Candidate Journals

Tomorrow night is the night. Good luck everyone! We've got this!

Wanted to wish everyone good luck on the physical and written test tomorrow! I'm doing some studying tonight! Wish we could have got the run in tomorrow, but I understand. We're nearing the end!

Hi all! Tiring but great weekend! The trip to Greenville, NC was rainy and long but I was lucky to be hitching a ride with my Taekwondo friend, Rob. And before I even got to the hotel, more taekwondo friends, Jen & Courtney, had checked me in to my hotel room and showed me where to go. Cheers to taekwondo family making stressful trips so much easier and fun! Instructors Camp was insightful and sometimes intense. My favorite part was breaking into smaller groups to learn about how to instruct different age groups. I think we got home around midnight on Saturday night/ Sunday morning. I look forward to next year. I knocked out some bb requirements this morning and had a mentor session. A nice afternoon with a walk and games with Joe & Jovi. Hope everyone had a great weekend!!  

Happy Wednesday! Today was a really busy day. Took Jovi on a tour of Bradford Prep. He has a spot there for 5th grade and we need to make a decision whether to make the move. We love Grand Oak, but moving to Bradford Prep would allow him to stay in a smaller school feel through high school. It's a long haul from our place though! After I got Jovi to school, I got my black belt requirements done. Then I had to take Jovi for a checkup with his doctor who is all the way in uptown. We also went to taekwondo tonight and I got in a class assistance credit. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Tuesday! Got in 2 miles this morning before the rain set in. It somehow took me exactly the same time down to the second which is pretty funny. Hopefully I'll be faster next time. Got in my black belt requirements. I started the bb cycle on 1/1 so I am on week 9. My exercise went back down to 4 minutes, but I am keeping it at 5 for the first 4 days this week since I am going to have a hard time getting in exercise on Saturday with the instructor's camp. At least, I am going to try and have that day taken care of by then so I don't have to think about it. Had to miss class tonight as I had to take Jovi to his band's practice. Hope everyone had a great day! Feels like we are in the home stretch!

Happy Monday! Got in 2 miles this morning and bb requirements. Ended up with a migraine and really muddled through everything in the afternoon until medication kicked in. Took Jovi to his guitar lesson. We went to taekwondo where I got in a class assistance credit and a leadership credit. Tried out my neighborhood book club tonight which I probably will continue doing. Hope everyone had a great start to the week. 

Happy Weekend! Had a great bb class yesterday morning and a great poomsae class today. Got my bb requirements in this weekend. Had a mentor session today. Super excited that I'm starting on week 9 and the miles go back down to 8! Played games with the guys this weekend. Did some spring cleaning. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Feeling upbeat for the final weeks. 

TGIF! Got in 2.5 miles today. Progressing slowly, but progressing! Got my bb requirements in. Had to do extra kicks, poomsae, and self defense to make up for yesterday. Worked. Went to a good black belt class. Went to a book club meeting which is always fun. Hope everyone had a great Friday!

Happy Thursday! What a frantic day! Jovi's school called this morning to come pick him up as he was not feeling well. I'm under a tight work deadline and it makes things tough. Since Jovi isn't feeling well and Joe wasn't able to make it home in time to watch him, I had to miss sparring tonight. Jovi and I watched the landing of Odysseus on the moon over dinner. I got my bb exercise requirements in, but I'll have to either do my kicks, poomsae, and self-defense done before bed or double up tomorrow (at least if I want to stay ahead). Also have to stay up and complete work for a meeting in a morning. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Wednesday! Got in 2.5 miles, albeit a little later than I wanted. Did my bb requirements. Had some work to plow through. Took Jovi to get his hair cut after school. We went to taekwondo this evening. I got in a mentee session, a class assistance, and a class leadership. Hope everyone had a great day! 

Happy Tuesday! Seems later in the week doesn't it? Worked. Got in 2.5 miles and bb requirements. Notable thing of the day was a great black belt class with Grandmaster Lee. It was a great push for these last few weeks of the black belt cycle. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Monday! Jovi went to King Tiger Lake Norman for camp while he was off from school today while I worked and got my bb requirements done. Took Jovi to his guitar lesson. I went to KT and got in a mentee session, a class assistance, and a class leadership credit. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Sunday. Low key day. Went to Poomsae class this morning and then had a mentor session. I got a bunch of bb requirements done when I got home. Had plenty of family time today. Hope everyone had a great Sunday!

Happy Saturday. Woke up with a migraine this morning. I have meds for it, but unfortunately it didn't have me ready in time for the black belt class this morning. I was able to go on and have a pretty normal day after that. Got 1.5 miles and my bb cycle stuff in. Took Jovi to his piano lesson. We went to eat at Maddios this evening. Did tons of laundry. Today is my dad's birthday. He and my mom live in WV so I wasn't able to see him, but we facetimed him and sent him a present. Hope everyone had a great day! 

TGIF! Ran 2.5 miles after I got Jovi to school. Worked and got bb requirements done. Went to black belt class tonight. Afterwards, Jovi played guitar at Summit Coffee. A couple of families from taekwondo came to watch which was awesome. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Thursday! Mostly a lowkey day today. Got in 2.5 miles and my bb requirements. Got some work done. Went to sparring class. Spent some time with my guys. Hope everyone had a great day. 

Happy Valentine's Day! I have a tradition of decorating Jovi's bedroom door with hearts where I write reasons why I love him on them. I did that last night so that it would be there when he woke up. I'll leave it up through February. Had some small gifts for both he and Joe. Jovi had a half day of school today. I had to balance a meeting this afternoon with spending time with him. Got my bb requirements done in the morning before I picked up Jovi from school. This evening, I went to taekwondo and got in a session with my mentee as well as a class assistance and leadership credit. Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

Happy Tuesday! Got in 2.5 miles today. Did my bb requirements. Got some work done. We have a table top tree that we decorate holidays and events year round. Today I changed the tree over from Joe's Birthday tree to a Valentine's Day tree. Wish I had done sooner but I seem to be even busier than usual! Got Jovi to his rock band practice tonight. Hope everyone had a great day.

Happy Monday! Busy day! One of our dogs, Cami, had a dental at the vet's office today so there was drop off and pick up as well as her being kind of out of it all day. All went well though and I think she'll be back to herself tomorrow. I got in a 2.5 mile run. I'm still doing the couch to 5K program. I am progressing although slower than I would like. I got my bb requirements in for the day. Worked. Took Jovi to his guitar lesson. Went to taekwondo and got in a mentee session, a class assistance, and a leadership credit. Hope everyone had a great start to the week. 

Happy Sunday! Went to a great poomsae class this morning. Had a session with my mentors after that. Got my bb requirements in for the day. Had some quiet time at home with the guys and I'm getting ready to watch OT in the Superbowl. Hope everyone had a great Sunday!

Happy Saturday! Went to black belt class this morning. Got my black belt requirements in. Took Jovi to piano. Got some work done and some laundry done. Took Jovi to watch his piano teacher perform at Summit coffee and Jovi got to play Iron Man on his guitar. Fun evening. Hope everyone had a great day. 

Happy Friday! Can't believe I forgot to post last night. Yesterday, worked, got all my bb requirements done, and survived a sparring class. Today I worked, got my bb requirements done, and went to black belt class this evening. Between yesterday and today I got in 3.5 miles. I'm looking forward to Super Bowl weekend. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Wednesday! It was a busy day! Got in 2 1/2 miles. Did my bb requirements. Worked. Took Jovi to get a recorder for his 4th grade music class and then to his piano lesson. Then he and I went to taekwondo where I got a mentee session in and a class assistance credit. Late dinner after that. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Tuesday! It was a busy day! Had a meeting at 7am so Joe had to get Jovi off to school today. I got some work done and went for a run. Made some flyers for the black belt community service project and dropped them off at King Tiger Lake Norman. Got bb requirements in. Got Jovi to his various activities this evening. Jovi and I finished his lego guitar and amp tonight. It is very detailed and cool. Hope everyone had a great day. 

Happy Monday! Busier day than usual with work. Got a run in and bb requirements done for the day. Took Jovi to his guitar lesson. Went to King Tiger and had a session with my mentees and assisted with a class. Hope everyone had a great Monday. 

Happy Sunday! Got up and got my exercise requirements done. Went to poomsae team class and had a mentor session. I got some additional requirements done after I got home. Went for a walk with the whole family. Jovi and I worked on his lego Fender project. We all played some yahtzee. It was a pretty low key day. Hope everyone had a great weekend. 

Happy Saturday! I went to black belt class this morning. I stayed and helped with the family class afterwards. I got my bb requirements over for the day when I got home. Jovi was at Jr Instructor Camp since Friday evening so I went to his certificate ceremony and picked him up. He was super tired! Now I'm working on crafting a personal mission statement. Hope everyone had a great day!

Now that the 75 days of January are over, welcome to February! Today was my mom's birthday! She lives in a different state so I only got to FaceTime her and send her a present. Always good to talk to her though. Got my pups groomed today. Got a run/walk in. Got my bb requirements in and went to sparring class. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Hump Day! Today was pretty low key. Just got some bb requirements in and did some work. This evening I was able to get in a mentee session, a class assistance credit, and a class leadership credit. I'll take it! I took the day off from running but I'm back on the next 2 days for that. Hope everyone had a great day. 

Happy Tuesday! After I got Jovi to school, I ran/walked 2.5 miles. Still struggling this week for whatever reason! I had a checkup at my doctor. Worked some. Got my bb requirements done. We have a mini dojang set up in what should be our mancave. We have mats like at taekwondo. I have a mirror. We even have thicker mats to work on falls. I generally do all my taekwondo requirements in that room except for running. Today I did my poomsae requirements downstairs while I was waiting on something in the the oven. It was so much easier to do the Keumgang breathing controls on hardwoods than it is to do on mats. Makes me crazy. Been working hard on those. I didn't get to go to a class this evening as Joe has to be available to take Jovi to his rock band practice in order for me...

Happy Monday! I had a bunch of work to get through today. I ran 2.5 miles. I am up to the 10 miles a week so I'm going to try and split it up by doing 2.5 miles 4 days a week. We'll see how it goes. I was pretty slow. :(. Took Jovi to guitar after he got home from school. We went to KT and I got a session in with my mentees and a class assistance credit. 

Happy Sunday! Hope everyone has had a great weekend. Slept in a little. Got up and did some self defense. Went to poomsae team class at KT Lake Norman. Had a session with one of mentors, Master Natasya. We worked on Bolo. I came home and did 24 minutes of Bolo practice to try and cement what I learned. I did the rest of the black belt requirements for the day along with some extra kick time. I did some reorganization of my closet. Watched a lot of football today with the family. 

Happy Saturday! I was up and out early this morning as Jovi is a mentee for a fellow black belt on cycle so we got there a little before 8. While he was doing that, I worked on the breathing controls in Keumgang. I've been doing that a lot trying to improve those balance portions. Some days I do pretty well and other days I do not. Hopefully I will get some consistency soon. I took the Saturday morning black belt class at KT Lake Norman. We zoomed into North Charlotte where Grandmaster Evins was leading and it was a really good class. I took care of my black belt requirements when I got home. I took Jovi to his piano lesson in the afternoon. I finished up the assigned book, 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do. I hope to complete the essay over the next couple of days. We'll...

Happy Friday! It was a long one! Got in 2 miles this morning. It was 65 and so humid. I think I had flashbacks of being on the fall cycle last time. Normally, I would love it, but not for running. Looking forward to cooler morning temps next week. :) Got my bb requirements in except for poomsae and kicks. I'm about 5 days ahead so that really isn't a big deal. Read about 1/3 of the book we were assigned. Took my dog, Cami, for a wellness check at the vet. She is in great shape for 11. Went to black belt class tonight. Went to my monthly book club meeting. 

Happy Thursday. Another rainy day, but hopefully it will be just cloudy tomorrow. Jovi was off from school so he was at King Tiger for camp allowing me to get some work done and bb requirements done. Went to sparring class tonight. Tweaked my bum knee a little so it is a little sore. Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Wednesday. It was very drizzly all day so I'm glad I got some extra running in earlier this week. I worked and got my bb cycle requirements done. I got my hand knitted blanket done for my new skill. I already got yarn for another one and ordered a kit to make a dog bed. Went to King Tiger and got in a session with my mentees as well a class leadership credit and a class assistance credit. Hope everyone had a great day. 

I got in 3 miles this afternoon. With rain headed this way, I'm glad I got a little extra in yesterday and today. Typical Tuesday. Work, bb requirements, and took Jovi to his rock band practice. I'm doing deep stretching every evening to try and increase flexibility. Hope everyone had a great day. 

Happy Monday! Somewhat productive day. Worked. I ran/walked 3 miles because it's going to rain later this week and I was worried I may have to miss a day. Going to try and do the same tomorrow. It means that I have to walk a little more than I'm used to but I'm trying to make the best of it. I took Jovi to his guitar lesson and we went to King Tiger. I got in a session with my mentee and a class assistance credit. Hope everyone had a good day. 

Happy Sunday! Started today with a great poomsae class. Picked up some additional strength exercises to help with my kicks among other things. Today was Joe's birthday. 52! Where has the time gone? Joe, Jovi, and I went to eat at The Cheesecake Factory and had presents for him at home. He wanted to do everything before NFL playoffs started. I got my bb requirements in for the day and watched football. Hope everyone had a great weekend. 

Happy Saturday! Started the morning bright and early by meeting Instructor Courtney at KT to practice self defenses that have rolls and falls. Her idea and it was a great one! Then it was black belt class and a mentor session with Master Natasya. Got my cycle requirements in for the day at home. I spent a huge chunk of my day working on my new skill, knitting. It is with large chenille so it is a little different than the small work that most knitting is. I really like it and can see me knitting regularly. Whenever someone questions my doing something like taekwondo at my age, I have always joked that one day I would take up knitting, but today is not that day. Now I have taken up knitting so I can't make that joke anymore. I can do both though! Also got some work in today. Loving...

Happy Friday! Today was a pretty ordinary Friday. I ran 2 miles and got my exercise credits in pretty early. I also did 15 minutes of rolls and falls. Got work in. Jovi and I went to black belt class where we worked on Hapkido. I came home and made chicken tacos for the family. We played some yahtzee. Hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start. 

Happy Thursday! Got in a 2 mile run this morning and my cycle exercises. I recently did a buddy read of a book and my friend and I met for a long lunch to discuss which was really fun. Had work that is ongoing until I go to bed tonight. Survived another sparring class tonight. Good start heading into the weekend. Good night all. 

Pretty low-key day. Worked, got bb requirements done, took Jovi to the dentist, and did a family class at KT. Unfortunately, my mentees didn't show as planned so I'll have to make up for that at some point. No worries. 

Got most of my black belt requirements for the day in this morning. I waited to do my run until afternoon since it was raining this morning. It was still really wet out and I didn't realize that the pants I was wearing were worn out to the point that they wanted to slide off when I ran so I had to hold them up for the most part. Wasn't one of my finer days running. :)  Tomorrow will be better. At King Tiger this evening I got in a mentor session with Master Marcus and a class assistance credit. Got the rest of my requirements for the day done after class. Now I'm trying to get some work done before bed. Hope the week is going well for everyone. 

Jovi was off from school today for Martin Luther King Jr Day. I still had to work so Jovi went to Master Natasya and Master Marcus's camp today. I ran 2 miles and got my black belt requirement done. Took Jovi to his guitar lesson later in the day. Worked every minute I could in between everything. 

Happy Sunday! Went to a great poomsae team class this morning. Came home and got my bb cycle requirements done. I spent the rest of the day working and watching football. Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. 

Up bright and early to run with all the other black belt candidates. Got my 2 miles in and went to King Tiger Lake Norman. Worked on hapkido with Instructor Courtney. It was her idea and a huge help. We had a great black belt class. I came home and got a little work done, did my requirements, and took Jovi to his piano lessons. Got in some rolls and falls today. I'm lucky to have mats to use at home. I've had NFL games on late afternoon and evening. Hope everyone is feeling good with their run today. 

Typical Friday stuff. Getting Jovi to school and activities, doing work, getting everyone fed, etc. I got my requirements done. I didn't go for a run today as I'm trying to be at my best for the run in the morning. I'm still going to be going by my couch to 5K for the run so there will be run / walk intervals. One of our dogs decided he doesn't want to use the stairs up to our bed that he has used for years. Joe says Cooper was going up fast and tripped off the side and now he doesn't want to do it. Been shopping around for other options because he keeps getting down and asking to get back up. Even trying to retrain with treats isn't working.  It's not really conducive to sleep to have him getting up and down. :) Went to black belt class tonight. Just...

Hard to balance parenting, work, and home with the black belt cycle. Hope everyone is managing their own balance. Got in all my requirements done early today except running which I did around lunch. I am being very methodical about my runs. I am doing a couch to 5k type method to get myself running 2 miles. I have done this previously and feel like I'm going to get there. Went to sparring class tonight. Sparring class is my nemesis and it always feels good to have another sparring class behind me. Proud to see all the kids out there working their hardest!

I'm going to have to set up an alert to remind myself to do this every night! I forgot the last two nights. Its been a busy few days. Getting requirements done, working, getting Jovi to his activities, and hitting a tae kwon do class every night. These few days I've been able to get in 2 class credits, 2 leadership credits, and a session with my mentees. I still need to get in a session with my mentors this week. I decided my new skill would be hand knitting and ordered a beginner kit today. I started trying to pull together a personal mission statement. Hope everyone is having a great week. 

A little sore today from pretest and just the week in general. Totally expected. Went to a great poomsae team class this morning. I love to delve into all the form details. When I got home, I got my bb requirements done for today. I did a bunch of white belt 1 and 2 self defense making sure to keep my arms up since that was pointed out in Saturday's pretest to the class. After, I took down the rest of our Christmas decorations at home. Everything looks so bare now! I watched some football, fixed some dinner, and got everything ready for the coming week. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I was up and out early this morning for the pretest! Everything went as expected. Grandmaster Evins gave a great class. After I got home, I took Jovi to his piano lesson. Then I got some bb requirements done for the day, did some work, and worked on getting Christmas decorations down. I didn't get that done last weekend as we were out of town. Going to be a multi day project. Great job at pretest everyone! 

Happy New Year! It's a great time to start our black belt cycle. I started doing requirements on 1/1. The last time I tested the cycle ran during the summer. I'm loving it being cold for runs. I'm already liking the winter/spring cycle better. Today, I did my usual of getting Jovi out to school. I came home and did some exercise requirements. Spent a good portion of the day getting some work done. Fixed dinner for the family. Went to a great Friday evening black belt class with Jovi. Hope everyone has a great start to the cycle. I'm feeling really upbeat and wishing everyone the same.