Candidate Journals

It's getting down to the wire. Had a great training session with Master Knight yesterday. We reviewed most of the weapons and Palgwe forms. Tomorrow, we leave for the BB retreat. It's going to be a great weekend.

I submitted my last essay, Community Project, this evening. As each day passes, I'm getting closer to my goals. I'm looking forward to our meeting/training tomorrow morning. Hopefully no surprises!

We had a great turn out and event at the Hopebuilders 5K last Saturday. I've ran more these past three months than my entire life. The end of the cycle is approaching with the AAU tournament this weekend. Stay strong.

Another day of confirmation that I'm really getting a handle on my material. Worked out with Master Evins and the other school owners to go over self defense/hapkido material. I knew most of it without hesitation. Three more weeks!

I gave my all today at the final physical test. I think I improved on everything. The time on my four miles was 41:17, much better than last time of 49:09. The first time I ran it, I did it very cautiously. The second time, I tried to get it under 40 minutes, but couldn't. We have the retreat in a couple of weeks and then the test!

During yesterday's BB and PMAA class, it validated my thoughts on all of my training and progress. I feel I'm 90% ready. Julia and I need to work on our creative form, which is to be completed before the retreat. I'm at the point where students can ask me questions and I'm able to demonstrate or answer them with a high level of certainty.

Things are coming together! I'm finally getting a better grasp of all of the changes within our taeguk forms to align with Kukkiwon. I know my weapon requirements. I still need to become more proficient with my hapkido, but it's coming together!

Time waits for no one. This Saturday, we'll have our final physical test along with the written test. Then after that, we only have FOUR more weeks till our black belt test. My students feel it's taking forever, yet they still want more time to get all accomplished. I feel the same way.

We had testing on Wednesday and Thursday. I'm very pleased to see everyone do so well. The school is growing slowly, but it's growing. It's nice to get hugs by the little students. They make it worthwhile.

I'm feeling a little better this morning. This week is going to be busy with testing at Bemont and PMAA beach training this weekend. I wish the weather at the beach would be better. Looks like we're expecting rain all day on Saturday. Looking forward to attending PMAA this evening. Things are starting to "click" now.

Feeling like blah. I think when I powerwashed my parent's house, I must have inhaled the cleaner. My nasal passages are irritated and I feel congested. My strength is still good, but my head feels like it's in the clouds. I hope to shake this off by Wednesday, when we hold testing in Belmont.

I had a great birthday weekend in Fayetteville. I was surrounded by family and wonderful food. This morning, I interviewed my parents and saved it as a video file for me to keep forever. Looking forward to another great week.

I'm excited to head to Fayetteville today with my boys. I have not seen my parents in months and they're excited to see us as well. I'll be celebrating my birthday in Fayetteville without Lori, but that's OK because she has to work this weekend anyway. I'm looking forward to all of the Korean FOOD that my mom will prepare. She's already called me this morning to see when I was departing. I'll get a lot of my essays done this weekend and will interview my dad as one of my heroes.

I've practiced tae kwon do almost half of my life. I've been an instructor about half of that time. I try to live the life that would be exemplary of a Master, but when someone harms your kids, all of that flies out the window. Noah expressed to me yesterday that he was being bullied by an older child. He was being teased due to his small stature. Luckily, Caleb was around and told him to stop and it ended there. I then found out Caleb saved Noah another time. This time, a child was on top of Noah covering his mouth and nose so he couldn't breath. Caleb pushed him off. (I'm still pissed off as I type). I told my boys if at any time someone touches them and they feel threatened, they can do whatever then need to in order to be safe. ANYTHING. Even if it means...

I am loving the fall like weather. The cool crisp air energizes me and want to be outside more. It makes me want to be with family and friends to reconnect and strengthen our bond. I feel refreshed and young. Fall is my season. 2015 is my year!!!

Mondays are always exciting because you get to set the tone for the rest of the week. Today, I started my morning with training with Master Evins and some of the other school owners. Only a few more weeks before testing in October. I'm still motivated and excited to test again.

We leave for Washington DC this afternoon to say farewell to Shirley. She's one of the kindest, most genuine and sweetest person you will ever meet. Rest in peace Shirley. You'll be missed by all.

My confidence in knowing the insurmountable knowledge is overwhelming at times. At times, I feel like I have a handle on the material, and then you realize you don't remember another part. There's still time to learn my material. Just need to stay focus and have faith in my instructors and myself. Failure is not an option.

Today started with a great training session with Master Evins and some of the other KT masters. All of the changes we're making to the program are starting to sink in too. My guys on the cycle are looking confident too. We have a big surprise at testing day. I hope it goes well!

These last couple of weeks have been filled with news of family and friends passing. People handle death differently. I used to shout Aiden's name as I drove down the interstate. In the middle of the night, I would walk into is room and just sob in the middle of the floor. I'm not afraid of death anymore. I don't have a death wish or want to die any earlier, but I'll accept it when it's my time. The news of Grandmaster Jung passing was the first time I cried for someone after Aiden. It was hard when Lori's grandmother passed away too. I know there is more after you pass away. There has to be.

I found out today that one of my friends from OT school lost her father last night in a vehicle accident. It reminds me how fragile our lives are. Make your life count and tell the ones you love that you love them. Rest in Peace Tom The Jazzman Mallison.

Hooray for three day weekends! It's been a relaxing weekend so far. The boys got to play with their cousins and Lori and I are just chillin. My legs are recovering after a "heavy" day of leg day. I was able to get 225 on the smith for two sets of 8 doing squats. Taking it a little easy on the requirements since most of them are done.

Got to the gym and went medium heavy on legs today! I can tell my endurance and power is no where near what it used to be, but I'm moving in the right direction. I would like to be back on stage next year.

Still learning as I move forward with my journey. I was finally able to get back into the gym this morning to work out my shoulders and abs. The gym is OK. Just OK. Nothing great about it at all except it's closer than the Gold's Gym in Gastonia. I get my work out in and I leave. I'm looking to grow a little more and would like to get back on stage next year. The left knee is still giving me some doubt when I move a certain way. One thing for sure is I've lost proprioception in that knee. I find that I lose balance easily now.

I can't believe it's already September. Only two more months until testing time! I feel like there is still so much for me to learn and do it well. Now that my legs are finally getting some feelings into them, it's time to hit the grind again. Looking forward to meeting the other masters tomorrow at LKN.

My Monday started with a Dr visit for Noah. They confirmed he's positive for Strep. When I called Lori of the news, she informed me the delivery guys didn't give her the 30 minute notice to deliver the armoire. So we rushed home from the Dr's office. When we pulled into the driveway, Lori was already home directing the two men as they maneuvered around the flower bed and up the stairs. Lori had been waiting over a year for this delivery. Before the men were dismissed, I noticed the door had been damaged during the delivery and so they loaded it back up and drove away. Lori was mad to say the least. She later left to fulfill her volunteer hours. Shortly after, I received a call that she was being verbally attacked due to a right-of-way issue on the road. Lori asked the woman if she used that language...

OMG. My legs are so sore. They hate me this morning and I hate climbing up and down the stairs. I like being sore after a workout, but this is just pain. The kids want me to play with them, but all I can offer them is, "hey, want to watch a movie today?"

The Pretest today was challenging and I'm glad it's over. My focus shifts towards getting my students ready to ensure they know their material in October. We basically have two full months to get ready! It's going to be a thriller night since it's on Halloween this year!

The first week of the cycle is nearly done with our pretest this Saturday. Can you believe I'm nervous???!!! All of the Belmont students have been working very diligently to get their requirements completed and I'm proud of all of them. We're meeting on Fridays from 5 pm until whenever to make sure we look sharp!

The first week of the cycle is nearly done with our pretest this Saturday. Can you believe I'm nervous???!!! All of the Belmont students have been working very diligently to get their requirements completed and I'm proud of all of them. We're meeting on Fridays from 5 pm until whenever to make sure we look sharp!

The first week of the cycle is nearly done with our pretest this Saturday. Can you believe I'm nervous???!!! All of the Belmont students have been working very diligently to get their requirements completed and I'm proud of all of them. We're meeting on Fridays from 5 pm until whenever to make sure we look sharp!

We've started implementing some of the PMAA teachings on Wednesdays at 5:30. That time used to be for Green - High Blue. This was a good change for the school and potentially saved one student from quitting.

I was able to get in a PMAA class this evening. The PMAA allows me to be a beginner student learning material as a student. This evening, I worked with a newer student so I played the instructor/student role. Good times.

Started the day with getting the kids ready for their first day back to school. All went well with no hitches. It's great to get back to my "normal" schedule where I can work and work-out without interruptions. The morning consisted of drinking coffee and talking with Lori about Shirley. We expect Shirley to pass very soon after a major stroke. It's a devastating blow to the entire family. They don't make women like Shirley anymore. She's kind and gentle with the warmest voice. My heart aches to know that Sheila, John, Mike and the girls are in so much pain. Live each day to the best you can. Say I''m sorry, I love you, hug more and laugh because that's what people will remember about you.

The cycle officially started yesterday and what a great way to get it started. We trained with Master Hama for two hours on our sparring drills. It feels good to be a student again and learn new material. I think my students liked that I was taking class with them too. We're all human and have a lot to learn. You can only get better by actively going after it!

A lot going on in my mind right now. I'm contemplating making significant changes at the Belmont location and I hope everything will work out in the end. There's so much on my mind in terms of the current building, finances, staffing and future add on programs. All is necessary for the success of the school.

It's been a real treat to have Master Hama staying with us. The boys got an impromptu training session with him today as we waited for the building management to take a look at our roof which currently leaks. I admire someone that can so generously give onto others. I'm looking forward to him working with the Belmont students today.

Started the day with taking Master Hama to Belmont for some sparring drills at 9 am. Only Chey, Leah and Jeran was there to train. Even after a short one hour with Master Hama, you can tell he has a lot to offer our students and help them to become better fighters. Apparently, Chey did not want to leave Lake Norman after her first session with him. He's a polite gentleman with a good heart. My boys have taken a strong liking to Master Hama as well.

We returned from Emerald Isle Beach this afternoon. You know what they say... The vacation is never long enough and that week always go by too quickly. I'm grateful for Inst Pam and TJ for teaching classes while I was gone. This Monday is a new week with Master Hama in town to teach our guys some sparring techniques. Bring it Monday!!!

We returned from Emerald Isle Beach this afternoon. You know what they say... The vacation is never long enough and that week always go by too quickly. I'm grateful for Inst Pam and TJ for teaching classes while I was gone. This Monday is a new week with Master Hama in town to teach our guys some sparring techniques. Bring it Monday!!!

Two black belt classes today and a sparring class led by Instructor Hsin. Overall, today was a great day. I was happy to see all of the Belmont people on the floor taking class with me. Tomorrow, my family leave for the beach for a whole week. I can't wait.

We had a Jedi Knight Night Training Parent Night Out this evening at the Belmont King Tiger School. After this evening, we may never do another Parent's Night out again. NEVER...

We made some modifications to our current class schedule to allow us to do more PMAA, weapons, and hapkido. I like the new change and it has sparked interests in my current BBs. We'll make this change permanent and allow other ranks to join us. Currently, it's only High Blue and up. This will allow the Belmont students to practice the weapon requirements and also meet their PMAA requirements for the BB cycle.

I got a chance to work with my BB this evening on Palgwe forms, basic forms and rolling. I'm please to see our guys doing so well on their technique. These guys will do me proud come Oct 31.

You know that feeling you get when you take nearly a year off from heavy lifting and you try to lift the same weight and you amaze yourself that you can still do it??? Yeah, I didn't get that feeling today.

This past weekend was jammed packed! It started with me taking my first BB and sparring classes as a BB candidate. That Saturday evening, I took Lori out to dinner for her birthday. I wish the food could have been better for her. She had to send two separate orders back because it didn't taste right. I got a chance to reconnect with one of my Occupational Therapy buddies for lunch in Raleigh and then we finished the weekend at a wedding. We drove back to Charlotte at 1:30 in the morning. I need another day to wind down.

Today, I attended the 2nd dan and higher black belt class, regular black belt class and sparring class. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to train with such inspiring people. These classes also painfully remind me that I'm no longer a spring chicken, but I'm loving every moment of it! Thanks to Julia, Jeran, Chey, Leah, Kenny, and Tyler for coming out to north Charlotte today.

Learning Palgwe Oh Jang. That is all. Only three more palgwe forms to go!

Best thing about being on the cycle is taking BB classes with my own students! Thanks Jaren and Inst Pam for being so awesome this evening. It's nice to be the student again and get in line with everyone else. Also met Jerome for the first time. He's an energetic BB with a warm personality. This is why I love TAE KWON DO!

I downloaded the written test this evening and let's just say, there's SO much I didn't know. I'm only scratching the surface and I've been doing TKD for over 25 years. I'm starting to see a slow transition from the more physical martial arts to a more mental one.

It's good to see my guys still excited about being on the cycle. Their motivation and excitement helps to drive me forward.

There's so much negativism in social media. The media would be happy tearing our society apart and pinning one group against another. The dojang is my happy place.

We had a fantastic day yesterday. KT Belmont started with an adhoc BB class followed by 1.5 hours of sparring class. EVERYONE stated to help me clean the dojang. We lifted, washed, dried and layed the mats back into place, mopped the bathrooms and organized. My heart is swollen with gratitude. THEN, later in the afternoon, we met at our neighborhood pool for some hotdogs and hamburgers and some cooling down time.

We're getting geared up for the Dojang Clean Up day on Saturday. My students will come to BB class in the morning, then take sparring class and finally help me clean the dojang. Afterwards, we're having a pot luck pool party in my neighborhood. It's going to be a great weekend. Thanks to all of the volunteers.

It feels so much better to be nice. Today's RAK occurred at our neighborhood pool. Today was more crowded than usual for some reason. A large group (I'm guessing a family reunion) came to the pool today while I was with the boys. They looked around for a covered table in order to get some shading. When I noticed there were two grandmothers in the group, I offered to share our table and they eagerly accepted my invitation to get out of the sun. The two grandmothers sat with me as we watched our loved one play in the water. As we packed our belongs and started to leave, everyone in their family made a point to say "thank you" to us. I hope my boys are watching and learning. It's not about doing the "right" thing. There was only ONE thing that could be done!

Monday is the start to a new week! I was informed today that we're making some changes our our forms to better align with WTF Kukkiwon forms. This is a move in the right direction.

You can tell my guys are on the cycle due to the low turn out at sparring class today. I guess I'll start going too.....

Noah became ill last night so Lori and I stayed up with him. Yawnnnnnnnn. Come on coffee, do your work so I can complete these requirements today.

I was thrilled to have Inst Amy Tucker come take class with us last night. Her presence with Inst Russ inspired a lot of the moms that usually sit in the back to start taking classes. The power of our program is in our people.

Yesterday, I attended my first BB and PMAA class since my ACL surgery. I'll tell you what makes the KT program so strong is the people. Everyone is so welcoming and genuinely happy to see you back. I love all of my students, fellow black belts and instructors.

It was great to see the students coming back from their vacations yesterday. I had a chance to work with Jeran, bocho, on some of his requirements. Their excitement and motivation on the cycle is getting me excited. I'm looking forward to tonight's BB class.

I spent the weekend with my parents in Fayetteville. Their dishwasher broke and luckily I was able to repair it for under $20. When I don't see them often, I can see them aging. Dad gets nervous driving up to see us and mom is having trouble sleeping. I take my kids to see them when I can. It breaks my heart to see them not interacting like when the kids are with the Britts. The boys are starting to get bored with our visits because they can't communicate with my parents. We eat together and watch some cartoons and let the kids play outside when it's not too hot. The boys still love them and are very respectful towards them, but are excited to go back home.

I believe today starts the cycle for the 2015 Fall candidates! I'm excited to do this cycle with so many of my own students. They're a bunch of motivated, skilled and crazy students that I have grown to love and train with. You guys inspire me to do better. Let's do this!

Today is Friday! No classes today, so it's time to focus on my requirements and get them knocked out. Light day at the Verizon job so it's a GOOD day! Have a great weekend.

Instructor Ivan Torres is here at my house! I wish it was to train, but he's here to replace a broken motor... Regardless, it's always good to see familiar KT faces.

Great chest workout today in the basement. Had a meeting with the property management manager to discuss the leaky ceiling that's been doing on for over four years now. I don't plan on renewing my lease and hopefully will be in my own facility in two years. That is the plan.

Another day, another dollar! So the saying goes. I've been pretty pleased with the consistency I've had with working out at the gym or in the basement. I thought about doing another show, but then reality hit me as I my third hotdog.

The family had a great Independence day weekend. I'm feeling strong since I've been able to work out for a whole weekend targeting all of the major muscle parts. The knee is getting stronger, but I can tell it fatigues more easily. Keep grinding!

I allowed the kids to work out with me in the basement today. As I watched them doing some punches on the bag, it gives me so much hope for them to be great at something that I enjoy so much. Caleb is already more flexible than I am thanks to gymnastics. Unfortunately, we stopped the gymnastics practice for the summer months, but I still make his practice his splits. Noah genuinely try harder at tkd and I think he'll stay with it. Caleb just wants to look good doing kicks and splits.

OMG, the kids have been home for summer only a couple of weeks now. I've used up all of my creative juices to keep them entertained. They're driving me nuts. It's too hot to play outside and the pool is like swimming in bath water. Calgone take me away.

Haven't been able to go to the gym now that the boys are home on summer vacation, but I did do some leg work out in my basement. I'm grateful that I have that option when I need it. The knee felt good doing squats, but still doesn't like the leg extensions. I have to keep pushing forward to get it stronger.

Mondays.... Blahssss... I'm slow to get moving, but looking forward to a four day weekend.

We had rain last night. A good amount. I feel cleansed and refreshed. The boys and I are heading to Fayetteville this weekend to see my parents and get some much needed Korean food. Have a great weekend everyone!

We have the first Parent's Night Out this evening. Master Knight is coming to Belmont to give a quick talk about the Know and Go to keep our children safe. This is what I love about being part of the King Tiger family. Like family, we all pitch in to help another out.

Today, we celebrated Noah's birthday. He turned six. He acts so grown up and you couldn't ask for a more sweeter boy. He's sensitive and puts the feelings of others before himself. I wish more people could be like that. This morning started with training with the other Masters at the Huntersville location. Great work-out and much needed review. I need to get my gears rolling so that I can prepare myself for my students. They're counting on me.

The heat is driving my kids crazy. The pool water feels like bath water due to the 100 degree temps from the last two weeks. My grass is crispy. Extra crispy. Still getting requirements done.

Happy Father's Day! I didn't get much of the physical requirements done, but got some good random acts of kindness and meditations.

I love Fridays. Got to work out today at the new gym and knocked out a bunch of requirements. We're heading out tomorrow after sparring class to Looking Glass Falls with the family. Just the family.

I just want to eat a bowl of ice for dinner. 102 degrees today with similar temps for the next 10 days. The AC in the dojang can't keep up with the heat. I have great instructors at our school. I'm grateful for all of them.

Great class this eveing. TJ's knee is getting better from this Saturday's sparring class. We agreed to him to keep low until the Lee Brother's Cup in November. Julia started helping out with the summer classes. It's good to have her helping out. Did I mention it's going to be HOT this week?! Great chest day at the new gym. One thing I miss about Gold's - the summer day care for the kids while I worked out...

Feeling much better today! The back is still a little stiff, but I'm still planning on going to the gym tomorrow. Monday is a new day for the week and it's an exciting Monday. Most of my students have tested for their new belts and are excited to learn their new material. When they're excited, I'm excited!

Yesterday was the second day straight in a gym since my ACL injury (Sept 2014). I over did it the first day by doing "back" exercises. Usually, when I tweak my back and can't bend over, I have to squat in order to compensate. Unfortunately, I did "legs" on the second day so I wasn't able to bend over or squat today. It's feeling better this evening and I'm excited to be working out again and look forward to working out again tomorrow and Monday.

A lot has happened today. Today is the first day of summer break for the boys and they started it with tennis lessons. I had my final ortho appointment in regards to my ACL surgery. The Dr says it's stable, but looser then he would like to see it. What does that mean??? It will take another injury to justify another operation. I told him it felt loose three months ago and he didn't seem concerned. I worked out at my new gym today. It's closer than the Golds in Gastonia, but it doesn't have nearly the same equipment. There was a near drowning at the pool today. Too bad it was one of my own. Noah decided to jump into the deep end and forgot to grab his floating noodle. I had to jump in after him to get him out. Yay for summer...

A lot has happened today. Today is the first day of summer break for the boys and they started it with tennis lessons. I had my final ortho appointment in regards to my ACL surgery. The Dr says it's stable, but looser then he would like to see it. What does that mean??? It will take another injury to justify another operation. I told him it felt loose three months ago and he didn't seem concerned. I worked out at my new gym today. It's closer than the Golds in Gastonia, but it doesn't have nearly the same equipment. There was a near drowning at the pool today. Too bad it was one of my own. Noah decided to jump into the deep end and forgot to grab his floating noodle. I had to jump in after him to get him out. Yay for summer...

A lot has happened today. Today is the first day of summer break for the boys and they started it with tennis lessons. I had my final ortho appointment in regards to my ACL surgery. The Dr says it's stable, but looser then he would like to see it. What does that mean??? It will take another injury to justify another operation. I told him it felt loose three months ago and he didn't seem concerned. I worked out at my new gym today. It's closer than the Golds in Gastonia, but it doesn't have nearly the same equipment. There was a near drowning at the pool today. Too bad it was one of my own. Noah decided to jump into the deep end and forgot to grab his floating noodle. I had to jump in after him to get him out. Yay for summer...

We had testing tonight at the King Tiger Belmont location. I love the raw energy of testing. There's excitement and hesitation in the air. I'm so proud of my students and I'm ready to show them my energy and love for the sport of tae kwon do. Let's do this!

Summer is almost here. I'm grateful that the school owners are still meeting during the summer break in order to continue our training.

It takes a lot of courage to become a black belt or to decide you want to test again. And so the journey begins again. Best of luck to all of the Fall 2015 candidates.