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Carl Suplee

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Member since: Tuesday, 26 December 2017
Last Visit: Sunday, 24 March 2024
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Candidate Journals

King Tiger Tae Kwon Do Black Belt candidates blog daily about their journey: their thoughts and feelings, their struggles and successes; their pain and their encouragement. Follow along on their journey; words of encouragement are always welcome!

3/20/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Well... I finished all my requirements today. Although Nate and I are only auditing, I feel like this cycle has been a great way to get back into the swing of things. Now, I need to maintain until the next cycle where we test. I wish everyone luck on Friday and Saturday. Breathe, Relax, Enjoy the moment, and just show what you worked so hard to do. It is an incredible experience. Take care. 

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3/17/2024

Hi King Tiger Family, Today was a typically Sunday with church. Nate and I worked hard on some catch-up of requirements to make sure we are good this week. Only have 1 mentee and 1 mentor session left that we will complete this week and almost done all the physical items. Although we are auditing, we are feeling really good on our stuff. Only need help on double stick form 2. Getting ready for the test. Take care.

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3/12/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. I hope you are all well and getting ready for testing. Final weeks to get ready. We are moving through the remaining requirements and practicing some of our skills. Nate and I are only on auditing but we both agreed to try to get as ready as possible like we are testing. Then it will keep us ready for next cycle for our actual testing. We are perfecting our 3rd Dan items. Getting there. I hope everyone has a great night and great week. Take care.

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3/11/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Interesting day. We are having some foundation work done today at our house and as they were digging they hit the power line even though they where marked by power company. They were marked wrong, so that was fun. But the power company came right out and fixed it. All good now. Then they found a bunch of concrete that shouldn't be there which is causing a problem, so probably more work. Otherwise a good day. Nate and I went to LKN King Tiger and got a bunch of requirements done, then came home, ate and finished a few remaining items. Now I am writing this. Ready to go to bed soon. Have a great night. Take care.  

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3/10/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Today was a good day. Went to church and really enjoyed the service. God wants us to worship is so many different ways. I will make it simple -- spend time with him in prayer, reading scriptures, and just being kind and show love to everyone... that is right, even the people that we dislike. It is easy to love someone we like, but that is not his way. Nate and I did run on the Greenway. It was a good run. Then requirements. Had some catching up to do. Not done, but got a bunch finished. Had some great meals that my wife cooked us. Fantastic food. I am so very grateful. I just got back walking the dogs and writing this now. Take care. 

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3/9/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. This morning we went to Black Belt class and got to work on some 3rd Dan Self Defense and Specials. It was great as Nate and I are just starting to learn it and great we got to work with the Masters on it. Then we helped with the next class. I am learning that I truly enjoy instructing and missed it. I like showing the kids the practical side of what they are learning. I know that not everyone likes that but I have found it helps we remember things when I understand "the why"... I think something that is lost with many people (including myself sometimes) is knowing your distance. How far do I need to be to kick or punch someone. We were working on that today. Then we helped with the Bags of Hope service project and got to help put together all...

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3/8/2024 (Keep Up The PACE)

Hello King Tiger Family. I hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for the Physical and Written tests.  Although I am on auditing cycle, I am praying and supporting all our testers for tomorrow. Please get rest and get yourself in the right mental state. Tomorrow will be challenging but not something you cannot get through. Do your best and if you have been focusing the prior weeks on getting better at the Physical exercises and taking the time to study for the Written test, then this is your moment to shine. Show off what you can do. Push yourself just a little further than you might have in the past. The extra push up or sit up, the extra few seconds off your mile run -- all show progress and shows your willingness to give it your all.  A friend of mine provided me this statement... "Keep Up The...

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3/6/2024

Hello King Tiger Family. It is Wednesday. It was a good day, but a little frustrating work wise, but nothing I cannot overcome. I just got home. My incredible wife had a great meal ready and we ate. It was yummy. I am just chilling a little and then my goal is to hit a few requirements. Then I hope for an early bed. We will see. Have a great evening and day tomorrow. Take care. 

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3/5/2024

Hello King Tiger Family. I hope everyone is doing well today. Unfortunately, Nate is not feeling well. We think he has a stomach bug. He did not have school today so that sort of worked out except he really did not enjoy the day at all. He is resting. I did go to work as my wife stayed home with him. Work was work, but got to leave at a decent hour and got some requirements done. I went for a run as well. Weather is perfect for running. Not looking forward to running in the summer for our testing cycle (as this is our auditing cycle). I am getting hungry so finish a few things around the house and then food. Have a great night. Take care. 

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3/4/2024

Hi King Tiger Family, I hope all is well. Not a terrible day. Lots of things at work happening but all good. Helped with a class at TKD and got a mentor session with Marcus where we learned Staff Form 5 which was not bad. Did some more requirements and ate dinner. Now, ready for the next day. Have a great night. Take care. 

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3/3/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Yesterday was Instructor's Camp in Greenville NC at Grandmaster Lee's school. It was an incredible experience and I was so happy we went. Nate and I both agreed it was one of the best Instructor's camp we have attended. There was so much great new knowledge gained yesterday. Great day. I am so very grateful for all the people who made it happen. Today was also very good. Church was also great. A tremendous message from our Pastor. Then onto lunch, requirements, and some house stuff. Getting ready for tomorrow. Have a great evening. Take care. 

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3/1/2024

Hello King Tiger Family, It is Friday!!! I got up as normal. Normal day. Working from home today. Got a run in during lunch, and did some requirements this morning. Looking forward to Black Belt Class tonight, and then Instructors Camp tomorrow. I am excited. It will be a long day but worth it. Looking forward to seeing everyone there. Take care.  

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2/28/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. It is Wednesday night and all is well!!! Pretty good day at work, normal crazy farm, but not terrible. I came home, ran between the rain drops :-) and did some requirements. I did eat in there somewhere and now I am writing this. Plan now is to finish a few things around the house and walk the dogs. Try to get the bed at a decent hour, but that is what I say every night. Have a great one. Take care.

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2/27/2024

Hello King Tiger Family. It was a pretty good day. Very busy at work. Pretty much back to back meetings and I think tomorrow will be similar. I have a few key things to work on this week, but all good. I got home a little later than expected, so I did not run. I will have to do extra the rest of the week. Tuesdays are usually a good run day for me. I did do other requirements with Nate, and now onto getting ready for bed. I already walked our dogs. We have two pups... Jax (~100 lb German Shepherd) and Koda (~60 lbs Beagle/Pitt mix). Both are good dogs and they get along pretty well. Well onto doing some stretching and heading to bed. Take care.  

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2/26/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Monday was pretty good. Not a bad day at work. Productive and though provoking. I got home. Picked up dogs from daycare, and then Nate and I went to class to help instruct. Nate went to work out and I did some requirements. Just finished and getting ready to eat something and prep food for my wife and Nate when the get home. Then probably some more requirements, walk dogs, and get ready for bed. We will see. Have a great night. Take care.

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2/25/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Went to church this morning. It is important for us to understand that God wants us to bring things to him and his love is so great that we cannot understand it. It was a good way to start the day. I did a bunch of things around the house. I have requirements to do and I need to get to it tonight. Have a great night. Take care.

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2/23/2024

Hello King Tiger Family. Today was not a fun day at work, but it is now over. Nate and I did go for a run which was good. Then Black Belt Class where we worked on some self defenses. It was a great class, then a good mentor session. Then we came home, finished some requirements and ate dinner. Now we are starting to wind down. I am ready for bed. Have a great night. Take care. 

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2/21/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Still in Tampa. Heading back tomorrow. It was a late work night so I did not get a chance to run tonight. I will have to make it up at some point. I did get some requirements done at the hotel, so that is good. Tomorrow is another day and I will keep at it. I hope you all have a great evening and a great day tomorrow. Take care. 

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2/20/2024

Hello King Tiger Family. I am in Tampa FL today for work. Visited our office down here and got a chance to spend some time with fellow team mates. Good day. Weather was good. I stayed a little late at work trying to finish some things. Then I went to hotel, got settled, and went for a run. Then I did some requirements. I grabbed some food and then finished some more requirements. Now I am going to get ready for bed. Have a great evening and day tomorrow. Take care. 

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2/19/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Happy President's Day!!! I know that the origin of President's days was actually to celebrate the accomplishments of George Washington. Crazy that it has been around so long. There are so many figures at varying levels in government that have made dramatic differences in the shape of this country. I say we use this day to remember all those who have served at different levels in government to help drive this country. Although the President's role is extremely important and should be recognized, there are so many nameless officials and staff members that help run this country that is truly takes a "village" to make things happen. I appreciate everyone that works so diligently for our freedom and rights. This is truly the most incredible country to live in. I am not saying we don't have our problems, but I am proud to be an American. I hope...

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2/18/2024

Hello King Tiger Family. It was a good day today. Started the day with Church. Then had a bunch of things to do around the house, including requirements for TKD. Got almost everything done I was hoping to do today. Still feel like the day went real quick. Now I am sitting and writing this. I still need to figure out the coming weeks to make sure we are good on all our classes and requirements. I need to work on another essay. Maybe this coming weekend. Take care.

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2/14/2024

Hi King Tiger Family, Happy Valentine's Day. Pretty good day. Got up, did normal routine and went to work. Work was normal and productive, however dealing with some performance issues with people. Always interesting. I did go to church for Men's Bible Study. Great message on making time for scripture each day. I can usually make time at time, but mornings is sometimes difficult if there are extra things to do, but I need to work to make the time. I got home, took care of somethings and now writing this. I need to do some requirements but not sure I am going to get to them. We will see. I will get it done. Take care. 

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2/12/2024

HI King Tiger Family. I hope you are well tonight. Nate and I did not have a chance to get to class tonight. We are having painting done in the house and we had to do some other things during the same time. However, we got a bunch of requirements done and now I am writing this. Looking forward to tomorrow. Have a great night. Take care.

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2/11/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. I hope everyone is doing well. We are at the mid point... and making great progress. This is where we should be starting to refine your black belt level skills and use your mentor sessions to ask questions. It is was a great Sunday. Got up like normal, went to church, family had lunch, and then some requirements. We also have some painters coming tomorrow to paint our house so we spent time today getting ready for that too. Now, I am watching Super Bowl and actually in the Normatec(s) to help with some recovery. Getting settled for the rest of the evening and hopefully bed a decent hour. Have a great night and week. Take care.  

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2/9/2024

Hello King Tiger Family. It has been a pretty good day. Had a bunch of productive meetings at work and starting to see some progress on some things. Had some situation that we should be able to resolve but it is silly and we should have taken care of this already. All good. Got our dogs home from doggy cay care and grabbed Nate from school. Got some food for Nate and I, and then we head to Black Belt Class. Looking forward to class. See you all soon. Take care.

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2/8/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Thursday night. All is well. Went to sparring and helped with classes before. Got a mentee session in as well. Need more Leadership, so need to ask more often. Did some requirements and ate a yummy dinner my wife cooked. Getting ready for bed and then resting for the next day. Have a great night and weekend. Take care.

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2/7/2024

Good Morning King Tiger Family, I missed yesterday so to quickly catch up. I am in Plano TX for work. We have an office here and visiting some of my teammates who are out here. Weather has been good and gotten some runs in. I also be working on requirements since I am traveling, so taking advantage of that. Work is work, but it has been great to visit people in person that I have only met or interacted remotely with. Heading back tonight to Charlotte. Looking forward to coming home. When traveling, I do like to get to know the area, but really did not get a chance to do that much this time. I will be back and will need to make it a longer trip. I hope you all have a great day. Take care.

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2/4/2024

Hi King Tiger Family, It has been a great Sunday. Pretty normal Sunday except we wanted to cook breakfast this morning, so we did a whole spread of food. very yummy. Went to church and then came home for lunch. Nate and I did some requirements. We worked on stick and staff, and the weather was good so we practiced outside which is easier than the garage. Then I had some errands to run and my wife made dinner (also yummy). Great evening. Now I am entering my requirements into the system and writing this journal. Getting ready for my work trip this week. Take care.  

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2/3/2024

Good Evening King Tiger Family, It is Saturday night. Very long day, but good. Nate had his last track meet of the season today. He did great and just continues to grow as a runner. He is just so fast and will continue to get faster as he works so hard at it. I am a super proud dad. Then we got home, I ran a couple miles. Then I washed my wife's Jeep as it was filthy and needed it. Then I ate dinner and my wife and I went to Lowes to look for some new light fixtures and paint. We are re-doing our downstairs of our house, so big project this year. Then we got back... Nate and I did some requirements, and then I did a few things around the house. I am now very ready for bed. Have a great evening. Take care. 

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1/31/2024

Good Evening King Tiger Family. It is the last day of the month. Cannot believe that January is almost over. Crazy how time flies. I will say that I have learned/re-learned a ton of TKD elements since cycle started. This is the motivation I needed to get back into the swing of things. Of course, I have a bunch more to learn/re-learn but I am seeing progress. I am also refining some items, especially poomsaes and my kicks. I am working on flexibility and I would say I am a little more flexible... more work there too. Just finished some requirements and have some more. Took a quick break. Hope everyone have as great night. Take care. 

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1/30/2024

Good Morning King Tiger. Yesterday was a very crazy day at work. Just a lot of different events occurred that really just changed my day more so than normal. I reflected on these events and realize that these are things outside my control and I need to address and move on. God has a plan for all this. I did go to TKD class last night and got to instruct. I forgot how much I like to teach and instruct kids. It is amazing to see them learn and grasp how to use what we teach practically. Fun to watch them grow. It was a great evening. Nate and I got a bunch of requirements done. Then yummy dinner that my wife cooked and stretched. Then walked the dogs and went to bed. I slept good, but never really is enough sleep. All good and ready to face another day. Have...

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1/29/2024

Good Morning King Tiger Family, It is a start of a new week. Getting ready. This week is another jump in requirement time of most items. All good. Just need to continue to adjust to the new times. Nate and I got up early to start some requirements. Great way to start to the day. We both ate and he is at school. Now onto work and the rest of the day. We got TKD classes tonight and we plan to get a mentee session in. We are excited for this week. Have a great day. Take care.

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1/28/2024

Good morning King Tiger Family. It is Sunday morning. I got up pretty early and took care of some things at our house. I also ate breakfast. I am getting ready to go to church. Nate and I have a bunch of requirements to do today. It is a good day. The weather seems a little better than yesterday. Looking forward to the day. I hope everyone has a great day. Make sure you take some time to rest a bit though. Take care.

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1/27/2024

Good Evening King Tiger Family. It has been a really good Saturday. Nate had a track meet this morning in Waxsaw, NC. We got up and got down there pretty early... then they delayed a little bit due to the rain. Luckily it cleared up pretty good before he ran. I am so proud of Nate. He is working so hard and it is paying off. He was in the last heat which means he is running against the best at the meet. He ran extremely well and just killed it. He is working to get to States this season. It is God's will on that topic, but he is working so hard and it shows. Just so everyone understands... he is running the mile in the 4 minutes 30+ second range... he is wicked fast. Again, so proud of him. It is so awesome to watch him grow and shine. We...

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1/26/2024

Hello King Tiger Family. Pretty normal Friday. I worked remote today as I usually do on Fridays. We did have our carpets cleaned today, so that was a little different. Pretty typical work day. Nate and I did do some requirements and I did go for a run at lunch time because it is 70 degrees today and figured I would take advantage of it. Not sure how the weather will be this weekend. Glad we worked on Hopkido at Black Belt tonight. Got a mentor session in and learned some items I need to refresh on. Finished some requirements. Getting ready for tomorrow. Nate has a track meet in the morning. Take care.

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1/25/2024

Good Morning King Tiger. It has been a pretty good morning. I did hit snooze this morning. It was a late night and morning came quick... so I slept a little extra (15 minutes). I got up and did most of my normal routine. Nate did not have school today, so it was a little different. I did some requirements and spent some time in scripture. Then onto work, where I hope today goes better than yesterday. All good. I love my job, but need yesterday was another day of finding problems. I am finding that I have a bunch of TKD knowledge buried in my brain and it is starting to come back. It is a little like riding a bike, it comes back to you as you do it again. I have a bunch of refinement yet, but the basics are there. Just need to keep doing it. Looking...

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1/24/2024

Good evening King Tiger Family. It is Wednesday evening. Nate and I went to Master Evin's school for Black Belt class. We reviewed stick and staff forms which was perfect because we needed the refresher. Great workout too. Nate and I also got some other requirements completed. We are excited about tomorrow. I had a normal crazy day at work. Have a great dinner that my incredible wife cooked, so extremely thankful. Have a great evening and take care. 

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1/23/2024

Good Morning King Tiger. Got up this morning. Got started as normal and Nate and I hit some requirements. Nate has the last of his mid-terms today. I am heading to work and starting my day. The plan for tonight is to get a run in and finish my normal requirements. I need to continue to work on my black belt knowledge and practice my kicks. I need to keep working on my flexibility. I will get there. Looking forward to the week. Have a great day. Take care

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1/22/2024

Good Morning King Tiger. It is Monday morning. Started off the day with taking care of the dogs, getting everyone ready for their day, and then doing the same for me. Nate and I did do some requirements early, just to get started with the week. I need to drop our dogs at daycare this morning and then into the office. We are back into the office. No more remote working. I kind of like being in the office. Plus the commute gives me time to decompress on the way home before I need to start home life stuff. Good stuff. I am ready for the week. Hope everyone has a great week. Take care.

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1/21/2024

Good Evening King Tiger, Today was a good day. Got up, did some requirements and went to our church to volunteer. I do several things for the church but today was handling parking. It was cold but fun. I also went to second service. Our pastor was speaking from Hebrews 11, focusing on how faith was and is critical with our path with our Lord. It was really impactful. I came home, got lunch, and did a bunch of requirements today. We had a catch up a little since yesterday (Sat) was very busy. Then we did our weekly cooking. My wife cooked some amazing food for us and so I helped with cleaning all the dishes. Watched some football. I also ran today, it was cold but not like yesterday. I am ready for another week. Have a great Sunday and week. Take care.

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1/20/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Good day today. Nate had a track meet in Winston Salem, and I glad it was indoors. It was very cold today. He did very well. I did go for a run myself today, but outside and it was a little cold. All good though, glad to get some miles in. Then did a few more requirements. Got more to do later. Writing now because we have little lull in the evening. Just finishing eating dinner and cleaning up after. Got laundry running, and now writing this. We did have some time at the track waiting for his heat, so I working on the Written Test questions and finding all the answers. The test has changed some since the last time I took it, so getting ready. Some good questions on it. I found a cool free app for my phone where you can make flash cards,...

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1/19/2024

Good Evening King Tiger. Great Friday Night BB class at LKN. We worked on Hapkido which was perfect. It had been a while since I had done them and it came back, but refresh was perfect timing. Now Nate and I can work on it. I also got myself a mentee (Instructor Rob). I really do like instructing and helping kids learn, but I also like working with the adults. In some ways it is harder with adults because "learning" something is harder when you get older. Instructor Rob is awesome to work with and this may be as much him helping me as it is me helping him. I have been focusing on my 2nd Dan knowledge so I can instruct him. It is all good. I am looking forward to the remaining cycle. Have a great evening. Take care.

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1/18/2024

Good Morning King Tiger. Starting my day with a journal. I got up like normal and had a normal morning. Nate and I did some requirements to start the day. Best time to do some is the morning. Then off to work. I had to drop our dogs at daycare for today. It went well. Now I am getting ready for the day. Looking forward to classes tonight. Take care.

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1/17/2024

Good Evening King Tiger. Today has been an interesting day. Not going to get into specifics but came into work today thinking I would focus on one thing and had to pivot quick and focus on something else. It happens. Just not expected today. :-)  I finished work at home (working remotely) in the afternoon. My wife is substituting for a teacher at Nate's school so she was not home today for our dogs and I came home early to let them out. I finished work. Grilled some yummy food. Then my wife went to her real job. Got Nate fed. He is now studying for his big exam tomorrow. I am trying to be productive so using this time to write this journal. I do have requirements to work on. Looking forward to TKD classes tomorrow. Take care. 

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1/16/2024

Hi King Tiger. Back to work today. It was a good day but a lot going on. I did get to run this afternoon and then did some requirements with Nate. I am writing this journal now and getting ready for bed soon. I am starting to see some progress on several fronts. I need more work on Black Belt level items but practicing as much as possible. Have a great not. Keep up the great work. Take care.

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1/15/2024

Hello King Tiger. Nate and I came back from NJ today. We got up and did some requirements this morning at the hotel. Then went to airport. Got there a little early, then flight got delayed. Then we boarded and they were delayed getting off the gate. Then we had to de-ice the plane because of the storm. So basically about 2 hours delayed in total. But flight was good and got home. Unpacked and got settled in for another week. Ready to keep moving. Take care.

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1/14/2024

Good evening King Tiger. It was a great day. Another day in NJ. Nate and I ran today. Nate and I are trying to run in all the states. So, we got NJ under our belt. It was a little cold here but not too bad. Sun was out. We were also doing requirements at the hotel pool again, but some manager guy came in and saw us, and offered for us to use one of their conference rooms to practice, so we took him up on the offer. It wad great. We had a whole room to practice stuff. Pretty cool. We finished requirements and had a great day in NJ. We head back tomorrow, so one last day here. Nate and I both agreed we are ready to go home. Perfect amount of time here. Ready. Take care. 

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1/14/2024

Hi King Tiger Family. Here in NJ for the long weekend. Hanging with some friends. Brought Nate with me. It has been a blast. Nate and I got in real late last night. Landed in PHL around 12:30am and it was after 2am when we got settled in hotel. We slept in and then did some requirements at the hotel. The bottomline is that you always have to be resourceful in finding places to do requirements. The hotel had an indoor pool area and so we cleared some tables and chairs, and made space to do some requirements. We also used the gym which also had a pull up bar. We will do it again tomorrow. It has been a great time and love spending time with my son. Have a great rest of the weekend. Take care. 

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1/12/2024

Good Morning King Tiger. The end of the work week. Still have a bunch of things to do yet today, but an exciting Friday. Normal work stuff, and some "interesting" meetings today for work, but all good. Got up, spent some time with the Lord in scripture, got Nate ready for school, did some requirements, and dropped Nate off. I still have to take our two dogs to doggy daycare this morning and then onto work. Nate and I are heading to NJ this weekend for some fun guy weekend stuff. It has been a trip we planned a long time ago, so unfortunately, we will miss some key TKD classes (Fri and Sat), but we will make it up as best we can. I love cycle, but it cannot consume our entire life... there is a balance and we always figure it out. This is the challenge. This is our...

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1/11/2024

Good Morning King Tiger. It is Thursday and the Lord has blessed us with another day. I have ton of work to do today. I just dropped Nate at school and got into the office. I work for USAA and our office is in SouthEnd (Charlotte). Not a terrible commute this morning. I am settling into my day. I am a desk jockey... meaning I sit at a desk and on calls most of the day. So, that is why I love cycle so much. It is very different from my work life. It is physical and challenges me. I did some requirements this morning, and will probably do some later. I am excited for the day. Again, God has blessed us with another one, so how will you use it? Take care. 

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1/10/2024

Good evening King Tiger. It was a pretty good Wednesday. Nate has a two hour delay. I got to sleep in a whole 30 minutes... except our 100 lbs German Shepherd was up many time during the night with an upset belly. I will just say it was not fun. I got Nate settled for the day and then went to work. Normal work day full of problem solving. Then came home, did some requirements, and ate dinner. Now I am writing this. I think the biggest challenge I have with Black Belt Cycle is figuring out the new norm with all the requirements and classes, and still balancing the rest of life. What I do is try to leverage my time wisely. I will find myself doing requirements in odd places at odd times, for instance, I took Nate to run club today... so got my run in, but then I...

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1/9/2024

Good morning King Tiger. It is Tuesday. The weather is not looking good today and schools are closed. However, going to take advantage of that today. I have a doctors appointment this morning and then onto some requirements later today. I am starting to re-train all the muscles and muscle movements, but I also need to unlearn some things and fix some stuff. Make it better and stronger. Got work ahead, but making progress. I hope everyone has a great day. Take care. 

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1/8/2024

Good Morning King Tiger... It is a Monday, but that is okay. It is a new day the Lord has made for us. The question is what we do with it. Normal morning so far. Nate and I still working out the kinks of figuring out how to balance cycle and normal life... lots to balance, but we will get there. Plus, this is our first cycle with the new requirements setup... more time based. I am actually starting to like this new methodology. We will make it work. I am excited about the "auditing" cycle for us... I will keep you all updated on our progress. Working on week 2 now... Keep up the great work and remember you are not alone, so ask for help. We need to encourage and help each other. One other item -- I need a mentee. Anyone need a mentor and would like one?...

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1/7/2024

Good Morning King Tiger Family. Yesterday was a great beginning with our pretest. I felt pretty good with the physical requirements and my poomsaes. Always room to improve. I still need to work on self-defenses. I need to adjust some of my stances and hand position 

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Ready... Set... Test!

I am ready to test!!! This has been an amazing adventure and cycle. Pushing myself and working hard to learn all the new skills and drills. I am happy with the results and ready to showcase them tomorrow night. I wish everyone luck. Stay focus and relax... something I tell myself every time I am testing. I get a little tense and anxious. Don't get in your head. Just do it like you do it at home during requirements. Nothing different.  See you tomorrow night. King Tiger! Keep Moving!

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Thursday

Today was a good day... Nate and I worked on "refinement" on our poomsaes and self defenses. Working on weapons specifically, and just making sure we are working on the small details. Getting ready for our overnight testing next Friday. I am confident that we are ready. More anxious now... want it to come. But it will fly here. Next week will be a blur. Keep Moving and Keep Practicing!!!

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Sunday

It is Sunday... so I will do a little preaching. We talked about sin today at church. Sin is what we battle everyday. Sin is inside all of us and it feeds on our existing desires. Please note that not all desires are bad... but sin can take any desire and turn it to evil. Bottom line is that we all have to be aware of our desires and fight sin, and NEVER let down our guard. Find your strength in people and faith... and fight your desires and the sin within.  On a different... changing topic... Nate and I went to the Lego Brickfair today. Awesome day. Found a Lego Korean Flag and bought it... it is awesome.  Tae Kwon Do!!! Keep moving!

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Weeks to Testing

I decided to reflect on where I was in December and now... I have learned so much new stiff since then, and I am getting much more proficient in my poomsaes and self defenses (specifically). I will state that I still not as flexible as I want to be and my one hip has been acting up... but nothing that I cannot get better and through for the remainder of the cycle. I am excited to test. Nate and I both have been working hard at this and seeing the result. More ahead. Keep moving!!!!

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Sunday

This has been a very good weekend. I started my Friday evening with helping our church with Rooms At The Inn... this is where we bring in 13 neighbors (homeless gentlemen) to our church and provide them a place to stay for a night. We feed them and give them a chance to take a shower. We also provide a change or cloths and some amenities for them to keep. We do this every Friday. We have to take care of each other in the world. I wish more would do more everyday and it would be a different world we live in. These neighbors are incredible people with incredible stories. These are PEOPLE which are really trying to make changes in life or just have been dealt a bad set of cards. They seek love like we all seek. A hand or hug is sometimes all we need to lift...

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Being Grateful

I am back from yet another business trip. This time I traveled to the cold weather of Toronto, Canada. I am happy to be back home. I am truly grateful for everything I have and I am content with what we have. I do not need or want anything else in my life. I have God, my wife, kids, family, and friends, and that is all I need. We can very easily forget how lucky many of us are as we live our daily lives because we get so wrapped up in our lives, that we forget to live and enjoy the moment. I found some of that during this trip. I found myself just taking a moment to be grateful, even in the hectic airport and crazy traveling around the city. Just stop and look at something, and just enjoy the moment. I had to take a train from downtown...

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Saturday

Great morning at King Tiger for our Black Belt Written and Physical Tests. I was able to pretty much able to beat my baseline scores. The only place I got the same was with pull ups. But that is okay... I will continue to work to build more strength. I was extremely proud of Nate. He worked really hard to beat his times. I know he is my son, so of course I am proud... but he truly amazes me. I need to travel again this coming week, but this should be the last until after testing. Keep moving!!!

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Friday

Got back late from Hong Kong last night and slept great last night. Now it is Friday. Nate did not have school and did a sleep over with a friend of his. Then he came home today and we hung out a bit. We got a bunch of exercises done and also tested each other. We both feel pretty good about the test. We went to Black Belt class and reviewed some stuff that we needed review on anyway. It was a good night. Now I am heading to bed, we got an early morning with Physical and Written Test tomorrow. Good Night everyone. Good luck. Keep Moving!!!

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Hong Kong

Well... I landed in Hong Kong about 3.5 hours ago. It is about 9:00pm here while I am typing this. I did not sleep much on the plane. Just could not get comfortable. I do have a bunch of meetings tomorrow, but I am ready for them. I spent a good portion of the flight preparing for them. I did go to the hotel gym and workout. Got a bunch of requirements done, and I room-service just arrived with some food. Plan is to eat and hit the sack. Hopefully that works. Have a great day. Keep Moving!!!

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Thursday

Night before Instructors Camp and all through the house, I am packing for the weekend... As I am not sure the weather, so I am packing for all circumstances. I am sure I am overpacking but I would rather have it than not, and need it. If it was just me, that would be different, but Nate is going too and so I am a little protective and I want to make sure he is prepared as well. Double the trouble. Anyway... I am very excited about the weekend and looking forward to moving my mind, body, and spirit. See you all there. Keep moving!

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Good Wednesday

It was a pretty good Wednesday. I had to go into our Charlotte office and meet with some people. It was pretty productive and we prepped for next week as well. I need to travel to Hong Kong for work. I still have to have a meeting with the employee I need to work with more but I am definitely taking him off the current project. That will be tough but what I need to do right now. Did a mentee session with Mrs. Amanda. That went well. Then Nate and I headed to church for youth and men's ministry. It was a good message today. Bottom line is that we have to "Put Christ On" everyday. Regardless of your religion or beliefs, just do good for the sake of doing good, and no other reason. I wish we all could just do good and be good to everyone around us....

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Sunday (Blind Love)

Last Sunday, I spoke a little about Blind Love. I did talk about God's love. This is NOT about religion. The ultimate message is that we are nothing without "love" and "love" is everything. The ultimate question is whether we "apply" love in our everyday. This is a little mind-blowing for me today so I needed to share. We are nothing without love. Bottom line... do we apply love in all situations? If someone makes you angry, have we ever replaced that anger with love or loving action? What if we did? What would happen? What would that outcome be? I imagine it would be different. How different? Think about trying it. I know I am. This community, country, and world all need more love right now. We all do. If everyone acted in love versus anything else... even once... what could happen????  Keep moving!!!  

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Monday

Today was just a busy day at work. It was non-stop from 7:00 until 5:00 today. It was just back to back meetings. Now, I am complaining, but I have it really good at my job. If I am not traveling, I get to work from home. It is a pretty good gig... but when I work from home... it seems like the day just flies. Like I said, I was back to back all day... even through lunch. I try to grab something between meetings. I really wish Microsoft would make it easier in Office to "auto"-build in about 5-10 minutes between meetings in the calendar so that you get a chance to breathe. I find that after a day like today, I have about 30 actions I need to take and then there is no time for the actions... so when do I do them. I can delegate some...

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Saturday

Got up early. Not sure why but I could not sleep this morning. Woke up around 5:00 and never got back to sleep. Nate and I went to help with family and little tiger classes. I really like helping the younger kids learn their stuff. I helps me refine myself as well. I want to make sure I am doing things right to teach them correctly. Then we headed off to Black Belt class. It was a great class. Got work on some of my 1st Dan skills which was good for me. It was really good. Smoothie King and headed back home to finish off our requirements. Then we had a little down time, which Nate and I both needed. Then dinner and hanging out. My daughter in college came home for the weekend, so that was great to see her. I miss her and it was nice to catch...

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TGIF (Tough Day)

Well... I learned today that someone that works for us is really not measuring up and has not been doing their job appropriately. The individual had to go out on medical leave and it became apparent that some things that should have been done have not been. Uh Oh!!! Now I have a bit of a mess, so I basically spent the day figuring out what had not been done and got it done. More to come on this I am sure.  On a brighter note... we had a really good Black Belt class tonight led by Master Natasha and Master Marcus. We practiced a bunch of self defenses, poomsaes, and falls. It was great practice and refinement time. Thank them both for pushing us. Then Nate and I had some Jason's Deli and came home. We are just hanging and I am writing this journal. Great way to end the...

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Wednesday

Okay day at work. I was helping orient a new employee that has started working for me. I think they will be great for the role. However, it took most of my day and tomorrow will be a catchup day. Those are always fun trying to get caught up on everything missed from today. Fun times. We went to King Tiger and did a mentor session with the Belchers. It was good. I like to help teach. It really helps me even refine my skills. I continue to need refining my stuff and making it stronger and better. I will continue to learn. I do need more practice leading the class. I did it tonight, but I still sometimes mix up the order. I do it in class so much, so I have no excuse. Room for improvement. I am already getting better. Keep moving!!!

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Tuesday

Good day today. I got a new employee working on the team, and they will be filling a large gap in the group so I am excited to see them start. Good start for 2019. I am also still working to work through some issues with one of our projects, but I think we will have a better idea of the status this week. I am in Cary today and I got a bunch of exercises done today and I got to spend some time with my in-laws. Keep moving!!!

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Monday

Not a terrible Monday. I was happy to see some sun today, and actually get outside for a few minutes. Nate and I did some exercises outside this afternoon. It was good to breath some fresh air. My work day was alright. I think the rest of the week may be a little crazy, but that is how it goes. I have a project that is not going well, and one of my peers is trying to figure out what failed and I can tell he is trying to find fault in some of my team's processes. We are not perfect, but I think he needs to look within. It will be fun. Anyway, great class tonight at TKD. Keep moving!

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Sunday (Blind Love)

Great sermon at church today by Pastor Jordon. Bottom line is us believing in and loving God and Jesus even if we cannot "see" them. Not going to get into religions and beliefs here... but loving God and people is critical today. We are all human regardless of where you come from. There needs to be so much more love in this world, and I truly believe we can change. We have to let go of all that "stuff" inside us. Just hug our fellow humans and just let go of ourselves. There is so much hate and why? What do we gain by hate... nothing! How can you enjoy life with hate... you can't! So, why hate. My life is forever changing, and it is important to just "love" your fellow men and women. Just let go. It was a good day. Got to exercise with Nate and then watch...

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Friday

Started the day off with a doctors appointment. All is good so good start to the day. Then I went into a full day of calls for work, which is always fun. Then Nate and I started studying for our written exam. We decided to go to kickboxing and Black Belt class. We got time with Master Marcus for mentoring. We reviewed Bolo and Staff forms. I feel pretty good about it. In Black Belt class we practiced the higher belt self defense which is good. I learned I was doing one part wrong, so good course correction. I was working with Instructor Jack. It is nice to practice self defense on someone my own size. I practice a bunch with Nate, so obviously not the same as with an adult. Got to practice my form better. It was good. Keep moving!!!

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Wednesday

I had a really bad and stressful day at work, and unfortunately it really took me over today. It just knocked me down. I am usually pretty positive, but today it overwhelmed me. I went to Men's ministry this evening and as usually it helped to snap out of it a bit. I would not say totally... but it helped me. We were talking about Putting on Christ, and discussed temptations. Now, you can get into some really heavy stuff at these sessions, and temptations is one of those topics. But temptations are not always cardinal sins... it can be as simple as doing something you know you shouldn't but you do it anyway. A great example for me is watching TV or watching videos on my phone. It is a total distraction, and adds NO value to me or my day. But I put on that TV or get on...

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Monday

It was a pretty good Monday. Work was okay, but I am continuing to struggle with people just not doing their job, and then I need to deal with the after math. I know that God has purpose in all this, so I just need to continue to do what I can and continue to try and support my fellow peers. It will work itself out. Need to stay positive. Nate and I went to class today. We normally do not go Monday, but we were meeting the Belchers for some mentor/mentee time, and we figured we would just stay for class and kick boxing as well. Both were good. The kick boxing was good. I really like leaving King Tiger knowing I had a good workout. It keeps me motivated. Keep moving!!!

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Sunday

Great weekend. It was a light weekend on events and stuff, so got a chance to actually rest and relax a bit which is unusual. However, this week is going to be crazy. Between TKD classes, requirements, my daughter's Senior Night, and Valentine's Day (might do something with family)… this week is going to go quick. We have a bunch to do and hoping to get caught up a little. The good part is that I am not traveling this week. So I am excited about that. Keep Moving!!!

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TGIF again...

I am definitely tired. I caught myself several times getting frustrated over little things that really do not matter. Some times you just need to take a breathe and relax a bit. I am stressed a bit over testing. I think it is the essays the most right now. We got three done, so not bad. Nate and I are going to use our time this weekend working on them. Its all good, but I am a little anxious. Then we can start to study for the written test as well. I was checking and we are about 55% through the cycle (if you include the pre-cycle). We have accomplished a bunch and more to come. I am excited. Keep Moving!!!

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Thursday

Good day at work today. Got myself organized and caught up a bit. It is great feeling of accomplishment. I am feeling pretty good about this BBC, but there are a couple of items that I feel a little behind... mentoring, essays, leadership 2 and journals... still time to get caught up... but need to focus these next two weeks because we have Instructors camp, and then I have to travel to Hong Kong for work. I know that sounds great... but I will absolutely be in the air longer than on the ground, so not fun. I will lose about 1.5 days of my life with this trip and that will not be good for all the requirements. Need to be in a good place before I leave. Keep Moving!!!

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Wednesday

It is Wednesday and that is Men's Ministry at our church. Awesome message this evening... simply put is that we need to "put on Christ" everyday. Not looking to preach... but we need God in our Spirit and Soul to battle the temptations and evil in our lives. We must fight everyday, and we will prevail. If you slip any day, then we will be defeated.  Great message and great table I sit with. There are questions raised at the table that we discuss. It is a chance to open up and talk to other men about the message. It is fantastic to talk to people about this.  Keep Moving!

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Monday

Got up early this morning to get myself ready for work and then get Nate/Lexi ready for school. I took Nate to the bus stop and headed to Cary NC for some meetings. It is about 2.5 hour drive, and got in by 9:00am. Good day of meetings. Went to my mother-in-laws in Cary and stayed there (which I usually do), and then did my requirements and exercises. Had dinner and now writing this. I started to do some research on the History of the Kwans. Getting ready to write the next essay. Keep Moving!!!

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TGIF

It has been a very good but busy work... more for work than anything. We had three days of management sessions discussion our 2019 plans and strategy at work. Basically it is work hard and more than last year... which is typically the message. However, I think we are being a little smarter on how we are going after the  market this year. We have good plans, but lets see how we execute on them. I am excited. We are basically right in the center of the testing cycle if you count the pre-cycle in terms of days. I am feeling pretty good about most items. Working with Master Marcus on Staff Form 2 and Bolo Form... I am starting to get it down. Minor mistakes and making changes. I will be ready. I continue to listen to Grandmaster Evins video on Facebook. It is inspirational... basically this is hard so...

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Tuesday

It is was good day at work. We had some strategic sessions with the leadership, and it was fairly productive. I find that there are so many people that are just passive about things. It is important to talk thought items and raise issues, and just get it out there for discussion. I think some people do not like conflict or debate, and so with 30+ people in the room, there were about 6 people that continued to ask questions and had information to share. I was one of those. I like to challenge myself and others, even if it means I get actions from the discussion. I came back to my mother-in-laws house and did some exercises and requirements. It was a good way to end a stressful day. Keep moving!!!!

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Got our Tree

Nate and I got our Cyprus trees today. I took some time to think about the significance of the tree. It is something for us to nurture and take of, which takes times and patience. I think that this could be related to our learning of Tae Kwon Do... it takes time and patience, and I also think it take the patience of our keepers (in this case our Masters and Instructors) to take the time to teach us and be patient as we learn. Not trying to read too far into it, but I think this is getting us more ready to be Instructors and teachers to others. Keep Moving!!!

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Rooms at the Inn

I did the rooms at the inn again. It was another great experience. It was fantastic to meet these awesome men and hear their stories. These are just other human beings that need love. Our society sometimes cases them away and we need to actually pull them in. They deserve our love and it is amazing how love changes people. We call want to be wanted... so think about that next time you see someone on the street. Keep Moving!!!

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Thursday

It was an okay day at work. It was a little crazy and I have a feeling people are down a little on things. I am trying to keep people positive, but we have some stuff that is just not getting done right and think people are frustrated. I am working hard to keep everyone positive but it is hard. Tonight was a good night of TKD. We worked on many things. I really enjoy sparring. I still have a bunch to learn and I need to get more flexible. I am getting faster but I need to be able to strike faster and get my left leg around after... and I know flexibility is critical. I am trying to stretch more, but not enough. We took Wednesday off this week and we went to our Church Ministries (Nate went to pre-teens and I went to men's ministry). It was great...

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Monday

Another great day... although it is a holiday, my company was open and active... so emails flying as usual. The kids were home so I finished my day on time and Nate and I got on to our requirements. Today is celebrating Martin Luther King. This was a passionate man that dedicated his life to human rights. I really think that term is a little odd -- "human rights". I don't want to get biblical but I don't believe it was ever in God's mind that any one person was better than another, or should be given more than the next. The whole concept of value was something that us humans generated, not God. I truly admire people who are passionate about things and truly live it everyday. There are people that "sometimes" act or get involved in things, and their are others that live it everyday. I definitely have things...

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Sunday

Nate and I both did our Empathy training today. We decided to not speak for the day. We thought it would be a great challenge to do it at the same time. We spend a ton of time together and it really did pose many challenges... which I will be writing about in the essay. Here is a sneak peak to one item. We truly take verbal communication for granite. Until you cannot talk, you do not realize how effect that communication is. The item that is most challenging is getting people's attention. I did not realize how much I call for my wife or kids within the house. I found my self wanting to yell out for them, but instead I had to go physically find them to "signal" them and then either sign out what I need or write it down. It was hard and much more time consuming....

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Thursday

It was a pretty good day at work. I had to provide some presentations to a series of co-workers from across the globe. They all came into Charlotte for an offsite. It went pretty well. We got some stuff completed but many actions and follow-ups... so more work to come. I raced home, and Trish had made dinner. I cannot say enough great things about my wife. Nate and I ate, and then we started getting ready for our night of TKD. It was a really good sparring class. Master Marcus had some good exercises to get us warmed up, and we got a bunch of sparring rounds in. It was good practice. I am trying some new stuff in class. Just seeing if some things work. Some do and some don't... but best place to practice is in class. Looking forward to the next tournament. Then onto family class. I...

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Friday

Getting ready for pre-test. Trying not to go overboard with requirements today. Just reviewing poomsaes and self defenses. Working on the details. I have had a few weeks to practice so feeling pretty good. I always find myself a little off under pressure but that is the point. Need to be ready at any moment, so now is the time. Need to get some rest tonight. Keep moving!!!

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Tuesday Night

I really like helping with Family class on Tue and Thur. Nate and I have been doing it for some time. I get a chance to work with the younger kids on their skills. It is good for me to break the items down to teach them slowly. I try to find easy ways for them to remember things. It is good, because it also helps me remember them. It is really great to see them get better as time goes as well. It is also great to see the confidence in these children raise. I really wish I had done martial arts earlier in life. I think it would have helped me as well. I did many different things growing up that helped me build confidence, but it really wasn't until college that I gained the most. I was a small kid growing up so I got picked on... I...

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Monday

As Mondays go, it was pretty good. We did a mentoring session with the Belchers. It was great. I like mentoring as it really makes me think about exactly what the forms and defenses. Walking through it slowly and really thinking about footwork, positions, preps, strikes, etc. It actually helps me clean up my ability to do it too. I also like helping a fellow student. Fun to watch someone learn. My parents were both teachers as professions, and I like to think that I got some teaching ability from them. Maybe a little. I like teaching, it helps me get better as well. I really like these BB cycles as they challenge us differently and get us motivated. Today was a motivated day. Keep moving!!!

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Saturday Night

It was a good day. First day back for Nate and I for a few days as Nate was sick and I was traveling. It was a very good class. I got to lead the class in the beginning and I also led a group of BBs for stick forms 1 and 2. I really do like teaching others and helping them learn. I also got to help Katherine and Emily learn some poomsaes as well. I find that I have certain ways of remembering things and I shared it, and it made sense to them as well. Good feeling. Nate and I spent a fair amount of time today working on some things that we needed to work on more. Master Chelley said we need to be able to do all our skills and belt level requirements by end of January... so that means we need to learn a few...

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Friday

Nate has been sick and I have been traveling. We missed class tonight. I do not like missing Friday's BB class. It sucked. I saw Grandmaster Evins was there again and I was upset we missed it. Nate was sick and Trish was with Lexi... so I had to stay with Nate. Plus he would have been upset if I went without him. He is getting better but just cannot kick the cold. We need to go tomorrow. Good work week... busy but good. Weekend is here and need to press through and catch up some. Keep moving!!! 

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Monday

It was not a terrible Monday. I went into the Charlotte office this morning to meet with some people, and come to find out that the people are already really busy (even after I booked time and they accepted it), and it turns out that what was supposed to be a whole day in the office, I got about 30 minutes with them. So, I left and came home to work remote the rest of the day. Waste of a trip to Charlotte office, but it is what it is. Got home and did some work, had lunch and then finished the day. My daughter Kara actually cooked dinner this evening. I tend to kid her on cooking ability but she said she has been cooking stuff at college, so I said, cook something and I will buy the groceries. She made dinner this evening. Chicken Alfredo. It was really good....

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Saturday Night

It was a good day. Spent most of the day at King Tiger and doing TKD. We worked on many new items and learned some new stuff. But the afternoon was the best part. It is the last Homecoming dance for Lexi and it was great to see her getting ready with her friends. She has a great group of girls that have been together for many years. It has been crazy to watch them all grow up. My daughter is not the little girl any more. She hasn't been for many years but it is becoming more apparent. It is great to see them grow, but they don't need me as much as before. Daddy is not a big part of their life... the "their" is both my daughters. Kara is my oldest and in college. Lexi is a senior in high school. Obviously I still have Nate... but these...

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Back to work

Good day all things considered as my first day back. It was also the first day back for the kids. Nate was tired when I picked him up from school, and it took some pushing by me to get him motivated to do our exercises and requirements before TKD classes tonight. We did some ladder drills tonight with Master Marcus at Sparring. It is awesome watching all the young adults and kids do the ladder drills. I do not have great rhythm but something I am working on. Luckily it appears that Nate inherited his rhythm from his mom and not me. I was very proud of him to do the ladder drills. I did pretty good, but lost the rhythm a few times and I have to work to get it back. But I do like working on them as they do help me with sparring. But it does amaze...

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Friday

Although this was a short work week, I am happy it is Friday. Just starting to get back into the normal swing of things at home. Getting up early and getting kids out for school. It is really only Nate, and Lexi gets herself out, and Kara is home now from College but self-sufficient (for the most part). It was a pretty good Friday. Next week is the real test. Full week. We had a challenging night at King Tiger. Nate and I went to kick boxing and then did a mentor session with Master Marcus. Then onto Black Belt. Grandmaster Evins ran out BB class tonight and it was great but challenging. We learned some new self-defenses (at least they were new to me) that we need to know for testing so it was good to practice them. I am finding our new self-defenses to actually be pretty fun and...

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Last Day of Vacation

This has been a great 10 days off from work. I have really enjoyed spending time with family. Tomorrow the kids are back to school and I head back to work. The good part is only two days and then the weekend. Next week will the real test. It has been really good to just unwind and forget about some of my real-world responsibilities a bit. Although we were very productive over the break on requirements. We have bunch still ahead of us and I am excited for 2019. Good times and a great year ahead. Keep moving. 

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Sunday

Church was good today. It was about loving people the way God intended. There should be no bounds in loving people. God wants our love to be equal. We make that very hard the way this world works, which is how we have allowed it to become (over many generations). We all need to ask ourselves, how do you want to love people? How do you want to deal with people... not how you think it is expected or how they will expect you to. We should love people no matter what their race, creed, or color... not matter what their circumstance or where they come from... no matter what has happened in their lives or what they might believe. This hit me pretty hard today... I think we judge people very quickly in this world and social media makes it easy to do that. I know I do it. It...

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