

Managing time is so important and so hard to do sometimes. Still have a little catching up to do. Time is running out and next week looks like a wet week. I hope I can get enough miles in without having to dodge raindrops. To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. - Anatole France

It sure makes a big difference getting up even 15 minutes earlier. I've been working on my creative poomsae and there's one spot that needs some help, but I think other than that, it is what it is unless I find some awesome music. That gives me a couple of weeks to feel comfortable with it. I need to make some progress on the last of my essays and be done with them. It will be good to have them behind me, but I'll need to find some time to make that happen. It is so nice to see numbers decrease and gives a boost of encouragement no matter how small the change. It's also nice to look back at older journal entries and see how far we've all come. Now it's time for rest to begin it all again tomorrow.

What a beautiful day today turned into! I got in a few couple of miles at work with a friend and then some more after work with my husband. Tis the season for my allergies to be acting up though, so hopefully I can fight them. Sit-ups are challenging me right now, so I will need to focus on other things and catch them up later when I'm not so sore. After class today, Inst. Tucker and Inst. Torres gave me some ideas for my creative poomsae to help it flow better. I really appreciate the feedback. Thank you both! I practiced that several times and can almost get through without having to check the paper. Now I need to make it mine, make it strong and maybe find some music too. Tomorrow will be a better day for requirements.

I'm really struggling right now. I guess this is what it's all about, right?. Dig down deep and find the strength to get it all done. It is so worth it, but at times hard to find the drive. 

Yesterday was a tough day, but it was such a nice afternoon that I went for a walk to the grocery store and stopped at DQ on the way home. Push ups is one requirement that I am determined not to get behind on and yesterday I just did not have it in me to reach my set goal. My whole body is tired and needs to rest, but no rest for the weary until the end, or at least until requirements are complete. Today was another beautiful day, but I didn't have much unspoken for time. I did get in a good walk and worked on poomsaes some. It takes me a long time to remember a new poomsae or self defense, so I'm struggling with some of those that I am just learning. We are into week nine and the other weeks went by so fast.

Today did not get off to the most productive start. I was not ready to face the day, so I'm paying for it now. Just finished practicing self defense with the help of my husband. That was really nice of him to help and it is a little closer to the real thing when he doesn't know what's coming. Sure makes it easier to practice hapkido with someone else too. I think tomorrow is going to be a light day to prepare for Saturday. I don't have the confidence going into this one that I did on the others. Que sera, sera...

Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today. That wise saying comes from Benjamin Franklin. We are done with many todays and the tomorrows are getting to be fewer and fewer. This weekend is our physical and written test. I feel so unprepared but will have to do my best. I did finish one more of my essays and several requirements tonight, so not completely unproductive, but needs to be more so. Thank you to Inst. Torres for working with me on Wang Ho forms after class last night. Very helpful and much appreciated!   

Our Black Belt Cycle Community Service project was to prepare and serve the people at the Salvation Army Center for Hope. I used to drive by Center for Hope almost daily and never took the time to figure out a way to help. Today I was able to come early enough to help prepare the meal that we would serve. That was an experience in itself. I have never helped prepare a meal for so many people. I cut tomatoes, helped prepare salads, cut trays of brownies and put them on individual plates and helped wash dishes. The meal looked and smelled really good, just like a home cooked meal, not like typical cafeteria food. The really rewarding part was serving the people the meal. Most of them seemed to be really appreciative. It is sad to see so many people that do not have a home to go to each day,...

What a weekend at Instructor's Camp! Thanks to all the Masters and other Instructors for sharing their knowledge with us! It was so nice to see and train with so many others in the King Tiger family! Thanks for the ride and the friendship Inst. Randle. Always a pleasure!  I really slacked on physical requirements due to Instructor's Camp, but did get some done. Time to get back into the routine and also need to study for the written test! Less than one week for that.

Long day today. Got up and did several poomsaes and some pushups and sit-ups before work. Didn't get out of work until well after 6, so didn't get home in time to take Tae Kwon Do Plus tonight, so went to the dojang and worked on staff forms before Black Belt class. Took PMAA class and learned something totally new to me. Waiting for laundry to finish so I can go to bed. Eyes are really tired and requirements aren't complete for today, but sleep is more pressing at the moment. Looking forward to Instructor's Camp!

I wrote a journal twice yesterday and it wouldn't save, so decided it wasn't meant to be. I really enjoyed Black Belt class on Tuesday and had a good mentor session on Tuesday as well. I was looking forward to working with my mentee today, but she's not feeling well, so that will have to wait. I hope you feel better Camille! I slept in this morning and did no requirements before work. I felt guilty for not getting up and probably didn't get any quality sleep either, but myself self discipline was not getting me out of bed. Work was busy, but I did go to lunch with a friend that I don't get to see very often, so it was nice and I got a salad that I was looking forward to, so that was nice too. Traffic didn't cooperate, so I was a little late to help with class,...

Today was really busy, but not necessarily with what I had planned. Ended up bringing home work, so didn't get as much time to work on requirements as I would have liked. Need to remember that sleep is important too. Too many late nights is not a good thing.

Had several things I wanted to accomplish today and only some of them actually got done. I did make progress on a few essays, but not quite finished with those yet. I did my empathy training today, so several requirements were more challenging than usual. Thanks to Inst. Auerbach's class yesterday, poomsaes were not too bad. I must admit to not even trying one armed pushups or pull-ups. I did a pretty good job tying my shoes with one hand, but since I was going out for a walk, I asked Matthew to redo them for me. I thought I would have time for some meditation, but the day ran away from me. My knee was bothering me from running yesterday, so my miles were walking today, but what a beautiful day it was. Such a pleasure! 

What a day! I got up a little earlier than I usually do on Saturday and got some requirements done before helping with Little Tigers. We have a new student who seems very excited to be in class. I hope that continues. It is very refreshing from the ones who need to be encouraged to come on the mat and participate. We had a good class and the kids seemed to be a little more focused today. Inst. Randle worked and I worked on staff forms instead of going for our usual between classes walk since it was raining. Then Inst. Tucker came and mentored me on hapkido. I need a lot of work on that. Thank you ma'am for your patience! For Black Belt class, Mr. Auerbach worked with us on empathy training. I was able to tie my belt much better this time than the last time he taught empathy training....

Today was another busy day at work. Need to complete several things and move on. I need to get up just a little earlier, but most days it is hard to get out of bed. I do feel better when I have time to get even a few minutes of meditation in the morning. Hope to get a few more essays done this weekend and some running too.

Had a very busy day at work today. Got some things done before work, went to help with Jr tigers and then worked with my mentee. It amazes me how quickly a lot of kids pick up on things so fast. I need to go over everything several times before I can even practice on my own or remember well enough to make notes to help me practice on my own. It's very nice to have the videos to be able to check when I am second guessing myself. Did many requirements to try to catch up from yesterday. Worked on my new skill some tonight too.

I find myself needing a little extra motivation. I should probably get busy on my motivating a beginning student essay and maybe find something I can use for myself. I still have several essays to write, books to read, requirements to get done, times to drop and time keeps going by. You may delay, but time will not, said wise Benjamin Franklin. At times it seems as though the stars are not lining up in my favor. That has to change at some point, right?

I did most of my requirements before 2 today and worked on two of my essays too. It was cold outside and not conducive to many miles, but I went for a quick walk and then went to the YMCA and ran/walked on the treadmill and the track later in the afternoon. I don't like the treadmill. I still don't know how I'm going to get down to the 24 minutes. Not feeling too confident about the upcoming physical test yet. I expect I will be feeling the effects of yesterday's sparring more tomorrow than today. Still need to get some meditation in before I go to bed tonight.

What a day! From little tigers, to walking with Inst. Randle while it was snowing, to black belt class, to Master Cann's sparring seminar, I came home and did pushups and sit-ups, but not much else. I'm really glad Inst. Randle decided to come to the sparring seminar. We missed you Inst. Lloyd. I feel my muscles tightening up. I could probably sleep really late tomorrow, but probably won't. Too much to do.

Not feeling motivated today. Did some, but not all. Tomorrow's full day will take a lot of energy too, but should be fun. We are at the half way mark of ten weeks and most requirements are at or above goal. Still a few need extra attention. They will get it eventually, maybe soon, but time is going by so fast.

Thursday is my long day. I didn't get up too early this morning, but still got some requirements in. Went right from work to Tae Kwon Do Plus, to Black Belt class, to PMAA. I've done as much as I'm going to do today, so back at it tomorrow. It is awesome watching numbers go down. Looking forward to Master Cann's sparring workout on Saturday.

Did not get as much done today as I would have liked, but my body is telling me it needs to rest. I'm going to listen for a change. Tomorrow is another day, but the remaining tomorrows are limited, so they need to be used wisely.

So far this has been the best Black Belt cycle for me. I seem to be working hard at requirements, but how could I not. The time in the day is limited, but getting up but a little earlier to complete some requirements has made such a big difference in how enormous the requirements seem to me. While at this point, I'd likely fail my physical test, I do feel stronger in some ways. I have had more help and encouragement from my family this time rather than the constant reminder that I'm never home. I can't do the run in the allotted time yet, but my husband has been working on that and can do it now. My cousin does the pushups and sit ups with her 2 year old son and runs with and without him. We email back and forth to keep each other accountable. I was able...

Today it was really hard to get up and get motivated. I was so tired that I slept through my alarm. All I did before work was eight pull ups. That sure made for a long evening. I got help with self defense which was nice. I've gotten encouragement on the running and friendly competition on the pull ups, so that helps to make it more fun.

I had a hard time getting started today. Didn't really feel like doing much, but I did a little bit all day long. Figured out who to do one of my essays on, so now I just have to do get that done. I looked up answers to the test questions and found most of them. At least that was productive. Need to do some digging for the rest and then study the answers too.

Four weeks have come and gone. I still have some thing that I need to learn, essays to write, studying to do, and of course plenty of requirements left, but I'm feeling good about my progress so far. I'm having a time trying to figure out a book to read that interests me. I have started several and they just don't seem like what I'm looking for. I need to make more time for my new skill too.

Took my first Tae Kwon Do Plus class today, then Black Belt Class, then PMAA. I'm thirsty after all that. Tired too. I think it's time to rest before getting up to do it again tomorrow. It will be nice when the weather is a little more consistently nice to be able to workout outside.

Today was a good day. I completed a good chunk of requirements this morning before going to work, I felt like I accomplished something at work, helped with Jr. Tigers, worked with my mentee, then came home and worked on more requirements. Maybe I can get in some quiet time too.

Had a really nice visit with my parents, but they left to go home this morning, so back to requirements. I even slacked off on the getting up early that was working so well for me. I need to get back into that. It was nice to have most of my pushups for today done before I went to work. Some of the areas where I had built up a little cushion have gone down, but time to build that back up. I don't like to be exactly on target. If I have a little cushion, I don't feel so guilty about taking it easy. It would be nice to have a big enough cushion by Instructors Camp to not feel guilty about not completing all requirements those days. Surely they will be full enough. I'm going to work on that cushion more.