Candidate Journals

Yeah! All zeros! It's interesting how different my frame of mind is when doing push ups or pull ups now. Since I don't HAVE to do them anymore for cycle, I enjoy doing them more. I've have visitors in from out of town for work since Monday morning, so I've had to be in the office and in meetings constantly the past 3 days, so I've had less time to do requirements. I've actually missed it.

I decided I would only do the requirements I needed to finish today before doing anything else. So when I finished my 170 push ups, 80 sit ups, and 1 burpee, I decided I earned a small reward--time to relax with my family and get ahead on my work for tomorrow. Yeah! This week will be crazy at work because I have visitors in town from Saudi Arabia and Massachusetts. So this week work will have to be a top priority.

It's halftime in the Michigan vs Wofford basketball game. They are playing pretty well...too many turnovers, but playing well otherwise. I'm doing push ups, sit ups, and burpees during commercials and free throws. I'm so happy that the weather has turned. I had work to do on some PowerPoint pages this afternoon, so I sat out on my deck and did them. The sun felt so good. Jess had a softball game today (they lost 4-3) and Ben is at baseball practice now. I will have to leave shortly to go pick him up.

Ok, this cold weather is for the birds. I'm so done with it. If it turned 100 degrees with 95 percent humidity tomorrow, I promise I would not complain. Master Chelley and I went for a run today and then worked on PMAA curriculum. I still have to work on section C. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with a lot of my physical requirements now. But to stay sharp and make sure I'm ready for Apr 4th, I need to keep it up.

Today was great. I didn't wake up until 7:30 (perfect for me), made muffins for the crew, then went to the store. Ran a few errands, then took the kids to Benchwarmers for about 2 hrs, then celebrated at BW3. Came home, cleaned the house and did requirements and laundry while watching basketball. Unfortunately, my Wolverines couldn't hit the hole today. But this loss will fuel them for the NCAA tournament. Now it's time to get back on some requirements and laundry. A really nice Sunday...

What a tough physical test today. I could really feel the difference of breaking my requirements up and doing them throughout the day vs back-to-back. I'm most disappointed that I only got 43 sit ups done in a minute. I needed to do them faster. I wasn't at my physical limit (unlike v-sit ups and pull ups). But if I step back, I did well overall. For a 43 year old mom, I feel good about my physical well-being. I'm also disappointed that I missed one on the written, especially because I knew the answer, I just didn't realize that the detail was required. What matters most is that I know it though.

Essays...check. Written test questions answered and studied...check. Recommendation letters...check. Community service items...check. Tree bought...check. Daily physical requirements...check. I think I'm ready. I feel much stronger now than the beginning of the cycle. It's a long physical test and I am worried about being able to meet all the requirements without my knee distracting me. I'm going to try to rest my body tomorrow to give me the best chance for Saturday.

Today I focused on essays. I have been writing them throughout the cycle, but as of yesterday I still had the 3rd dan specific essays to write. Well, to be fair, I had written about 7 pages of my Korean history paper, but I still had 3+ to go. The research is what takes the longest. I also needed to help a friend, do some cleaning, go to BJ's, and watch Jess' tennis match today. At this point I still have 1 essay to go. But it's only 7pm...the night is young...

Today is International Women's Day. At work, our company has a Women's Network and we met for lunch to listen to a speaker and celebrate the advances of women. The speaker was full of energy and good stories. One of her suggestions was to travel abroad to broaden your perspective. I totally agree with that. I can really appreciate life in the US after staying in many other countries. We are so fortunate in the US. Our daily complaints are really put in perspective when you think of the air quality in China, women's equality in Saudi Arabia, the violence and theft in Brazil. We really have it good.

Ben was my helper today. He asked me questions for the written test while I was taking him to and from school. He also did requirements with me (he did his baseball homework). And he attacked me for self defense. I have to get my essays finished this weekend. And I need to do some deep cleaning in the house!

Instructor's camp was awesome. And the credits Master Evins allocated to us for participating made it super-duper awesome! Thank you, sir! Today I got a noon class in at LKN, then taught family class this evening. I got about half of my push ups and sit ups in and some poomsaes during classes, but now I need to hit the rest of my physical requirements. Oh, I also reviewed my test questions today...went through them all twice. I also asked my peoples for my letters of recommendation late last night. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

I had to be in the office early today. I had several meetings and then when I was trying to get some work done, I kept getting interrupted. So I didn't get as much done as I needed to. After getting the kids to baseball and softball practices, it was nothing but requirements. Had a good PMAA class tonight. Now if my beloved Wolverines could beat Illinois to clinch the Big Ten Championship, it'll make up for my slow morning. :)

My best friend got some shocking, bad news today. It was so painful to watch her because she was hurting so badly. Today I had to remind myself that everything happens for a reason, and that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. She's a strong wonderful person and after this experience she will be even stronger. I only hope that 6 months from now, she will be able to look back be be thankful for this incident. Today, my bumps, bruises, and soreness was nothing compared to the pain in her soul. Life is all about perspective.

Another instructor' camp is in the books. It was a great camp, great to interact with all the school owners and masters, and see some familiar faces as well as some new ones. The sessions with Master Lee were my favorite...especially the pool session. On the way to and from Greenville, I studied for my written test, too. And the long nights are training for the overnight test! So it was a very productive weekend. I like productive. :)

Time to pack for instructor's camp! I'm looking forward to Grandmaster Lee's poomsae session. In the past, it's always been my favorite. Although I loved the pool session last year too. I'm glad we are doing that again. The first few times I went to instructor's camp, we didn't have a pool session. I love the water and in love TKD so it's an awesome combination. Last cycle, I did some of my daily training in my pool at home...it's different and the water resistance helps see if your form is correct.

In my session with my mentor today I went through my creative form. She said it looked ok...no strange or awkward moves...so now I just need to practice it about a 1000 times in the next few weeks! We also had a good family class tonight and I finished up my requirements while watching Michigan play Purdue. They won with a buzzer beater...very exciting game!

This double stick section C is kicking my behind! I need to practice it earlier in the day, I think. Going to class after a full day when my brain is ready for a rest may not be the best time for me to try to work on this. I'll keep plugging away and eventually I will get it. Today was a frustrating day at work. I wish I could have come to noon class at Master Evins', it would have been the perfect way to de-stress. But I had a meeting until 11:15 and it takes me 30 min to get there. Plus I needed a full hour at lunch to work on requirements. As soon as cycle is over I can get back to Tues/Thurs noon classes over there again. Ok, gotta finish up my requirements...

I got tons of poomsaes and self defenses in today. I did some poomsaes this morning during a boring section of a conference call, more at noon class, then several in family class. And Instr Lloyd was my ukie before family class...we went through tons of self-defenses. Rick and I did our 10th mentee session today too. I got 2 miles in at noon and then another 2.8 miles this afternoon with my mentee (work mentee, not TKD). Only 2 weeks before the physical and written test...yikes.

Today I completed my empathy training. I went for 12 hours with the use of only one arm. I'll save all the details for my essay, but let's just say it was a frustrating day and I was counting down the time until I had use of both my hands again. I'm so fortunate to be in good health! I also did a lot of (one handed) research and writing of my Korean History essay. I pecked my way to another 3 pages. Today was a physical recovery day. I did a lot of jump rope and sparring rounds and a few poomsaes (remembering what Instructor Auerbach taught us on the last cycle), but spent about 5 hours on my Korean history research.

So glad today is Friday! It was a long day. Work meetings seemed to drag on, traffic was a bear, even my normal 2 mi run seemed long. Jess made the school softball team! Softball is her favorite team sport, so I'm really happy for her. I look forward to watching her play. Well, I need to get on the rest of my requirements. We did a lot of poomsaes in BB class tonight, but I have a lot to catch up on now!

Tonight I chose to have a family dinner. It's been forever since just the 4 of us have eaten dinner together. So although I still have leadership credits to earn and classes to take, tonight I chose my family. Tae Kwon Do has won a lot of nights. Tonight, the family wins. The past few weeks, I have rarely been able to hear more than short snippets about the kids' days, so it's been good so far tonight to hear about Ben's day at Discovery Place, Jess' world history test and softball tryouts, etc. I got most of my requirements done at lunchtime. Just a few left to finish tonight, so it's time to get on it.

Today was a full day. I had to be in the office early in the morning and I had a couple good meetings there, then I went to LKN for noon class. We got in a run, as well as mentor and mentee sessions. Then I worked form home in the afternoon. I got most of my push ups and sit ups as well as a few poomsaes this afternoon while I was thinking about work and doing some planning. Then it was off to teach family class and finish my requirements. My knee seems a bit better today, hopefully it's on the mend.

Tonight we had a BB make up class, then PMAA class. I had all my push ups, sit ups, burpees, etc done at noon time today along with a few poomsaes. Then tonight I went for a run, went to BB class, had a mentor and mentee session, then PMAA class. I have just a bit of my cold left, but feel nearly normal...just a headache, cough, and runny nose left. My knee still flares up, but it doesn't hurt too bad. The swelling is more of an uncomfortable feeling. Basketball for the kids is finally over! On to spring sports. Jess is trying out for the softball team this week. So that changes the schedule around a bit...keeps me on my toes!

Today was a normal workday for me, but both kids were off school, so it didn't feel like a normal work day. I ran for the first time in several days due to being sick and the weather. About 3/4 mile in my knee started to hurt. It swelled up just enough to be annoying later in the day. I got both a mentoring session in and got a mentee session in..thank goodness. I'm behind in sessions with my mentor. I'll try to get caught up on those this week. I got to family class early and got some requirements in beforehand, then taught family class and got a lot of requirements in during that class as well. So I just have a few min worth to do before bed! Yeah!

Today I was the snowboarding support crew. I am still not 100 percent, but I did feel better today. I drove Scott and the kids to Sugar Mountain and helped them get on the slopes. Then Roxy and I went for a 3 mile walk/hike in an around the resort. My knee wasn't swollen this am, but it did swell up during our walk. Then I wrote another essay. We met the crew for lunch, then after lunch I found a spot on the snow covered golf course to work on my creative poomsae. Then I needed to rest my knee, but within 30 min the crew was ready to head home. I drove them home and started the laundry. I had recorded the Michigan basketball game, so we watched that and I did requirements. Now it's time to do some more requirements, finish the laundry, and get to bed. I...

I'm sick and cranky. I had a fever last night and my nose is a leaky faucet. I'm exhausted from blowing my nose all day. I had to stuff tissues in my nose while doing push ups and burpees so that I didn't drip on the floor. I spent about 2 1/2 hrs researching for my history of Korea essay today as well. I need to get started on my creative poomsae as well. As soon as I feel like I'm making decent progress, I'm reminded of all the requirements left and suddenly I'm feeling overwhelmed again.

In the past 20 years I could count on 1 hand the number of times I've gotten more than a cough and runny nose. I was just sick 2 weeks ago and felt fully normal for the past 5-6 days. At 12:30 or 1 I went for a walk. It was too slushy to run and my knee is still a bit swollen. At about 2 pm today I started feeling really crummy. Stuffed up, runny nose, headache. About 3pm my stomach and head hurt and I was feeling exhausted. At 5pm my. Head was hot and my body was freezing. I took some cold medicine and I feel a little better. I'm doing my requirements super slow tonight to keep my head from exploding.

My day started with a really early conference call and then I had back-to-back meetings from 7am to 3pm with only a 20 min break at lunch. By 3pm I couldn't wait to get out of the house. It was nice while on my calls to watch the big fluffy flakes fall. But I was feeling cooped up so I spent 2 hrs shoveling the driveway. That snow was heavy! I haven't been running, so it was a good substitute! The snow seemed perfect for a snowman, so I couldn't resist. I built 2 snowmen. Ben was shoveling the sidewalk and removing the pile of snow in a corner of our house next to the foundation. Now, 2 hrs alter, my left knee is swollen. I don't remember doing anything to it. I'll ice it tonight and take some Tylenol. Now, on to my requirements...

I'm used to working at home...alone. With the snow, everyone was here this afternoon. I miss my silence. If I didn't have to work, it would be different. But I still have conference call after conference call and I had to go upstairs to my bedroom so that I could concentrate and the folks on the other end of my conference calls weren't distracted by background noise. I did some requirements at noon with Ben (while he did his baseball homework) and I've been working on the rest this evening while the kids went sledding and I'm watching basketball.

I was really hoping to get a leadership credit and PMAA class in tonight. But the impending storm caused schools to close and classes to cancel. I live in Mooresville and we haven't had a flake fall yet. It looks like we will get some tomorrow, but so far it's cold and dry. I also started my white belt challenge this week. Hopefully I will be able to get some more classes in this week! If it really does snow 7-10 inches, schools could be closed through Friday. I'm trying to get some additional physical requirements in lieu of classes. Speaking of which....time to get back at it!

Yep, been studying the muscle diagram. My left calf, also known as the gastrocnemius, was so tight today. It loosened up on the second half of my run, but then after working for a while (sitting), it tightened right back up. It's just paying the price from the 10 jump rope rounds on Saturday! I'm dreading the 10 page Pre-Korea History essay. The past 15 years, I've been training to read 10 pages of text and make a single, summary PowerPoint page using visuals vs words. Its all about being concise in my world. So writing 10 pages where being concise only lengthens the task is not something I'm looking forward to.

I love the sunny days in NC! Hearing that another cold front is coming through, I was determined to make the most out of this gorgeous day. Made muffins this morning, did about 3/4 of my requirements (with Ben while he did his baseball homework), took the kids to their baseball and softball lessons, ran a few errands, then went for a run. My legs are really tired from yesterday. They feel like they weigh an extra 10-15 pounds. But I'd rather run now and take a day off when it's 30 degrees out. I've got steaks marinating and ready to grill for dinner! The kids are outside playing basketball now in the driveway. :)

Both black belt class and sparring class were excellent today. Very productive, a lot of good review, a great workout. I can tell already that I'll be sore. But it's a good sore. We (the family) also got the house cleaned. Scott and the kids worked on it a lot while I was in class, which was great. It was so nice out this afternoon that I decided to grill. And it is supposed to be nice tomorrow too so I'm planning to grill again. I heard cold weather could be right around the corner. I'm ready for spring.

Ahhhh....home. Finally. Today I had to get into the office early so I'm running short on sleep (about 4 hrs). But I got a full work day in, went to black belt class, had a mentoring session with Rick, ran, and came home to finish requirements. My left leg, on the front/inside, has been very painful the past 2 weeks. I kept ignoring it thinking it would go away soon, but it's really lingering. I hope it heals soon.

I'm at the airport waiting. I was supposed to fly out yesterday at 5pm. The snowstorm changed that plan. Today I was supposed to fly out at 2pm. I've had 9 departure time updates...all worse. So I was working until a few minutes ago and now I can't concentrate on work, I just want to get home. So I'm doing requirements instead. Lots of crazy looks, but you gotta do what you gotta do. It'll help pass the time and work out some of my stress.

Snow, snow and more snow. At least 18 inches fell here. I was reminded how much I dislike cleaning snow off the car. Ugh. When they cancelled my flight, the airline rebooked me for a Fri morning flight. After 30 min on the phone, I got a flight tomorrow afternoon at 2pm. I dont arrive until 6:30pm, but at least I'm only 1 day delayed. This evening I got all my requirements in except pull ups and running. I've struggled with those two on the road, so I will have a lot of make up to do this weekend.

There's a big storm on its way. Most people give me less than a 40 percent chance of making it home tomorrow. They are calling for heavy snow tonight, 6-10 inches. They are equipped to deal with it here, so no discussion of closing schools, offices, etc...not even delays. I just hope it can make it home. Gotta go start my requirements...it'll be a long night.

Spent most of the day traveling to MA today. Left the house at 8am, got delayed on the Tarmac in Charlotte, had to run to my plane in DC, arrived in Albany to snow flurries. As I drove over the mountain to MA it just kept snowing harder and harder. I arrived in the office a little after 3pm and worked until 6, then off to a business dinner. I just got to my hotel room (8:30). I'm still sick, but getting better, so I'm trying to convince myself I'm not exhausted from coughing and blowing my nose all day so I can start my requirements! On the positive side, I read a lot of my book while on the plane.

Ugh. I slept ok once I stopped coughing, but I still feel terrible. I think I've gone through a half a box of tissue just this morning. It's always worse in the morning when everything starts draining, so I'm hoping in a few more hours I feel better. Today I have to run errands, take Jess to a hitting lesson, watch the Michigan basketball game at 1pm (I will do requirements during the game), and then watch the Super Bowl. With me having this cold it's probably best if I watch it alone, but hopefully the rest of the family can go watch with friends. Oh, and I did write another essay last night!

I have a cold and feel miserable. My head is going to explode. My nose is runny, I'm tired from coughing, my body hurts,... If this virus can be sweated or flushed out, then I should be better by tomorrow because the sparring seminar had me sweating my behind off. And I drank over 96 oz of water so far today. So let's hope I can kick this fast. I'm ahead in all my physical requirements, so I'm going to give my body the night off and read my book and work on an essay.

Thank goodness it's Friday. I had to get Ben packed and dropped off to school. He's leaving at noon with a friend and going to their family land in the VA mountains. It's a cabin with no electricity or running water. I'm glad it's him and not me! Then I had to go to the office for a few meetings, then this afternoon to the end-of-the-season swim party. I have to send another email or two and then I'm officially done for the season. It was a great season and I really enjoyed the kids (well, most of them) but I need to swap my focus on Tues, Thurs, and Saturdays to TKD. Went to BB class and had a mentoring and mentee session tonight. Now I need to go finish my requirements.

It doesn't feel like Thursday because of the snow days. But I'm glad it is. Jess had a stomach virus Mon night and Tues. I got home after Ben's basketball game in Concord and it appears Scott may have it. He hasn't thrown up yet, but he feels really sick. I can't afford to get it so I'm staying away. I was the one who stayed home and cleaned up after Jess, so I'm really praying I stay healthy. I got 2 essays done last night and started my book today. Time to get back at my requirements...

Usually when I work at home, it's just Roxy and I. With school out and our office closed, all 4 of us were home today. I miss my silence! I did requirements throughout the day, between each meeting. With poomsaes I focused on my re chamber during the color belt poomsaes then did all my staff forms twice. I did the color belt self defenses doing all the 1s, then all the 2s, etc. Ben has to do 30 push ups, sit ups and squat jumps every day for baseball, so we've been doing them together and he's my ukie for self defense. Thank goodness Ben is off to school tomorrow. Jess is still out though...

Mother Nature certainly put a wrinkle in my plan for the day. I was planning to get a weekday black belt class in tonight at LKN. But with schools closing early and the snow coming down, I had to go to plan B. So instead, I did extra requirements. After I got my daily requirements in, I rewarded myself by doing just 5 push ups or 2 burpees or a single poomsae. This way I still ended up above my daily, but it felt great to do the smaller increments. School is cancelled for tomorrow for my kids, so the normal class schedule may be interrupted again. I also have a colleague in from MA and have a business dinner tomorrow, so my evening is shot. :/

Is it really only Monday? It feels like it should be Tuesday or Wednesday already. I'm tired and a bit beat down. I may reward myself with a day off this week. But I hate having requirements hanging over my head, so we will see if I go through with it. The Hartles are all sick so we were a bit short-handed at family class tonight. Thank goodness Instr Lloyd and the Jolly ladies were there!

This morning I had a great RAOK. Usually my RAOK's are picking up trash along the road, putting away shopping carts, hanging up clothes from the floor at stores, etc. But this morning when I was at Walmart shopping, there was an elderly gentleman in an electric wheelchair that I saw trying to reach for something on the shelf. I asked him if I could help and he was grateful. I ended up shopping with him for the next 20 min, getting what he needed for him, debating name brand vs generic, etc. he must have been a bit lonely as well because he shared a lot about himself and asked me questions about my family. I think both of our mornings were 100 times better than planned! I know I walked away feeling great. This afternoon I went for a 4 mile run. The longest I normally run is 2...

Today after class I ran home and then took the Pine Lake MS swim team to a meet down at Charlotte Latin. Several of my swimmers swam their best times, but I was a really big meet with a lot of talent. Overall, I'm really proud of our team. They are good sports and give great effort. I need to work on the mental toughness for a few of them, but they are young, so there's hope yet. :) When we got back at 7pm, about half the team went to dinner together at Fuel. As soon as I got home, I turned on the recording of the Michigan basketball game and finished out some requirements while watching the game. And my Wolverines won!! Go Blue!

So glad it's Friday! I wimped out running today because of the cold. The kids both had basketball games this evening too. So my requirements suffered a bit. But I will make up for it on Sunday.

Today I had to go into the office early. I didn't do my first requirement until after 2pm. So I had like a half day vacation for requirements. And since I've been doing a little more than I've needed to daily, I decided to only do about half of my requirements for the day. On the one hand it was kind of nice to have a break. But I don't have the type of personality that can enjoy it stress-free. It stresses me out to have things I know I need to do hanging over my head. Sometimes I wish I wasn't like that. That I could just sit back and relax and forget about it. But, because I'm like that, I accomplish a lot more than I would otherwise. And it makes me happy when I accomplish something. So, its just who I am.

Today I had to go into the office early. I didn't do my first requirement until after 2pm. So I had like a half day vacation for requirements. And since I've been doing a little more than I've needed to daily, I decided to only do about half of my requirements for the day. On the one hand it was kind of nice to have a break. But I don't have the type of personality that can enjoy it stress-free. It stresses me out to have things I know I need to do hanging over my head. Sometimes I wish I wasn't like that. That I could just sit back and relax and forget about it. But, because I'm like that, I accomplish a lot more than I would otherwise. And it makes me happy when I accomplish something. So, its just who I am.

I'm a box of Rice Krispies. I'm all snap, crackle, pop. It takes until midday that I get all soggy and my joints and bones aren't popping and cracking. A sign of age, I suppose. I'm finally over the soreness from push ups. I can tell I'm getting stronger (again). It's so depressing that I know (from experience) that if I were to take two weeks off right now, I'd be back at square one. Sigh. Well, at least I'm making good progress on requirements. I have a short (3 day) business trip coming up the first week of Feb, so I know I'll need to get ahead on a few things anyway.

Whew! It's been a long day. Started at 6am, worked all day, went to noon class at N Charlotte, went to Ben's basketball game, brought home a few extra kids to feed, went to swim practice, then did some housework, then started working on meet entries for Saturday. I'm ready for bed! Luckily I got most of my requirements in early in the morning and right after noon class. Only had about 20 min worth I had to do late tonight.

Today was Monday, but it didn't feel like a Monday since the kids were out of school. I had to work this morning, starting at 6am, then at noon I left to go coach my middle school swim team. The swim meet went well...we took 2nd out of 8 teams. I got home about 6:30pm from the swim meet and did requirements for an hour then went to pick up Ben from baseball practice. Now I need to finish my requirements and head to bed...hopefully by about 10pm!

The soreness from the pre-test started kicking in this evening. I have a spot on my upper thigh that cramped yesterday which is sore and my arms, shoulders, and back are all really sore. So today I broke my requirements into really small bites. This too shall pass... Scott left for a business trip this morning and will be back late Tuesday night. The next 2 days will be crazy shuttling both kids to basketball, baseball, school, etc. It will definitely take some of my spare time that I normally spend on requirements. I tried to cook a lot today so that I don't have to spend time preparing dinners the next 2 days, so hopefully that helps.

I needed to catch up on family stuff today so I got up early and left the house at 7am to go grocery shopping. Then, it was off to the pre-test. I don't think I've run 4miles without stopping in 20 years or more. I need to shave about a minute a mile off my time. I'm so sore from the first few days that I did not do very well on my push ups and v-sit ups. I stayed for sparring class then headed home to tackle the laundry. Tonight I'll finish my requirements while watching the Michigan-Wisconsin basketball game.

I had to go into the office early today and then straight to Ben's basketball game (I was filling in for the scorekeeper). At lunch, I spent an hour with my work mentee and we walked in the business park while we had our mentoring session. So this evening, I had to start from scratch other than my miles. I'm nearly done after just over 2 hrs. With pre-test being tomorrow, I want to get some rest too. Not to mention that our household is already feeling the effects of me being on cycle...laundry is piling up and threes no milk in the house. I'll have to find better balance in the coming weeks.

Day 2 and I'm sore already. I wish I could say I welcome it like an old friend. But truthfully, I'm not feeling that way. It's more like welcoming a necessary, but not enjoyable relative. I have more of a grin and bear it attitude about it now. I'm crazy busy with the kids in the heart of basketball season, I'm coaching the Pine Lake middle school swim team, cycle, and 40-50 hr work weeks. Maybe it'll be better once swim team is over on the 25th.

It seems strange that when if finish this cycle I will be a master. I don't feel worthy of a master. There's also ways been a "wow-factor" with the people I've known who are masters and I don't feel I really have that kind of "wow-factor". On the other hand, my work sensei (kaizen coach) used to tell me that I will master a skill once I've done it 10,000 times. Trust me, a lot of the color belt techniques, I know I've done at least 10,000 times! And each cycle adds a 1,000 or more...

I'll probably still journal, but at least the monkey is off my back and my required number of journal entries are done. One more thing to cross of the list. My toe continues to challenge me. I've learned to keep my weight off the right side of my foot so that walking is not a problem. Jumping or running I still very painful. And I still can't put a shoe on. I'm glad I can still wear sandals!

There are a few items I've either finished or I'm close...I can see the finish line. I wish I could say that for more of them. I've sacrificed time with my kids, housework, time with my friends, and time for myself. I look forward to getting some of that back...at least until next cycle.  My family and friends have been very supportive. I'm thankful for that. 

A colleague of mine at work had a set of TKD Encyclopedias she gave me.  She was going to take them to Goodwill. It turns out there are 15 ~300 page books written by General Choi!  There were also 5 paperbacks written by Jhoon Rhee!  Although all the forms are ITF, there's a lot of really good information about TKD in general, the history, philosophy, etc.  Here's one I had not seen yet:  the 9 training secrets of TKD.  I look forward to reading these!

Sunday was a complete day of rest. My toe is still very painful. I still can't wear a shoe. When walking barefoot or with sandals, I've learned to compensate so that I don't put any pressure on the toe when walking.  Ben had a baseball tournament in Morganton this weekend so we'd leave the house at 8:30am and got back at 5pm Saturday and 8pm on Sunday. Sunday I didn't think we'd be back so late, but the games went long with extra innings for tie breakers and such. And when I got home, I had to get groceries so the kids had food for lunch, we had milk, etc.  At 9pm I was home and decided I had worked ahead enough to just take the day off and go to bed. So today I was back at it.  Running is super painful and barefoot, and I really want this toe...

I overdid it yesterday. My toe was throbbing again last night and kept me up half the night. So I tried to be more careful and take it easy today. I hate all these requirements hanging over my head. It stresses me out. So I tried to do less that causes pain in my toe, but I'm so driven to get this stuff done that I prefer to be mentally tough and ignore the pain. It wasn't easy to stop walking after 3/4 of a mile, but I did. Sit ups and push ups don't hurt it at all so I will try to make up for the lack of miles with more of those. 

The theme for the day, is "do what I can"...and not hurt myself further.  I iced my toe several times today and did everything with care on my right foot.  Pivoting on the heel of my foot slowly to avoid putting pressure on my toe, jump roping on my left foot only, etc. I can't wear any kind of shoe yet, but it is better. Heal toe, heal...  Today I had a lot of thinking work to do so I got some extra requirements in while thinking through things.

Yep....I definitely hurt my toe. Swollen and discolored. Couldn't run on it and even walking I can't put any pressure on it without a lot of pain.  Every time I turned over last night I woke up from the pain too. Someone at work looked at it and thought it was broken, but it's a pinky toe so it really doesn't matter. I just need it to heal. I've been icing it on and off. So it looks like I will be walking a few miles instead of running the next day or so.  I tried jump roping but based on the amount of pain, I'm thinking I'm doing more harm than good. I tried jumping just on my left foot, but then my shin splints were killing me.  I will try again tomorrow. 

I banged my pinky toe on my right foot tonight at PMAA class. Ow!  Between the shin splints on my left leg, hamstring on my left leg, and pinky toe on my right, I'm feeling quite beat up.  My toe is fat and I can't touch it without serious pain. I hope it heals while I sleep tonight. 

Today was a decent day.  Had 3 hrs of conference calls, then did some individual work, then went to work out at noon at LKN dojang with Master Chelley.  Got a the good news on the 3 wild cards...I'm definitely using mine for sparring class.  I went to the office this afternoon, then picked up the kids and went to teach family class.  Now I have a conference call for work, then off to try to roll out my shin and hamstring.  The pain will bring on a sweat, so I will head into the shower and off to bed!

Today I ran errands and did housework until 6pm. Jess said I should get 30 RAOKs, but these were just "mom duties"did worked on my requirements for about 2 hrs after dinner. I really wanted to just sit and read a book, but I knew I couldn't until I got my requirements done.  So now I need to go get a shower and hopefully I can read for a while before falling asleep. I before bed I will try to use a styrofoam roller on my hamstring and shin. I can't kick above my waist and my stride while running was really short.  I'm trying to go easy so that it heals faster....not easy to do though. 

At black belt class today I re injured my left hamstring.  Add that to my shin splints and I'm hobbling around.  But it's temporary and its not life threatening.  As Brady Hoke (Michigan Football coach) would say, "she's got a boo-boo". Today I did most of my requirements while watching the Michigan-Akron football game. It helps make the requirements go fast, but what a suspenseful game. Way more suspenseful than it should have been. To make that many turnovers and still win a game is lucky.  I need to get to bed...a lot of errands and housework to be done tomorrow.  

Today was a day where I got to split my time amongst several important elements. I spent significant chunks of my day working, doing community service, training, watching Ben play soccer, and running errands.  For community service, we had a group of about 15 people meet at North Meck Park to paint a shelter and mulch for 4 hrs. The park folks were really happy with our work, so that was good.  Today I had to spend time developing an action plan to work on my development needs. I had to really sit back and about think it.  While I was thinking, I decided to do some poomsaes. I found I was able to do color belt poomsaes on auto pilot and still think about work. It was pretty cool, really because I'd get lost in thought and suddenly find that I had finished the poomsae.

I got about 80 percent of my requirements done during my morning conference calls from 7-11am. At lunch I went for a hot, humid run. The it was off to the office for meetings until 5:30. I had about 30 min before sparring class and did some more requirements, then took sparring class. I ran out of there to pick up Jess from the ball field, came home, had dinner, and now I'm ready to crash.  

This afternoon owe had a work team-bonding session at the White Water Rafting Center. I've actually never been before.  It was great!  We only had about 3 hours there, which wasn't nearly enough. But I did a really challenging ropes course and went white water rafting. We had a 10 min wait before rafting, so I jogged on the sidewalk to get short run in. I didn't have my phone on me, but I'm guessing it was about a mile.  We left right at 5pm so that I could get back to teach family class. I got there early and got a bunch of requirements in, then finished the rest tonight after class at home. Now I have to go hop on a conference call with one of my colleagues in Korea!

I finally got another sparring class in tonight. I had to leave Jess' tennis match before it was over (she was down 5-6 when I left, and Ended up losing). But I got a sparring class and PMAA class in. I ran at noon and got a bunch of other requirements in at the park while waiting to watch Jess play.  Work today fine today, nothing earth shattering, good or bad. 

Today was a normal Monday....finally!  Kids off to school, conference calls starting at 7:30 and non-stop through 4:30 (although I snuck out for an hour a lunch for noon class at LKN). Picked up kids from soccer and tennis then went to teach family class. Finally got some leadership credits in!  Did a bunch of requirements during my morning conference calls. I'd love to get down to noon class at N Charlotte tomorrow, but I don't think my work tomorrow will allow me the 2 hrs out of the middle of the day...especially if I want to leave around 4:30 to catch some of Jess' tennis match tomorrow. They only play through the first week of Oct and I missed the last few while traveling.

What a weekend!  Saturday morning I got up early and ran errands from 7-9:30am. Then I took Jess to her tennis lesson, ran another errand, then picked Ben up at home and we were off to the airport. While waiting for our flight, Ben attacked me and we got in self defenses. He was uncomfortable with all the stares, but I just made it goofy and fun. We flew to Detroit and went to my former roommate's house for an early dinner, then off to park for the football game.  With the record crowd (115,109 people!), we had to park 2.3 miles away. (I got my run in by convincing Ben to jog it, although we did a lot of dodging people!). It was an awesome game. Michigan beat Notre Dame 41-30 at their last scheduled game in The Big House. We walked back to the car and got to the...

Yesterday was a lot of travel...3 hrs in a car and another 2.5 on an airplane. I got a lot of meditation in yesterday. I focused on breathing in for 7 seconds and out for 11.  I also got feedback in a mid-year appraisal from my manager and contemplated his observations and recommendations.  The first requirements I got in yesterday were at the airport waiting for boarding. I found a space big enough and ignored the stares. I had on dress clothes but took off my shoes, so I'm sure I was an unusual sight. Today I had to be in the office early but started on my requirements around 2:30pm while at the DMV.  There was no way I was going to sit there and wait in a chair when I had requirements to knock out!  I just finished around 9pm and I feel good about what I completed. I...

In my daily struggles ton balance it all, work won.  I'm traveling so I have no kid duties or house chores, and yet between work, TKD, and time for myself, work was the winner by far.  Since I came to meet 2 very important men from Saudi Arabia for all day meetings, I suppose that's appropriate. I did get some requirements in after work before out team dinner. And then a few after returning from dinner, but I fell short big time yesterday.

This morning I got the remainder of my house chores done and went for a run.  Then I ran errands and finished laundry. I had to leave home by 2:45pm for another business trip. I'm traveling with a colleague and we arrived in Hartford this evening. We stopped for dinner so now it's nearly 10pm and I just got to my hotel room.  I will put an hour or so in on requirements, but we have an early start leaving here at 6:30 tomorrow morning, and a big day ahead of us.  So I'll sacrifice some requirements for sleep today.  But I've built a small cushion in most areas just for this purpose...

Today was a struggle. I dreaded working on my requirements. I didn't even start until about 4pm. But then I went to the park where Ben was at a baseball clinic and ran, did poomsaes, self-defenses, kicks, etc. That took about 2 hours.  Then once I got home I started working on the other stuff. A day or two ago I bumped up my push up and sit up sets from 10 at a time to  15 at a time. I think that's making me dread them even more. I have to leave tomorrow afternoon for a business trip, so I will need to start earlier tomorrow!

Well, I made progress on all fronts (house cleaning, errands, TKD, etc), but I still have a lot to do tomorrow and Monday before I leave. Today getting my requirements done was "fresh".  I made a game out it while watching football. Anytime thre was a possession change, I did a set of sit ups and push ups. During drives, I did a self-defense set. During commercials I rotated through jump rope, sparring rounds, etc. I ended up doing more than my daily amount, so that's good. Now I'm so ready for bed!

Today I felt behind in everything...work (catch ups on normal work from traveling), kids's school stuff, house chores, errands, laundry, and of course TKD.  I got mostly caught up on laundry, ran about 1/3 of the errands, did about 1/4 of the house chores, mostly caught up on the kids' stuff, and got most of my requirements done, including BB class at LKN.  I need another good day tomorrow and Sunday because I have to leave Monday afternoon for another week long business trip!

Left at midnight Saudi Arabia time and now halfway home. One six hour flight down and a 5 hour layover nearly over. Jogged through the airport with my bags pretending I'm about to miss my flight.   :). Since I have another 10 hr flight to go I kept the pace just below breaking out in a sweat. Did some poomsaes and self defenses at slow pace in a corner of the lounge. Got a few push ups and sit ups in, but again, trying not to smell up the plane. Can't wait to get home. 

Yeah!  Today I get to check out of the hotel and I will begin my travel home around midnight.  It's a long day...up at 6am, work a full day and start the long journey home.  I leave on Wed & get back on Thursday.

Worked a full day then skipped dinner to go to the gymWe had some fruit for dinner now off to the airport to go to Jubail (still in Saudi Arabia). 

After spending all day yesterday traveling then catching up on sleep/jet lag, today was a work day and then I got to go to the gym at the hotel. They've improved the women's gym since I was here in May. For starters, this is Saudi Arabia, so there's a men's gym and a women's gym.  The men have a huge swimming pool, full basketball court, tons of equipment, etc. I'm told this by my male colleagues, since I can't enter. The women's gym is now decent. Last time it was a small room with 1 treadmill, 1 bike, 1 elliptical all crammed in with no other space. Now it's much bigger with more equipment and more importantly, a space big enough to do poomsaes with mirrors, jump ropes, yoga mats, free weights, etc. It's actually really nice. (For $480/night it should be!). So I spent over 2 hrs in there tonight...

I worked and got a bunch off requirements done this morning. The afternoon was spent preparing for my trip (packing, spending some time  with Ben, picked Jess up from school, etc).  Now I'm at the airready preparing to sit for hours on end. 

I finally got a sparring class in.   The kids beat me up. I've got a sore thigh where a caught a heel to the muscle just above my knee and kick to my ankle bone.  Kids--cut your toenails!  I left bleeding too. Marcus did a great job teaching. It's been fun watching him grow and mature.  1 down, 14 to go.

Ugh.  I was on conference calls all day.  I did get a lot of requirements done while people were going on and on about a topic. And we took a 20 min lunch break so I went for a run and got 1.6 miles in. Then I taught family class and ran Jess to/from softball. Ben came home today!  Yeah!  I have only seems him for 2 days in the past 4 weeks and I have to leave Friday on a business trip, so I want to absorb him.  :)

Our CEO was in town which meant a lot of time in the office and dinner with work folks.  I didn't get home until 9. Luckily I got a bunch of requirements done early today. But I just finished up another 30 min worth and now I'm sweating before bed. :(.  

I had 3 hours of conference calls this morning and got a ton of requirements done during those calls.  Usually I get impatient when one if my long-winded colleagues starts going on and on, but today I start did a round of push ups and sit ups or a poomsae or self-defense. It was a win-win. I had most of my requirements done before 2 pm including a noon class, and then I taught family class and took the adult class to a got some bonus requirements in. Since I will be traveling soon, I'm glad to get a bit ahead. 

Today we spent the bulk of the day at Great Wolf Lodge, then went shopping to get a few last minute things before school starts.  Ben is off to the beach with a friend for a few days and left this evening.  I've barely seen him the last 3 weeks. Although I didn't get a lot of physical requirements done, I got a ton of RAOKs by clearing dishes for others, helping other parents with their kids, picking up clothes that had fallen at stores and hanging them back up, returning stray shopping carts, etc. 

This morning was dedicated to TKD, then we were off to Great Wolf Lodge. My company is having our picnic here so they got a discount to stay the night. What a great weekend to play at an indoor waterpark with all the rain!  I love watching the kids have a good time. 

workiWork started early this am but during the 4 hrs of back-to-back conference calls I got a lot of requirements in. Love that mute button on the phone!  Went to black belt class tonight. I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle in my right pectoral muscle because its still killing me. Pull ups make me want to cry. My dad and Ben drove here today from MO...so happy to see my baby boy!  I've missed him.

I had nearly all my requirements done before TKD+ and BB class, so it was a good day from that perspective. My right pec is still so, so sore. But I will live. I had to take Jess shopping after classes tonight, so now it is time for  a shower and bed.  

My pecs are so sore that I swear the muscles are going to snap when I do push ups. I know I will get over it, but it can't come too soon. Today I had about half of my requirements in by 1pm, then I did another big set in the 45 min I had between dropping Jess off at softball practice and the parent athletics meeting at the school. And now I'm finishing up the balance. Except jump rope...I have to go outside or to the basement to jump rope, which should not be a big deal, but I always seems to skip a day or so and then double up.  off to get a few more sets of push ups and sit ups in, then off to bed. I have an early start tomorrow!

Today I had a ton of meetings and had to spend the entire afternoon in the office...then I had a board of director's meeting for Ben's school.  So it was a day just working out on my own with no classes (which felt strange).  But, I did push ups, sit ups, poomsaes, etc in my office between meetings, ran at lunch time, and now I'm finishing up. While I missed classes this evening, it was good to volunteer my time to help the school. Last year we finally secured a new location ( which has been a goal of the board for the past 3 years) and we met at the new location, saw the construction, and it felt really good.  We could all smile at the accomplishment!

I am tired and sore now.  I need more rest.  But, I just got home from picking up Jess from softball practice and work starts at 7am tomorrow... But I think I have the 3rd Dan 1-steps memorized. I still need to work on them, they aren't fluent in my brain yet, but with a pause or two, I can remember them all now. I'm not sure why this set seemed so difficult for me to remember, but it was.  

At noon, Roxy and I went for a 3 mile run.  Anticipating how hot we'd be, I wore my swimsuit and went directly to the pool to cool down afterwards. (Master Burkhart, you'll be doing this soon, too!  :) ). It was great to lay on the tanning shelf with my ears under the water and meditate...listening to my breathing slowly return to normal.  I completed all my self defenses against Scott in the pool and all my kicks. Today I did all Wang Ho poomsaes.  I had all my requirements done by about 5pm and it felt great to have it behind me for the day. 

Cycle is officially kicked off at the 10am meeting today.  So here we go...  And Master Evins is so right about his comment that we will all hit a point where we don't think we will get all our requirements done. This cycle is a little different for me since I'm auditing this cycle (I will test for my fourth degree during the spring cycle).  Each cycle I've completed has been different, in more ways than 1. I'm looking forward to seeing what this cycle brings...

Just got back from running in my neighborhood. Every minor incline seemed like a huge hill. Dark, quiet and peaceful, but oh so muggy!  At least it's done.  I got a lot of classes in this week which is good since I have to travel at the end of this month.